Recent visa regulations notwithstanding, the US continues to be the hot destination for Indian students seeking to pursue higher education.

In the last two years, the number of Indian students in the US has gone up by almost 58 per cent, experts say.

According to the Open Doors 2002 report, published by Institute of International Education, the leading not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organisation in the US, India has for the first time surpassed China as the leading country of origin for international students in the US.

Nearly 75 per cent of the Indians students come for graduate studies and the rest for undergraduate studies. About 30 per cent of Indian students coming to the US are women.

While most people in India say that it is an 'in-thing' to send kids abroad for studies, Indian students across North America feel there are many reasons for their opting US universities.

These include non-availability of certain disciplines and limited choices in India, social prestige and foreign-is-better-than-India-attitude.

But above all, it is the 'political interference' in India at all levels of the education system that forces students to go abroad.

According to Dr Sanjay Jain, associate professor of a college in Boston, "Education system is more coordinated in India up to the high school. The basic foundation of students is well built in all areas. However, things change in colleges, as emphasis is more on memorisation rather than practical applications. In spite of good educational institutes, there is a lot of corruption; good students may not find the outlets they deserve if they lack resources and political push.

"Besides infrastructure, the facilities for research are limited. The science labs, art classes, and business simulations... these teaching tools require a lot of resources that may not be available in India. Things seem to be improving in the software area, however India still lacks availability of good computer labs and fast Internet access at reasonable costs.

"At the college level students are busy with strikes, bunking classes and still do well because the system does not evaluate them on a continuous basis. The system relies heavily on the annual examinations and midterms. Then there is a problem of cheating and exam question paper leakages and sometimes even threat is offered in return of a good grade."

The American education system stresses on the ability of students to work independently. The result is that students acquire not only a thorough understanding of their subject, but also analytical abilities and problem-solving skills, which are prized by employers, say experts.

The US education system is also unrivalled in the choice it offers.

"Where in India do you get a chance to study chemistry, accounting and theatre at the same time? The chance to diversify your knowledge is something that all of us inertly want. In India, you are forced to choose your field of study. You decide to choose science, commerce or arts. In most cases, the smartest kid choose science, even though he may have a knack for acting or entrepreneurship," says Veronica, majoring in psychology from a university in Texas.

Studies show that 90 per cent of students stay back in the US because immediately after completing education, they are allowed to work legally for a year to gain 'practical work experience'.

During this period, they seek their American employers' help in converting their visa from student visa to H1 visa, whereby they can work for three years, extendable by another three.