The Advantages and the Problems that Faced Overseas Students - Report Example

Abstract With the arrival of the trend that makes the world a globalized village, there has been a marked increase in the number of students who choose to leave their home nations and migrate to another one for the purpose of studying or completing their education. Interestingly enough, the movement of students has principally been from the developing to the developed world. This also translates into the fact that students from the third world nations choose principally to study in countries that are primarily English speaking. The following essay will aim to find out in four basic sections to find out the reasons for this trend, the advantages, and the culture shocks that these students have to undergo on a day-to-day basis. It will also look at psychological and financial difficulties that these students face and finally come to a conclusion about whether or not this trend is negative as has been alleged by many. Introduction The Reasons for Choosing English Speaking Countries The English-speaking nations of the world can conservatively be identified as USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland. Of the English speaking countries that attract international student migratory traffic, the USA heads the list. It houses the world’s biggest international undergraduate and postgraduate populace; it is home to more than 600,000 students who have chosen to broaden their educational horizons and life experience in the United States. Nearly 4% of all students enrolled in higher-level education are international students, and the numbers are growing. From the mid-1950’s, when international student enrollment was only just reaching 35,000, international education in the USA has come a long way. In a study about the nature and characteristics of international student migration behavior and the related issues, the US can therefore be the perfect example for a more streamlined study, as one could assume that it is the migratory nature driving international students in USA would be replicated in other English speaking countries of the western world. For most students from the developing world, English-speaking countries are easy to get access. Most of these countries offer the lure of and education and a culture system that are historically challenging and have a world repute. Kraemer, (2005) identifies a general perception around the world that English-speaking countries are safer from crime and violence as compared to a number of the countries that belong to the third world (p. 306). Most do not offer health problems and are, more often than not blessed with beautiful scenery. The lure also extends to the fact that movement away from home would mean independence, it denotes a rise in status in many a cultures if a member of the family studies in a western English-speaking world, the value of the degree is considered greater. An article entitled World Languages and Culture, (2006) states that careful, eco-friendly development of these landscapes and the provision of appropriate facilities makes these countries among the best in the world for outdoor pursuits, especially hiking. Getting a student Visa is easy; it is also considered a ticket to further settlement ambitions on the part of many of these migratory students. There are those in fact that consider this trend a further extension of the colonial hangover and the neo colonist tendencies of the globalization regime wherein the western English-speaking culture is considered superior to the local and national culture, language and lifestyles. The effort to study in these countries would then mean an effort to ‘fit in’ and rise to the status of that which is better in quality and in nature. Culture Shock There are a few intrinsic culture shocks that these students have to undergo once they do take a transfer to a school or University in English-speaking country like the US. The society and the social norms are different, the method of teaching is unfamiliar, the manner in which fellow students behave in class is unrecognizable at times, even the money, or the currency is alien. The language though usually not a barrier, the accent, and the mother tongue influence does create hassles at times. The Advantages that the oversees students have overall in a general way and over their peers specifically Pfaffenroth (1997) argued, “if Americans wish to maintain a global presence and global influence, it is time our institutions of higher education think seriously and systematically about what they want to do with their international students”. There are however a number of distinct advantages that a migratory student would have in a country like the USA. First, no university would accept a student without merit. This would therefore mean that the student who is exposed to an alien culture would have usually and above average intelligence. Countries like China have a vast pool of intelligent young students with not enough exposure and opportunities; these are available to them in abundance in most of these English-speaking countries. Further it is not like these students do not have a clue about the kind of culture or institute that they are getting into. Most students for example have some awareness of U.S. high education, but the knowledge is general with specific institution knowledge of the following institutions, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Stanford. These students come to a different country with a point to prove, they come with the weight of the career