The Problems that Face the International Students in the United States - Term Paper Example

Name: Grade course: Institution: Tutor: Date: The problems that face the international students in the United States Introduction The number of students seeking to pursue post-secondary education in the United States has been growing tremendously in the last few decades. This group of student is the one referred to as the international students. Research carried out the Institute for International Education in 2008 indicated that the number of international students enrolled in universities and colleges in the United States grew by a rate of 7 percent from the last academic year to hit a record of 623,805. The research further indicated that the number has grown by a rate of 165 percent in the past three decades. The rise in number of international students is associated with some benefits and challenges to both the education system and to the students themselves. The education system benefit in the sense that the campus diversity increase, the tuition revenue also goes high and the stability of enrollment becomes stable. However, since the international students are exposed to a new life, they are expected to face the challenges of adapting to the new learning environment if at all they are to succeed academically. Most learning institutions in the United States have acknowledged this situation and are forced to hire international students’ advisers who act as the link between the students and the staff/faculty. Specifically, this paper will focus on three challenges that face the international students most of which are as a result of relocating to a new country. The problems to be focused by this paper are the problem with the English language, problem of the food habit and the problem of adapting to a new lifestyle which may lead to culture shock. English language When students leave their motherland and lovely ones to travel to the United States for studies, they are full of expectations that they will meet their academic dreams. However, they face some unexpected problems like communication. English language is the most commonly used language in universities and colleges across the United States. According to Davis (38) to majority of the international students, English is not their first language meaning that they have first to learn it so that they can read, write and communicate. In the year 2000, above half of the international students were from Asia (Japan, Korea, India and China). To these students, English is a second language and even if they study English and score high in TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language), they still experience language problems when trying to express their opinions. It is not common to listen to English conversation in their country, as such; it becomes difficult for them to speak English for a long time. The international students thus practice to speak and listen to English but because they cannot speak it for a long time, they are forced to use their language (Schwartz 66). To help make the situation easy, the international students are forced to enroll for English classes. However, the main problem in mastering the English language is that the international students have some many things to handle. First of all, is that they have to focus and give more attention to their majors so that they can complete their studies and graduate within the shortest possible time. As such, English classes are sacrificed in favor of their majors. Another problem that makes the use of English language difficult is the real situation in the learning institution. When international students arrive in the United States, they are embarrassed by the culture shock that the face on arrival. Though the international students get an opportunity to meet the native English speakers, the issue of culture difference makes them to have an unpleasant feeling of each other due to miscommunication. Further, the native English speakers are known to have slang and to speak so fast a situation that makes the international students not to relate so well with the young native speakers (Schwartz 62). The problem of English language continues to prevail among the international students as they strive to meet their expectation since they are forced to overcome the problem of transition to a different educational system. The new educational system is associated with new learning and teaching approaches which are all carried out in English. For instance, the formal interaction with the teachers, group work participation and team work projects may be new to some international students. In the situation of group or team work that comprises of the native and international students, the international students may feel sidelined since their participation could be lower than that of the natives. This is because they fear that they may not be understood or they may not respond correctly (Altbach 31). Food habits International students in the United States are forced to change their eating habits. Most of the restaurants in the major cities and towns restrict the students to taking pizza and fast foods. Most of the foods cooked in these restaurants have high portions of sugars, salts and fats, a situation that call on the international students to have dietary restrictions and health perceptions. The eating habits of the students are forced to change when they do not meat their cultural expectations. For most international students, their cultural eating habit is more than just going to have a slice of pizza or going to a fast food restaurant for a burger. The international students would wish to go to resorts and have the meals they take back home but the reality is that they do not have such means. This situation forces them to end up to fast food restaurant as it is the trend of many Native Americans. A research conducted by Wang in 2007 indicated that majority of the international students do not find the food cooked in campuses appealing. The main obstacle to this is the issue of connecting the tradition associated with the food instead of focusing on the food itself (Wang 16). For instance, an Indian international student sampled during the research expressed the satisfaction if he could get a chance o take tea with a friend as they do in India. Failure to adopt the American culture by international students poses more challenges to them. Food is considered as a source of comfort, thus the ability to eat the American food without problems can help the student to become stable and face the other challenges. However, failure to adopt good eating habits makes the situation worse. According to Lipson (27) eating fast foods has it own risks but the international students are compelled to this lifestyle since they do not have a choice as fast food is the cheapest and the most convenient. The fast foods are rich in sugar, fat, salt and low in fiber and calcium. Continuous intake of the fast food result in gaining weight at a high rate and fat levels in the body rises. With such trends, the chances of developing heart problems, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases rise. Lifestyle change Moving to a new country to pursue education can be associated with some sociocultural problems. Bevis and Lucas (19) observed that international students in the United States experience loneliness, homesickness, discrimination on either ethnic or racial grounds. The main cause of loneliness and homesickness is as a result of the big loss that the students feel when they leave their relatives and friends in their mother country. This separation is the leading cause of psychological problems among international students. Previous research on this topic indicates that international students are more likely to experience psychological problems while compared to Americans as a result of the separation from their loved ones. There are health and counseling services that have been put in place specifically to address this challenge to the students. However, these health and counseling services face some sort of opposition from the international students due to their cultural difference on mental health that differs from the context of the United States. Other aspects like time management, values, use of space are also faced by cultural difference among the university students. Schwartz (62) argues that some things may be perceived as logical in one place while in other places they may considered illogical or they may not comply with the values of other cultures. International students grow up with certain values and assumptions that they are taught in their country during their early growth stage. As a result of the upbringing differences, international students may be discriminated on the basis of their race or ethnicity. While in the learning institutions, the international students are stereotyped as members of a certain group instead of considering them as students who have their own culture (Altbach 24). Conclusion International students in the United States face unexpected challenges as they dream to go and pursue the academic dreams in American academic institutions. The major problem they face is associated with the culture change as they are forced to leave their families and their country to a new country with a totally new culture. Adopting a new culture is not easy as the international students have grown up with they own values and beliefs about life. It is expected that what may be logical to the Native Americans may not be logical to the international students since the cultures are not common. The situation become even worse since majority of international students are not effective in the use of English language. The students may get an opportunity to share cultural experience with the Native Americans but communication becomes a barrier, this situation tends to separate the two groups of students leading to some form of discrimination. Eating habits has also been identified as a problem to the international students. Most Americans have adopted the life of eating fast foods since they are the most convenient and affordable. This may be a challenge to the international students who have cultural beliefs on the food that they take. However, they are tempted to take the fast foods thereby being exposed to the health risks associated with these fast foods. Therefore, people willing to travel to the United States for studies should be ready to adopt the new culture if they would wish to have a comfortable academic life. Works Cited Altbach, Philip. The Coming Crisis in International Education. International Educator 6 (2):9- 43, 1997. Davis, Todd. Open Doors: Report on International Educational Exchange. New York: Institute of International Education, 2000. Bevis, Teresa & Lucas, Christopher. International Students in American Colleges and Universities: A History. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print. Institute for International Education. (2008). Open doors 2008: Report on international educational exchange. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=131533. Lipson, Charles. Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada. New York: University of Chicago Press, 2008. Print. Schwartz, Harriet. Interpersonal Boundaries in Teaching and Learning, New Directions for Teaching & Learning, Number 131. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print. Wang, Yu-Wan. International Students Satisfaction with International Student Services and their College Experience. New York: Dowling College, 2007. Read More