Running head: The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus 1

The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus

Weiqi Chen

Arizona State University

The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus 2

Abstract

The following essay incorporates different sources to illustrate some of the

misunderstandings of international students in American colleges, the challenges they face, and

how they can be beneficial for American colleges and the local community.

Keywords: international students, cultural differences, challenges, benefits, American

campuses, education.
The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus 3

The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus

The advanced education system in the United States is the number one reason to attract

more and more international students to come and pursue a higher degree in the United States.

There are roughly 975,000 international students studying in the United States(Turner, 2015).

However, not everyone realizes the difficulties international students face on a daily basis and

some people are not aware of how the presence of international students in American campus

can bring new dynamics to the community. International students studying in the United States

are challenged in different aspects and they have different process when adapting to their new

life. Additionally, they bring new and interesting perspectives and increase the level of diversity

on American campus.

A lot of people are acknowledging the presence of international students and how they

can affect the campus and their local peers. However, not everyone agrees that the presence of an

increasing number of international students is exerting positive influence on campus and their

local peers. Some people believe that having non-English speakers in the classroom changes the

content and process of education which might be a potential waste of time for local

students(Ward, 2001). It is not a surprise to conclude that most international students are not as

proficient in English as their local peers since they were born and raised speaking a different

language. Since all the lectures are taught in English, it might be a big challenge for international
The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus 4

students to follow the lectures sometimes. Some lecturers might realize the presence of

international students in classroom and make some adjustments to the contents to make to the

lectures easier to follow for them. Although this decision might help the non-English speakers in

the classroom, local students might consider this as a waste of their time because they believe

that they could have learned more from the lecture. While this might be true for some people,

those people seem to neglect how international students can be beneficial for them in a bigger

picture. Making the contents of the lecture easier not only helps international students understand

better, but also gives local students a chance to learn the contents of the class in a more detailed

way. Additionally, having students from different cultural backgrounds in the classroom gives

local students the opportunity to learn about different cultures that they might not be familiar

with before.

Students from all over the world are benefitting greatly from the rigorous but gainful

education system in the United States, however, they are also challenged in a variety of ways.

First of all, the biggest challenge they face is cultural differences. Living in a different country

where people speak a different language, have different lifestyles, eat different food, is never an

easy thing for most people. Most international students find it difficult to develop social

relationship with local students because of cultural differences. Relationships with Americans are

thought to be particularly important for international students because they enhance cultural
The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus 5

skills (Church, 1982) and may also offer opportunities to seek social support in times of distress.

As an international student myself, I think the role of friendship is of unparalleled importance.

When I first arrived here, I knew absolutely nobody. In the first couple of days, I felt extremely

lonely and insecure because I just went through the biggest change of my life but I had no one to

talk with about my feelings. However, when school started and I started to know more people

and making friends, I can talk with them about my day and my troubles which made my life so

much easier than before. However, international students like me were brought up in a different

culture, and the differences in cultural background might make it difficult for us to develop

friendship with local students. For example, it is hard for international students to find a person

who have the same favorite musician as them because they grew up listening to different music.

Aside from social challenges, international students face academic challenges as well.

Education is the central purpose of international students stay in the United States. Therefore, it

is not surprising that international students rated academic challenges as the greatest

acculturative stressors (Ying, 2005). As mentioned before, all the lectures are taught in English,

which impose some difficulties for international students to understand the lectures thoroughly.

Also, the colleges in America have different forms of assignment. Back in China, most of the

homework I had were different problem sets, however, the assignment I have in the United

States are mainly readings and essays. In the beginning of the semester, I struggled a lot with the
The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus 6

proper formatting of my essay, I did not know what MLA or APA formats were, and I struggled

with finishing all my reading assignment on time. I am not the only one who struggle with

academics: Our international undergraduates are struggling academically is a generalization

that some administrators, advisors, and faculty have asserted recently at a west coast public

university in the United States. Administrators who have made this generalization additionally

have stated that international undergraduates in general are eligible for academic probation,

disqualification, or dismissal(Vaughn, Fass-Holmes, 2014).

Although it is challenging for international students to study in the United States, most of

us appreciate the opportunity to study in a brand new environment and our presence on campus

is beneficial academically, culturally and financially. 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(Wu, Garza,

Guzman, 2015). Before I came to the United States, I spent a lot of time studying for the TOEFL

test, SAT and ACT besides my usual schoolwork so that I can be prepared for the academics

challenges in the United States. It was a really difficult time for me to keep up with my

schoolwork and learning English at the same time, but now I am grateful for all the hard times I
The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus 7

had because they make me more prepared and competitive in American campus. Having

international students in the classroom also makes the conversation in the classroom more

exciting because it is always interesting to know how people from different cultures can have

different opinions on the same subject because of the different cultures they were brought up in.

Moreover, most international students 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(Wu, Garza, Guzman, 2015).

To conclude, although it is controversial for some people to conclude that the presence

of an increasing number of international students affects local students positively, the benefits of

having international students on campus outweigh the possible negative influence. Therefore, it

is important to embrace international students and help them adjust to their new life. The

authorities should take active actions in helping them better adjust to their new life. According to

the participants in a study, school services are needed in their academic adaption to a US

campus. These services include student associations, writing center, counseling center,

recreation, and various student organizations. Participants mentioned that these service centers

provide them a space to release stress, to find a support group, and to gain strategies to deal with

different problems(Wu, Garza, Guzman, 2015).

The Struggles and Benefits of International Students on American Campus 8

References

Reiko Hirai, Patricia Frazier, and Moin Syed, Psychological and sociocultural adjustment of first-year

international students: Trajectories and predictors , Journal of Counseling Psychology, (Jul 2015):

438-452. Retrieved from:

https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/docview/1680201077/fulltextPDF/F5E3218712E44FA1

PQ/1?accountid=4485

Gold, Steven J. (2016), International Students in the United States. Retrieved from:

https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/docview/1817494970/fulltextPDF/94E496256741462E

PQ/1?accountid=4485

Hsiao-ping Wu, Esther Garza, and Norma Guzman, International Students Challenge and Adjustment to

College, Education Research International, vol. 2015, Article ID 202753, 9 pages, 2015.

doi:10.1155/2015/2027

Cory Turner, U.S. Colleges See A Big Bump In International Students. Retrieved from:

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/11/18/456353089/u-s-colleges-see-a-big-bump-in-international-stud

ents

Colleen Ward.(2001), The impact of international students on domestic students and host

institutions. Retrieved from:

https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/international/the_impact_of_international_stu

dents_on_domestic_students_and_host_institutions
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