Obstacles faced by International students in American universities
United states of America is one of the most popular country for students to pursue their higher education. Every year people from various different countries across the globe attend US universities (Selvadurai, 1998). This is because of the worldwide recognition and quality of education in US universities. It seems to be exciting to go study in a different country. However, it is not exactly what it looks like. International students face a ton of problems such as communication, cultural shock, food etc. Not all the international students face these problems but most of them do. Some students overcome these problems quickly and easily, but some other students do not find it that easy or as a matter of fact find it very difficult. Even though all these students were bright students in their home country, but they end up as just being a mediocre when they come to study in an American university. Therefore, if a student is aware of some of the problems or kind of problem he is going to face, then he can be better prepared, or he can transition to those changes a bit smoothly. Some of the problems faced by International students in American universities are Cultural Shock which includes food, academic culture, language and various other things.
Studying abroad involves moving from one's own country to a different country. This basically means moving from a familiar environment to a completely different one. There is no doubt that these students are not free from cultural shock. Talking about cultural shock, according
to National on campus report (2005) "most people think of it as just getting used to some of the cultural things that are new". Along with that the cost of studying and living in the US for international students is also very high. Therefore, the expectation of parents from their children is also very high. High expectations may act as a motivating factor for students but it also burdens the student with additional responsibility. Another problem that a student might face is handling the "relationships with family in their home country" (National on Campus Report, 2005). This can be very difficult because if ones' family is going through a bad phase then they might also feel sad. This feeling of being homesick and cultural shock makes them feel like going back to their home country (National on Campus Report, 2005). This feeling does not let them enjoy their new experience and might lead to poor performance. These things can be a big factor in hindering the growth of international students in American universities.
Among all the problems faced by international students, different food is one of the biggest change that they have to adapt themselves to. Different food is just a part of different culture. It is not easy for someone to change their diet so easily. Especially when they have been used to completely different food, diet and food habit since they were born. So what students do is that they try to look for similar things or they look for food items that are common in their home country and in America. The solution that they get out of this is fast food. Eating junk food occasionally is not a problem at all. This becomes a problem when students start eating junk food more than just often. This is a serious thing that can be detrimental to their short term as well as long term health. It is not the case that students are short of healthier food or healthy food is difficult to find. It is
just a myth among most of these students that it is cheaper to buy and eat junk food than to opt for healthier food. As a matter of fact, if students plan what they are going to eat, or their meals beforehand than it might turn out that healthier food options actually cost much less than junk food.
The most agonizing problem faced by international students is communication. Communication in this scenario basically means not being able to communicate properly in English with native speakers. Even though the proficiency tests exist, and all the international students have passed that test, still international students face the language/communication problem. Also, the students have also been found saying that they were able to speak and understand English quite easily when they were in their home country than now when they are in America. (Selavdurai, 1998) This is mainly due to the problem of different accents of people in different countries. Due to the language problem students sometimes also mess up with their "everyday problems, such as taking the correct buses, grocery shopping, or asking for help" (Hsiao-ping Wu, Esther Garza, and Norma Guzman, 2015). This makes a student feel that he is not worthy enough to do things on his own. This is a very serious issue and communication is one of the most important obstacle that all the international students going through should overcome for a better and brighter future. "Proficiency in spoken and written English is the greatest contributing factor towards the academic success of international students" (Wray, 1981)
In addition to communication problem, international students also find it difficult to adjust to the new academic culture in American universities. There have been many instances of students not
able to understand what their professor or peers are trying to say. Most of the times international students are also unaware of the things that their professor expects from them (Hsiao-ping Wu, Esther Garza, and Norma Guzman, 2015). The classroom is also entirely different from what they have been experiencing their entire life. For example, in American academic culture students are expected to ask questions to professors. On the other hand, asking questions to professor is considered as rude or disrespectful (Spiegel, 2012). Thus, students should identify these problems and solve the problem as soon as possible.
In order to solve the problems faced by International students, there are various things that they can do. These things include talking to a advisor or any senior student, attending universities events some of which are specially for international students, joining clubs or student organization and various other things. This is also true that not all international students might face these problems and it is also true that some students might not face any problem at all. But, these are some of the common problems and for an international student to prosper in America, it is vital that they overcome these problems quickly. Another important thing is that the International students add diversity and it gives everyone including the native American students in the university an opportunity to learn from each other and prosper (Hsiao-ping Wu, Esther Garza, and Norma Guzman, 2015). Overall, international students add diversity and improves the reputation of the
university. Thus, university should help these students by providing resources or pointing them in the right direction to overcome these obstacles.