ahead, most want to make something of the opportunities that are provided, they appreciate the chances they get. Further, most of them arrive on scholarships, and student and fellowship programs. This helps give their resumes and their personality a character that the local students do not have an in form. The disadvantages and the problems The disadvantages that these students face however are much greater as compared to the positives of their lives in a foreign country. The situations have changed drastically over the past 7 years ever since the nuances of international terror were brought to the fore by incidents like the 9/11 attacks on the US World Trade Centers and the 7/11 attacks on the London Metro. A majority of the students who migrate to these English-speaking nations are Asian, and distinctly identifiable by their physical features and attributes. The result of the 9/11 attacks has been that most of these students are now viewed with some amount of hostility and suspicion, they are not befriended as easily and are constantly kept under the scanner. The result is immense levels of psychological trauma. Racism is an issue that has come into the limelight on a much larger scale ever since the attacks on Indians in Australia caught the attention of the international media. A yahoo group that exists on the internet and is dedicated to the discussion of problems that are faced by foreign students in the US states that they are all treated as terrorists because they look different!! The problems arise from the insecurities that plague locals with regard to the more academic foreigners who are now being perceived as the ones that steal national jobs in countries like US, UK and Australia from the local population. The psychological trauma that a student follows is now being documented in many forms of the international medium. Beside this major issue, there are other problems that plague international migratory students as well. Galloway and Jenkins (2005) state that finances become a big issue with most of these students as they are not allowed to find work under the sub clauses of the student visas. This makes life tough, for expenses mount once they are in a foreign country. The usual issues of migration like finding accommodation close to university, the food, the culture and homesickness are issues that need to be kept under consideration as well. Moon (2008) states that language is a barrier by virtue o the fact that a number of these students migrate for learning English in the first place, in the initial years therefore the language creates a problem in relation to the manner of interaction and levels of comfort that the alien student feels in a foreign land. Culture is a big barrier to the ultimate adjustment issue that most international students face as well given the fact that in most western countries the interaction between peers is a lot more open as compared to the countries of the east. Conclusion In conclusion, if one was to debate about the merits and the demerits of the process that encourages foreign students to opt for an English-speaking country, for education, one would arrive at a few obvious answers. First, the process is as irreversible as is the process of globalization. There can be no turning back despite the fact that the number of incoming international students to countries like the US has suffered marked decline in the past 2 years. There are a given set of advantages and disadvantages that these students have to face when they make a choice of studying in these countries. One cannot however turn away from the fact that even today, a degree from a University in the US would hold some amount of weight over a degree that a student has from a university in India. The greatest advantage that a student therefore has is with regard to the future, there are those that argue that being a loner and a misfit in college is worth it if this guarantees a nice plush job with an international company. And although there is no guarantee that this would happen the chance are high, the very hostility of the nationals is proof of the fact that international students find favor with the employers when they come calling. The basic advantage therefore, it can be concluded overrides the disadvantages that an international student faces while studying abroad. Reference: Advanatges and Disadvantages of Studying abroad, accessed July 26, 2009, Galloway and Jenkins (2005) The Adjustment Problems Faced by International Students in the United States: A Comparison of International Students and Administrative Perceptions at Two Private, Religiously Affiliated Universities, pub, NASPA Journal, Vol. 42, no. 2, Winter 2005, pp175-187 Jenkins, J. R. (2001). Perceptions of international students and university personnel of cultural adjustment problems at two private universities, Un-published doctoral dissertation, University of San Diego, CA Kramer B A, 2005, Factors affecting Hispanic student transfer behavior, pub, Springer link, Netherlands, Vol. 36 No.3, pp303-322 Moon S, 2008, The Challenges Faced by International Students, pub, FNews Magazine, March Edition Pfaffenroth, S. B. (1997). Clarifying institutional policy toward international students: A community college self-study model, Issues of education at community colleges: Essays by fellows in the mid-career fellowship program, Princeton University. Princeton, NJ World Languages and Culture, 2006, accessed July 26, 2009, Working in USA, accessed July 26, 2009, < http://www.internationalstudent.com/study_usa/way-of-life/working-in-the-usa.shtml Read More