Being an international student is a great way to show your diversity.
Apa khabar? Ni hao ma? What’s your status? Kamusta Ka? Kya haal hai? Malay, Chinese and Tagalog are all possible. Students from all over the globe have the chance to hear all of these languages, and many others. It’s incredible how different this is from the everyday phrase “How are ya?”. The university experience is very different for international students. Hobsons and British Universities’ International Liaison Association, (BUILA), found that international students are essential for the delivery of academic programmes in Britain. This is a significant contribution to the country’s national and local economies. It was clear that international understudies have a positive effect on the university experience. This was confirmed by their respective responses. Many people noted that international students brought diversity and helped to internationalize the university experience. Our students from the home country are introduced to many cultures, perspectives and ways to think and operate. They allow our students to have an open and diverse perspective on what is possible in whatever field of study they choose. The OECD estimates that there will be more international students than ever before 2025. The number of British universities that are highly ranked has fallen, reducing Britain’s international market share. According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, UK was home to 52 universities. However, this number has fallen to 45 since 2015-16. The number of international students is rising in countries such as Australia, Canada and America. Why is this happening? A few international students from University Of Hertfordshire shared their experiences with studying in a country thousands kilometers away from their home.
It can be challenging to study abroad while still living in your home country. It is not easy to meet new people. Recognizing that people have different beliefs can make it seem like you are meeting someone new. Students from international universities feel isolated by local students because of differences in their beliefs. Culture shock can also occur between international students and local students. Both international and local students feel fearful and have to overcome communication barriers. The majority of students at the university spend time with people from the same country they are. While it is common for international students to want a bit of home, it seems that this is not the case for international students at the University Of Hertfordshire. Malaysian Mustaqeem Carl, stated that international students have difficulty getting along with local students due to their different lifestyles and cultures. If they were more approachable, international students would be open to accepting locals as friends. They might be more open to accepting and respecting the diverse cultures of others, as well. We’re here because we love the UK.
International students can speak English fluently. Badrul Iman, a Malaysian student, believes that local students have a stereotype view of international students’ ability to learn English. He stated that there were instances when students from the university said things such as “Your English skills are very good.” This would be taken as insult by international students who speak English. This is a link to stereotypes. Ly Tran was the principal investigator of two Australian Research Council research projects on teaching and learning for international students. He stated that stereotypes can negatively impact international students’ access and ability to find work. Stereotyping international students increases the gap between domestic and international students. It shows how international students feel disconnected from the campus and classroom.
Another interviewee chose to remain anonymous and is an international student at the University Of Hertfordshire.
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Culture shock is a phenomenon that affects international students. We aren’t used to the local culture and ways of life and have no idea how to adapt to it. It’s also important to note that British people speak their own dialects and loghats.
Studying ‘culture shock’ is now more rooted in education and social psychology than medicine. Fuernham and Bochner (1986) have shown that ‘Culture Learning’, ‘Stress and Adapting’ and social Identification’ hypotheses are well-established. These theories, which include affect, behaviour, cognitive and cognition (ABC), are much more comprehensive than the traditional ones (Zhou et al., 2008). It is hard to let go of your comfort zone and make friends with people with different beliefs. Jai Tong, a Guangzhou student from China, stated:
“No offense, but local students do not have the necessary education to understand the culture of international students. International students must also teach local students. They believe that all asian students are Chinese. This is a very insulting view. It’s a strongly stereotypical view. International and local students should forget about their differences and work together to find common ground. This allows both sides to work well together. We also find it funny when home students speak our language. They place so much emphasis on their language that we consider it mockery. It is a mockery that makes us feel socially unacceptable. We’d love to become friends with homestudents but feel that the standards they have for “friends” is too high.
It is not easy to be an international student. It takes only one brave step to open up more space for new ideas. International students are eager to interact with the local students, as well as the local students. Emily Roach from the UK was one of those students.
It’s incredible to meet new people from all over the globe. We feel large and don’t feel small. International students find it difficult to approach because of the way they see us. We are afraid of being perceived as strange by international and home students. Only a handful of international students are close friends to me. Our friendship is based on our open-mindedness and desire to be friends regardless of cultural differences. International students need to be more supported by the university. It is estimated that 8 billion pounds worth of foreign students spend on their educations each year. We should be grateful because this helps us get out of debt. It is possible to achieve complete diversity by being open to learning and sharing new ideas with others. This will allow us all to create a diverse and rich network of friends.
