International Students in the U.S.
There are more and more international students coming to the U.S. for study. The number of international students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions has increased to a record high of 623,805 till November 2008, according to the Open Doors report published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. There is an even stronger increase in the number of new international students who were enrolled for the first time at a college or university in the U.S. The new international student enrollments rose by 10% for 2008.
The guiding philosophy behind international recruitment is that diverse campuses better prepare U.S. students to succeed in a globalized world and help universities to build global reputation. Also, the high quality of the U.S. higher education is another important reason to attract international students.
For international students, studying abroad opens up the world for them, allowing them to experience different cultures and meet different people, helping them to understand others and themselves better. Accroding to a survey by the International Education of Students (IES) , studying abroad is usually a defining moment in a young person's life and continues to impact the participant’s life for years after the experience.
Adjustment Problems
When international students come to the U.S., leaving behind all their caring families and facilities, they have to start facing lots and lots of problems to adjust here. Things like finding a place to live and knowing where to eat and do groceries is just a beginning for international students' independent living in a foreign country. Problems like home sickness, culture shock, language learning, social barriers, academic difficulties, financial pressure, and so on, arise then.
Each of these problems are not easy to deal with. For example, language. Language is always a big barrier for international studnets. If they come from countries where English is not frequently spoken, international students would feel the stress when they first came to the U.S., although they may already have some English skill. Many international students, although they have already passed certain exams like TOEFL or GRE to satisfy the language requirement for study in any study program in the U.S., they would still found it difficult to keep up with their classmates in classes. This situation would make them very sad and influence their confidence for life as well as their study.
If international students want to attain a higher degree and pursue their goals, they need to adjust themselves in a foreign land, coping with novel situations and maintaining good grades.
This website is designed to serve international students in the U.S., helping them to understand some problems they meet, providing suggestions on how to overcome the fear, depression, as well as anxiety, and build up their confidence in this foreign country.