The United States is a melting pot of diverse cultures from all over the world and historically, has been known for the “American Dream.” Throughout American pop culture, one can see the appeal of the lifestyle and education that Americans have, and this appeal draws in thousands of international students yearly.
Japanese international student Norika explains that what caught her interest in American culture
was the show Hannah Montana and the show “made her want to study English, which made her choose America.”
Meanwhile, Juwon, a Korean exchange student at California State University, Long Beach, explains that the weather and extroverted personality of Californians compelled her to spend a year abroad at CSULB.
The biggest challenges these students face include high living and education costs, and language barrier. These challenges also deter many international students from coming to California, and in turn, lose opportunities to develop themselves professionally and personally.
After hearing Norika and Juwon thoughts on some of these challenges, I discovered some of the ways the two overcame their challenges and began to thrive in their new environment. For both Norika and Juwon, the English language was the biggest barrier.
Norika mentions one of her experiences where she felt discouraged and lost after she spent huge efforts to write her paper in English, but received a grade she was not satisfied with.
Juwon, on the other hand, commented on her struggle to understand what professors were saying during lectures due to the fast speed that the professors were speaking at. To improve on her English ability, Juwon utilized on-campus resources such as the tutoring center and writing center.
Norika and Juwon also put themselves out there to connect with American students to practice their English. These two students experienced a predicament that many foreigners face when studying in a foreign country. Through courage and discovering resources around them, Norika and Juwon were able persevere and face their fears and insecurities about the English language.
Another common barrier to foreign students is the cost of living and the cost of education in the United States, particularly California. While the cost of living is already much higher than most other countries, international students must also bear the costs of paying international student tuition. What differs the most between Norika and Juwon is the method they used to come to California and the length of time they are here for.
In Norika’s case, she says that she is a four year student at CSULB and received the support of her father to help pay for tuition. Norika also mentions that she will be starting a part-time job on campus to ease the financial burden.
For Juwon, she is on a year-long exchange program here at CSULB. This means that her tuition goes to her Korean university, so she does not need to pay international student tuition to CSULB. The method Juwon chose is cheaper in comparison to Norika, of course. Additionally, Juwon mentions in the interview that she worked “in a Korean bakery, and saved money for about a year” to fund for her study abroad journey.
Naturally, the situation that each international student is in will vary, but there are multiple options to funding your international study experience, as well as multiple paths that will allow you to study in your target destination. Studying abroad is possible and is an invaluable experience!
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