Hundreds of international students from over 70 different countries traveled a long way with their fears, excitements and expectations to the University of Idaho this year.Long before the students get to the U.S., staff in the International Programs Office (IPO) have been in communication with them for one or two years. They provide students with pre-arrival information and comprehensive orientation when the students arrive at UI. There are student volunteers, mentors and national classmates to help international students adjust to the new environment.
“While the IPO is the first point of contact, there are many people throughout the campus that are helping international students,” said Susan Bender, IPO Executive Director. Bender has been working with international students for more than 30 years and has held many positions in the field of international education.
Culture shock
Many international students experience culture shock coming to a new country.
A challenge for international students is that they are far away from their support system–family and familiar friends.
“They have to develop a new system of support, which can take time, and can take a great deal of energy,” Bender said. “Some students are skilled and can adjust quickly, but for others, transitioning can be very difficult.”
A UI Chinese student, Pinhan Yuan, said when he first got here, he thought Moscow was a very small area with few people.
“I was kind of disappointed because there was nothing here,” said Abdulmajeed Alotaibi, a Saudi Arabian student at UI. “But now I feel so relaxed and enjoy hanging out with friends.”
Some international students are ready to be at the university and to succeed, while some may struggle.
Tammi Johnson, manager of International Student, Scholar and Faculty Services (ISSF) at the IPO, has been working with international students for 13 years. She said international students feel it is tough coming to a new country and having to adjust. However, she believes the retention rate for international students is very high. They have made the significant decision to study abroad and they put a lot of effort in either academic field or social life.
Friendship family
IPO offers events and activities to help international students get involved in the community and integrate into the campus.
The Friendship Family Program is where students can be matched with a local family in the community. Through the program, international students will have a local support system that they don’t have any more from their family.
“The Friendship Family Program connects an international student to a family and many students and families develop friendships that can last a semester, or can last a lifetime,” Johnson said.
IPO also assists students with nationality organizations, including the Chinese Student Organization, Indian Student Organization, Saudi Arabia Student Organization and others. These organizations support new students from their country help them with life questions and sharing their cultures with the campus.
Education difference
Johnson said the culture shock also includes the academic differences, the school system and the grading system.
“One of the biggest differences is that many students are not allowed to talk in their classes in their home country or ask question(s) for the professors in class in their home country,” Johnson said. “But in here, that is absolutely wanted.”
Yuan said he used to have difficulty in having discussions with professors, and was afraid to speak his concerns. He then was encouraged by the staff members and professors and has been improving himself step by step.
“Education is quite strict here,” Alotaibi said.. “Some of my teachers are really tough, but I got a lot of help from the tutor center and also from my friends.”
Connection to world
International students are here to learn and contribute. They provide native students with the opportunity to cruise the world on the campus without physically going abroad.
“International students are very important because they bring the world to Moscow, Idaho. They bring the world to the University of Idaho,” Bender said. “It is incredible to think that an individual student can interact with international students from over 70 countries, right here on campus.”
International students globalize the community and broaden the local students’ vision. Their knowledge, way of thinking and attitude are enriched by the U.S. culture. The skills international students have learned are intangible but powerful, as in today’s world there are so many issues and problems that require people to work together across cultures.
“Studying abroad can make me become more independent,” Yuan said. “I have to solve my problems by myself. In addition, there are certain good ideas which should be absorbed in the western education system, such as democracy, freedom of speech, and so on.” As an executive director, Bender said she hopes that students could serve as global citizens in the future, which means they will have excellent skills and aptitudes to deal with a multicultural world s. To put it another way, she believs it is essential for students to develop intercultural competency.
“One way to gain intercultural competencies is to leave your culture and to learn to adjust to a new culture,” Bender said. “By removing yourself from what is familiar, you learn so very much about yourself, about your culture, about the host culture and about the world. You learn to look at issues from different cultural perspectives, to communicate in other languages, and to work with people from other cultures.”
Chin-Lun Hsu can be reached at [email protected]