Every year many students pursue higher education and relocate themselves to enroll in colleges and universities around the world. Some students move to other countries such as United States, Canada, UK and Australia, while other students relocate themselves to new places in their home country. “In the United States, there are nearly half of a million international students who attend university and college” (Hechanova 458). International student sojourners are foreign people who are enrolled in colleges and universities away from their home country; usually they have a temporary student visa and do not speak the host culture’s language (Snow 134). Domestic student sojourners are local or resident people relocated in a new place inside their home country and who are attending a higher education institution. International and domestic student sojourners usually face problems such as adjustment to the new place, socialization with other students, mental health issues due to stressful academic life, and some problems over their academic performance. Adjustment is the capacity for fitting in a new environment; socialization is the act of meet people, share with them and establish a friendly relationship; mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being, with which we deal every day in our life, and academic performance refers to how well students perform their activities at the university and this is directly related with the grades reached. Domestic and international sojourners face common challenges when they begin their student life in a different place, however “international student sojourners are likely to experience more problems than their local counterparts who go to college away from home but do not ...
... middle of paper ...
.... "Sense of Coherence and Academic Achievement." Springer Science Business Media B.V. (2007): 473 - 492. PDF
Hechanova Regina. "Adjustment and Strain among Domestic and International Student Sojourners: A longitudinal Study." School Psychology International (2002): 458 - 474. PDF
Hyun, Jenny. "Mental Health, Awareness, and Use of Counseling Services among International Graduate Students." Journal of American College Health 56.2 (2007): 109 - 118. PDF.
Khawaja Nigar and Jenny Dempsey. "A comparison of International and Domestic Tertiary Students in Australia." Australian Journal of Guidance & Counselling (2008): 30-46.
Snow, Maureen. "International Students In English - Speaking Universities." Journal of Research in International Education (2006): 131-154. PDF
Zhai, Lijuan. "Studying International Students: Adjustments Issues and Social Support." (2004): 97-104. PDF
Every year, more and more International students are coming to the U.S. for pursuing higher education. According to the Open Doors report published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the number of intern...
American students have been such a question mark for the international students, their way of living and thinking is way different than any international student and this is noticeable. Students from all over the world notice a difficulty in dealing with the Americans and mentally understand them. Therefore, Rebekah Nathan argues that in her article “As Other See Us” and discusses the differences between the American and the international students. Moreover, she uses different evidence based on students from different backgrounds and cultures. Nathan goes over opinions and stories that happens with the international students in the US and what they think about these situation, which they considers weird in the eyes of the international students.
Smith, H. B., & Robinson, G. P. (1995). Mental Health Counseling: Past, Present, and Future. Journal of Counseling & Development, 74(2), 158-162
According to current estimates approximately 75 percent of college students are now nontraditional students – older than 25, attending school part time, and having delayed entry or reentry into college for a variety of personal reasons. Post secondary education is needed by such students to develop their careers and to acquire new skills and knowledge in a global society where they are likely to have longer life spans than did workers in the past. This trend is not restricted to North America; it is a worldwide phenomenon.
A sojourner is often described as a short term visitor to a new place or culture, where permanent settlement is not the eventual purpose of the trip or sojourn. Bearing this in mind the term sojourner has been applied to many different groups throughout the years; military personnel, aid workers and students or scholars all fall under this broad umbrella term. In the literature concerning students there is some confusion, as various researchers have failed to make the distinction between ‘International Students’ and ‘Student Sojourners’. The term ‘International Student’ , particularly with respect to American, Australian and Asian research,is often used to describe students that have roots in a minority group (such as Asians or Latino Americans) but have actually been born in the ‘host country’. These students are usually resident in the host country for the duration on their academic program and longer. ‘Student Sojourner’ on the other hand is a term that describes students who may move to a new place or culture for the purpose of academic ad...
