Introduction
When people are involved in the international migrations, they are exposed to different cultures that challenge their adaptation strategy. The foreign student who moves to foreign countries to quench their educational thirst are good example. Other difficulties that such student faces in a foreign land include language, economic issues, academic issues, housing, health and recreational, inability to be assimilated into the society, and the social prejudice. As a result, the international students are forced to adjust and readjust themselves in order to cope with the new and different environment. Provided the international students are minority groups in the foreign countries, they are required to learn quickly in order to adapt. Therefore, this paper shed light on the cultural and academic adjustment issues that the international students face in the United States University.
One of the most significant cultural barriers that the international students face in the United States Universities is the cultural shock. According to Study Abroad Center (1), cultural shock is phenomena that result from the challenged that a person experiences as they integrate into a new and different society. These experiences include the emotions that change from interest to excitement in a new culture to fear and depression of the unknown individuals. According to the experts, although the cultural shock might take some time to be felt by the subject, it cannot be avoided in any way. However, studies show that adapting and assimilating to the new society is one of the most interesting things.
Several factors are attributed to the cause of the cultural shock. First, the international students develop cultural shock by meeting a new situation or environment. According to the medical model, all people are anticipated to experience a particular level of cultural shock while in the foreign country. Second, the communication problems cause the international students to misinterpret other student behaviors and hence causes the cultural shock. Finally, the challenge to the emotional wellbeing of the international student causes the cultural shock (Dongfeng 70). Similar to Furnham, the “three explanations are: the loss of familiar cues; the breakdown of interpersonal communication, and an identity crisis” (Dongfeng 70).
Another challenge that the international student faces in the foreign universities is the threat of attitudes. The attitudes range from pervasive and broad cultural attitudes to personal and specific attitudes. The attitudes that students develop from home countries and the one that they develop in the host country affects their perception about people (Study Abroad Center 1). Therefore, in order to mitigate this situation, it is important to consider the role played by the attitudes in the person’s overseas experience.
In conclusion, it is evident that there are cultural and academic adjustment issues that the international students face in the United States University. These issues are related to the cultural shock, which is caused by the interpersonal and intrapersonal factors. However, although the effects of these issues are inevitable, a student that assimilates and integrates into the new culture gets the most amazing experience different from what they had been experiencing in their home countries.
Works cited
Dongfeng, L. I. "Culture shock and its implications for cross-cultural training and culture teaching." Cross-Cultural Communication 8.4 (2012): 70-74.
Sturdy Abroad Center. Cultural Shock. The Regents of the University of California, 2011
Furnham, A. (2004, January). Foreign students: Education and culture shock. Psychologist,
17.1 (2004, january): 16-19.
