Topic > The Challenges of Studying Abroad as an International Student

Student Diversity: Being an International StudentApa khabar? No ah but? How are you? Kamusta ka? Kya haal hai? Malay, Chinese, English, Tagalog and Hindi. Students from all over the world get the opportunity to hear all these languages ​​and many more. It's amazing how different it is from the normal phrase we hear every day which is “How are you?”. International students have developed a very in-depth university experience for students attending universities. According to research conducted by Hobsons and the British Universities' International Liaison Association (BUILA), it is claimed that without international students there will be an absence of support in the delivery of academic programs and significant help to Britain's local and national economies. The review demonstrated that the positive effect of international students on the university experience was a solid argument for input from the respective respondents. Many noted that their presence brought diversity to universities and, in doing so, helped internationalize the university experience for all students. International students help introduce our domestic students to various cultures, different ways of thinking and operating. They help ensure that our students graduate with a diverse view of the opportunities in whatever field of interest they decide to work in the future. According to the OECD, the number of international students will increase to more than 8 million in 2025. However, Britain's share of the international market is collapsing as the number of top-ranking British education institutions has declined. In the Times Higher Education world university rankings, the UK had 52 universities, but has now fallen to 45 in a ranking drawn up in 2015-2016. Countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States are producing an increase in the number of international students. But why is this happening? Some international students at the University of Hertfordshire were delighted to share with me some information about their experience of studying in a country that is thousands of kilometers from their home soil. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Studying abroad from your respective home countries can be difficult. There is a kind of fear of meeting new acquaintances. Noticing that there are different people with different beliefs may seem like something new. International students at the University of Hertfordshire think they feel isolated from local students mainly because the two parties have different beliefs about many things. There is also culture shock among local students and international students. Both local and international students experience a communication barrier and even fear. This is why the majority of the university student population often spends their time with other people who are in the same country as them. It is well understood whether international students would like a piece of home with them, but it appears to be a different case for international students at the University of Hertfordshire. Mustaqeem Carlos, from Malaysia, said: “It is difficult for international students to get along with local students here, probably due to the differences in their lifestyle and culture. We, as international students, would warmly accept the locals as our friends if they were a little more down to earth. Perhaps they could be more open-minded in terms of social acceptance of the way we behave, think and operate, as well as respecting our different culture. We come to the UK andwe want to make the most of it, meeting new people and making new friends from all over the world. “In terms of language, international students are more than qualified to speak English. However, Badrul Iman, also from Malaysia, believes that there is a stereotypical view among local students about the ability of international students to speak English. He also said there have been cases where local students at the university have said things like "Your English is very good." and international students would take it as an insult because they obviously speak English. This ties into stereotypes. Ly Tran, lead researcher on two research projects into international student teaching and learning funded by the Australian Research Council, said: "The stereotype of international students has a destructive impact on international students' access to internships and 'employability'. Stereotyping international students widens the segregation between international and domestic students. It shows that the way international students are generalized makes them feel disconnected and places them in a position of vulnerability and marginalization within the classroom and campus (Tran, 2015). My other interviewee, who chooses to be anonymous, who is also an international student at the University of Hertfordshire said: "There is a reason why there is something known as culture shock and I think when international students come here because they are so used to how things are in their home countries, we are not used to how local students do things and how they work slang (accent/dialect).” The study of 'culture shock' has come to draw more from social psychology and education than from medicine. Models of 'cultural learning' and 'stress and adaptation' have proven well-established (Furnham and Bochner, 1986) and “social identification” hypotheses have proven to be more evident. These three contemporary theories are more comprehensive, considering the different components of the response – affect, behavior and cognition (ABC) – when people are exposed to a new culture (Zhou, 2008). .It's difficult for someone to step out of their comfort zone and meet people with different beliefs, it's as if whatever we've been taught since birth is on a thin line between truth and false China, said: “No offense, but I think local students lack education about the culture of international students. Therefore, it is essential that international students teach local students and vice versa. Sometimes they think all Asians are Chinese and we consider it an insult because they describe the language as ching-chong like we describe it. It's a very strong stereotypical view. Local and international students should put aside their differences so that they can open their minds to new things and probably share similar programs. This ensures that both parties can get along very well. It is also the case that students at home speak our national language as we consider it a mockery due to their emphasis on the language when speaking. It seems like a joke and it seems like we are socially unacceptable. We would like to make friends with home students, but we feel that the standards they place on 'friends' are unattainable. ”In conclusion, there are many difficult challenges in life and being an international student is one of them. All it takes is a bold step forward and opening up more space in our minds so we can let new things in. International students want to engage with.”