International students’ enrollment in higher education in the US has expanded considerably in the last decades. In this study, international students’ experiences were examined in academic and sociocultural settings. Through qualitative interviews, the findings revealed that international students deal with academic challenges, social isolation, and cultural adjustment. Specifically, academic challenges included communication with professors, classmates, and staff. Consequently, they have to deal with social isolation when engaging in different group activities. Culturally, they need to confront the different ways of thinking and doing in the US. In order to overcome these challenges, students have adopted resources that mainly are derived from the university to overcome these challenges. Thus, as demonstrated in this study, having a better understanding of these students’ academic challenges, university faculty and staff can recognize students’ needs and effectively offer supportive campus resources and services. The university needs to be prepared to meet students not only academically but also socially and culturally. This study also suggests that some preparations need to be made by the university that will embrace international students upon their arrival.
Given the recent demand for internationalization and globalization of our world, cross-border student mobility around the world has ensued the inflow of international students in the United States (US) has increased significantly. According to the Open Doors Report of 2011 there was a five percent increase in the world total of international students coming to the US or 723,277. Table demonstrates the top 10 places of origin of international students from 2009 to 2011. As exemplified in the table, most international students are from Asian backgrounds such as China, India, South Korean, and Taiwan. In addition, recent rent data from Open Doors Reports in 2012 has continued showing an increasing enrollment that is up to 764,495 in the US.
International students study at thousands of colleges and universities in all 50 US states. They contribute to the diversity and internationalization of their classrooms, campuses, and communities. For example, these students add different perspectives in the classroom and enhance the mutual understanding and appreciation of the differences found around the world. Therefore, it is critical to embrace international students on US campuses because of their contributions that have positively influenced the student population on so many different levels. These levels that are influenced include academic prestige, cultural exchange, and financial revenue.
To begin with, among different students, international students are extremely crucial to US higher education for both academic prestige and financial benefits. Celleja found that American students can have advantages if they attend a school enrolling substantial numbers of international students. For example, international students enhance the academic excellence of the colleges and universities they attend because they are academically well prepared academically. Many international students are high ranked in their home countries; however, they have to also meet requirements in academic and language aspects. Namely, these students bring new divergent ways of thinking and catalyze academic competition.
Secondly, international students constitute an increasingly relevant and important source of diversity on college campuses. They enrich the cultural diversity of campuses with their home culture and ethnic experiences. In addition, international students help the faculty and students to develop their cultural sensitivities and skills in working with people from different backgrounds. International students can provide opportunities for American faculty, students, and US society to experience different languages, cultures, and traditions. Hammer et al discovered that “as one’s experience of cultural difference become more complex and sophisticated, one’s potential competence in intercultural relationship increases”. Moreover, as an individual is exposed to diverse cultures, he or she has multiple opportunities to compare and construct a more diverse worldview.
Thirdly, international students also represent a large economic and international relations investment for American through their expenditures on tutoring and living expenses. Most international student funding comes from personal and family sources or other sources outside of the United States. These students help universities generate higher revenue in terms of tuition and other fees. Therefore, from an economic standpoint, international students contribute significantly financially to American universities and if their needs are met, they can be the best bridge for future international students that will continue this contributory process.
However, many international students face challenges as they pursue higher education outside of their home countries. They face obstacles, such as different food, unfamiliar living circumstances, financial problems, balancing work, studying schedules, learning styles, or any difficulties related to language, culture, and personal barriers. A series of transitional difficulties can be from daily life to cultural adaption. If American colleges are going to embrace international students on their campuses, these issues should be addressed and accommodated. The current study is, therefore, situated based on the following: Texas ranks high in hosting international students in higher education for the past few years.
International students cannot escape the cultural shock and change they experience during their studies in the US. Hence, these changes can be attributed to the acculturation process. These changes occur across physical, biological, cultural, social relationship, and psychological (behavior and mental health status) domains. Berry has proposed a transactional model of stress and coping in which he surmises that psychological health and adjustment are influenced by an individual’s acculturation experience, the appraisal of acculturative stressors, and the coping skills used. The acculturation process can be positive, improving one’s life chances and mental health in the majority/dominant culture, or it can be negative. The negative part of the acculturation process can occur due to the inherently challenging nature of change and adaptation to new cultural and social expectations. Similarly, the success of a sojourn or a temporary stay in a new culture is often conceived, in the psychological literature, in terms of “adjustment.” It can occur in two aspects, namely, psychological and sociocultural adjustment. Psychological adjustments is defined as relating to the mental health and overall well-being of migrant, whereas sociocultural adjustment is defined as relating to the behavioral and cognitive factors that are associated with effective performance during cross-cultural transition.