4. Pedersen B. et al. (1996) ( ed.) Counselling Across Cultures, Sage Publications Inc.: USA
Away from family and alone in a new environment with limited communication skills are imaginably challenging for most people. Missing families far away can be best compensated with new meaningful relationships established in the strange environment as soon as possible. Asian students are not only the largest international population studying in the United States, but also the most struggled ones to adjust to the U. S. education system and campus life (Talbot &Geelhoed, 1998) Asian students are not only the largest international population studying in the United States, but also the most struggled ones to adjust to the U.S. educational system and campus life (Talbot & Geelhoed ,1998). A strong social support network seems to improve international students’ abilities to cope with this stressful situation (Wan et al., 1992). Poyrazli et al. (2004) found students who perceived from higher levels of traditional and online social support experienced lower levels of acculturative stress and thus more satisfaction. Most of our participants experienced loneliness and helpless at the beginning of their new lives here in the United States. But they learned to cope little by little. All our participants expressed their gratitude to those who had helped them to adapt to this new culture. They could be a close friend or nameless people from church.
In addition to spending more on the actual education and university fees, the international students also have to spend on boarding and food. Finding a place to stay that is conveniently near to the university and other places of interaction, is affordable, accepts immigrants, and suits the basic requirements - is hard, sometimes impossible. A compromise on at least one criterion of the above is required to sustain in the new country.
Going to study in a new country can be a stressful experience, from learning the culture norms to new foods. Culture shock is common with international students. Culture shock can include, meeting new people, language barriers, social behaviors, and a sense of community. A students comfortability with the culture of their new home can determine their learning experience. It can be an emotional rollercoaster, being so far away from family and friends. American culture is difficult to understand. International students find Americans to be confusing. Social norms vary depending on the part of the country a person is in.
Changing can be the biggest obstacle many student will have to face while attending a University. Students will have to learn how to be on their own, and on top of that learn around what people to associate them self with. In Alfred Lubrano essay “The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts”, he explains how many students struggle with parents and friends while attending college. However, Lubrano goes on to say that depending on cultural ethnicity will determine how the years at college will change a person. Parents have spent about 18 years to mold their children the way they want, but the moment they enter college it seems to deteriorate into pieces, because of all the new material the students are learning.
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 in also has a very different way of life than theirs. Also the laws in foreign 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 in 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.
Going away to college is characterized by two big changes: moving out and living independently without the comfort of parents, siblings, and old friends. Students are forced to make new acquaintances, care for their own needs, and adjust to new situations, routines, and most importantly a different environment. Although many students do not confess this, about 60% to70% of those who reside away from home for the first time develop feelings of homesickness (Van Tilburg, Vingerhoets, & Van Heck, 1999). Of that, about 7% to 10% develop a serious form of homesickness (Eurelings-Bontekoe, Brouwers, Verschuur, & Duijsens, 1998). These studies suggest that homesickness is a prevalent problem for college students. The purpose of this paper is to research
I always want to be an international student because I believe that learning in different surroundings will offer me a chance to explore the world. In order to become one, I have been preparing myself for this upcoming challenge. Long years of studying and paying most of my attention to school work made me wonder whether it is worthwhile to spend so much time on textbooks and became curious about what it is like to study in another country. In 2011, I seized the opportunity provided by my senior high school and became an exchange student in the U.S. . I didn’t fit in perfectly in the beginning, but throughout my exchange year, I had learned to adapt m...
A Student 's life on University campus revolves around going to classes, studying in the library or in their own room, getting involved in co-curricular activities made compulsory by the university and sometimes hanging out with their friends to have fun after an exam. For many students who live in students accommodation being away from their family will require them to be independent and some students need quite some time to get adjusted to their new environment or they will be homesick or stressed. They need to practice housekeeping, to manage a budget, and to find their way around new place. Stress is also a part of every student’s daily life. It can be very damaging for students when stress becomes excessive. It can harm student 's health, happiness, work performance, relationships and personal development.
The majority of students will be living by themselves for the first time, away from the support of their parents and siblings. Furthermore, living alone ensures that students must monitor and manage finances, clean their living quarters, and cook for themselves. The continuous practise of these skills ensures that students are equipped with abilities they will need for future living, thus improving their independence. Moreover, students often share a flat together. Living in close proximity to one another ensures that students develop their social skills. Aside from living away from home, the constantly monitored work, paired with the necessity to attend lectures, means that students learn to be organised, furthering their independence. In conclusion, a university education entails far more than simply attending lectures, completing coursework and taking exams. Students benefit from the diversity of social interactions offered in a university setting, and may encounter more opportunities through the social networks they develop. In addition, the ability to work independently and solve a range of problems will make them far more attractive to future employers. In short, gaining a degree entails far more than simply acquiring another