International Students And Higher Education

In the article, “Colleges Adapt to New Kinds of Students from Abroad,” Karin Fischer (2011) explains the increase of foreign students in U.S. universities leads to make more problems in campus and how universities are trying to overcome those problems and help foreign students to adapt to campus. Fischer explains the increase of the foreign undergraduate students due to the support from foreign governments. Fischer quotes Wesley Young, the director of services for international students and scholars at the University of California at Davis, to discuss that the increase of foreign undergraduate students especially requires more care and help than graduate students. While older students know what they need to do and what to do in U.S. university,

With an increase in student mobility around the world, there are many positive outcomes related to learning a different set of education from their home country and obtaining intercultural experiences with a global mindset. On the other hand, students may struggle with different challenges, which they may have unexpected to encounter.

Why does international students tend to group themselves away from American students? What are some possible aspects that cause difficulties for international students to make American friends? In Karin Fischer’s article, she used the online questionnaire that professor Elisabeth Gareis conducted on international students in America to answer those questions proposed above. This survey’s result claims that cultural and regional differences affect international students to have difficulties when trying to make American friends. This research was conducted on various non-American students with different genders, cultural backgrounds and circumstances. Not even half of the participants responded that they have a good friendship with American students. Karin argues that students’ home region, university’s location and language differences took critical roles which made a barrier between international

Canada’s International Education Strategy clearly outlines the economic benefits of increased international students’ participation on campuses and in the communities (MAE, 2012). According to Roslyn Kunin and Associates Inc., (2013) estimates that 450,000

Every year there are around 435,000 international students enrolled in universities around the UK (UKCISA). Studying abroad for a lot of these students is a privilege, however it can be a stressful experience for various reasons. There are plenty of challenges, other than language barrier, that these students face, like major culture shock, homesickness, and financial difficulties.

The second reason why most people immigrate to the United States is the quest for higher educational opportunities offered by most universities in the country (Nuñez n.p). Most of the adventurous students seek out scholarships to come and study in the United States since they feel that the United States has better educational and employment opportunities for the bright minds. According to Henderson (5), the American Universities and Colleges comprise 15 out of the top 20 according to the college rankings. Taking the example of two prominent rankings, the first one, carried out by the Times Higher Education Ranking of World Universities, the United States takes up 13 out of the 20 top universities in ranking. The second ranking, which was the Academic Ranking of World Universities, lists 17 American universities among the 20 top ranking bringing the average to about 15 universities out of the top 20. This appeals to most students from Asia or Africa to seek out scholarships and move abroad to further their education (Henderson 5).

The United States has always been a main attraction for international students to gain intellectual knowledge, technical skills, cross-cultural experience, and better opportunities for professional development (Han, Han, Luo, Jacobs, & Jean-Baptiste, 2013; Zhang & Goodson, 2010). According to the Institute of International Education (2017), in the academic year of 2015/2016, there was an increase of 7% in the number of international student pursuing higher education in the United States over the previous year with total international students of 1,043,839 and 5.2% representing the total of U.S College enrollment. International students make higher education one of the largest service sector exports in the United States (Rice, Choi, Zhang, Morero, & Anderson, 2012; Zhang & Goodson, 2010). They are regarded as a vital financial commodity for countries

International students attending U.S. colleges and universities bring valuable cultural and educational diversity as well as economic contributions to American campuses and their communities (Andrade, 2006). Internationalization on college campuses encourages cultural awareness which can provide beneficial skills for students as they enter the workplace in our globally interconnected society. As international student recruiting increases, research suggests that universities must become more aware of the adjustment and acclimation challenges international students face and provide appropriate services to keep them enrolled. This qualitative study of international students in a North Eastern Tennessee university, will attempt to explore best institutional efforts to boost student retention, confirming that additional recruitment resources alone does not guarantee international student retention.

Being an international student poses a lot of challenges in blending in with the other students. Joining University changed my life from a period of being popular in my country as I had made many friends at school and in the neighborhood and I was engrossed in the popularity lifestyle. After a month in university, I felt lonely and judged, and I did not manage to make any friends. People claimed that I was proud for I was bright, had a lot of money and I was trendy which is what I learned later on. I spent my time in the library in order to end the day and the weekends. One day the guy who lives next door challenge me to attend their Christian fellowship meeting. That meeting changed my feel about believes as I got an interest in discovering religious practices. I also felt comfortable as the people were very friendly. From that day, I was able to make friends, and I even got the confidence to start interacting with people outside the Christian circle. I developed a desired to grow my spiritual journey as I learned that that was the road to interacting well with other people. This made me understand why my parents were successful in building community relationships as the religious practice allowed them to be regarded as trustworthy and gave them a place of interaction with other community members.

The economic contributions of international students is one of the most obvious reasons that countries like the U.S. are very willing to admit international students to their colleges. Take the international students in the U.S. as an example. NAFSA conducts an annual state-by-state and congressional district analysis of the economic contributions of international students and their families to the U.S. economy. International students and their families created or supported 340,000 jobs and contributed $26.8 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2013-2014 academic year, according to NAFSA’s latest economic analysis. For every 7 international students enrolled, 3 U.S. jobs are created or supported by spending occurring in the following sectors:

“In 2006 to 2007, according to the data compiled by the Institute of International Education, 582,984 students from all over the world were enrolled in American colleges and universities in a wide range of fields” (Carter, Paragraph 2, 2008). The United States has the highest number of students who are coming to study abroad than any other countries. Each year, the number of international students coming to the United States to obtain degrees is increasing by thousands, and home countries of these students are primarily India, China and Korea, all located in the whole different continent. But what are the motives of students who are crossing the sea to study? Their goal of studying abroad is to experience diversity and to adapt attitudes

However, American institutions were only able to use tuition to cover 44% of operating costs in 2012 (Han, 2014). This chapter’s study was performed at a university challenged by an enormous budget cut and one of the lowest tuition rates in the nation. Furthermore, the proportion of international students outpaces the national average by 2% (Institute of International Education, 2016). Yet, administration has not made improved retention and recruitment of international students a priority in fixing the situation. Rather, the university has decided to cut costs and faculty positions to solve the issue. This may also be the case at many other institutions facing budget issues. However, improved retention through addressing academic needs may aid in alleviating some of these financial issues. In previous studies, students cited academic matters like course structure, discussions, and study skills as significant obstacles (Abel, 2002; Fenton-Smith & Michael, 2013; Pan & Wong, 2011). In fact, 74% of international students and 65% of domestic students shared concerns with their academic pursuits (Grayson, 2008). Furthermore, Yi (2007) found that 45.9% of international students’ need for academic assistance was quite common and sometimes overwhelming. Yet, in most of the studies consulted, academics was a catchall term that did not address specific issues. In

Improved relationships between institutions and international students should be a major focal point for researchers and administrators for the future.

International students face many different challenges when studying abroad. This is due to many factors. First, they are living in a country very far away from their own. The country they are studying at has a very different way of life than theirs. Further more, the laws in that country are much different than the laws in their own country. Due to that they face a lot of problems trying to adapt to this new culture. Me personally as an international student in the US studying at ASU, have faced three particularly difficult challenges that I was able to overcome through time. In this essay I will explain how international students can overcome tough challenges and situations.

According to reports published by the Institute of International Education, the number of international students in the United States reached a total of 1,043,839 in 2015/2016. Being China, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Canada their top 5 countries of origin. To enroll, these students had to apply for an F-1 visa from their countries or adjust their status while in the U.S.