Finding yourself in a new culture and country can be very challenging for international students. There is always the problem of learning to adapt and settle among fellow students. Some of the other challenges include homesickness, family issues, language barrier, settling in, making friends. Ideally, a foreign student would find it harder to make friends in a college with diverse cultural backgrounds than socio-economic statuses. This essay builds upon Bobby Allyn’s discussion by arguing that one could be an outsider among culturally-diverse colleagues in college.
First, in the American setting, a majority of international students would love to make American friends. Their American college mates would also want to interact with people from around the world. However, making friends from foreign cultures is a hard thing to do. As Bobby Allyn states “This ‘cultural passing’ gives me a feeling of accomplishment but also leaves me dejected, knowing that I am still an outsider (215).” In the article, I should say I have the same feeling with him. Bobby said his financial problems made him a college misfit. In my case, however, the lack of coexistence between different cultural backgrounds is the primary problem.
Second, in my imaginations, my college life should be colorful and make lots of friends here. However, the truth is different cultures, and language creates a long distance between local students and me. I must say one big problem is my English, but the other reason is I just have no idea what should I say when talking to someone. In the article, Allyn states he “does not understand their references (216).” My friends possess the same issues between cultural differences. There is a tendency of sticking together even in cases where the respondent is American by birth. Given such clear differences, Asians will always choose members of their culture when making friends.
A complete institutional commitment towards civic college education would center on the creation of an all-inclusive campus culture. Such cultures strengthen what students learn as part of the extra-curricular activities. As seen from Bobby Allyn, colleges are powerful sources of socialization for all their students. They are cultural environments through with students socialize through institutional norms, routine practices, and community events (Allyn 216).
It would be hard to understand the effect of the college climate given the complex nature of its dynamic and heterogeneous culture. As a foreign student, I experience many cultural differences, most of which can cause conflicts with one another. To add to this level of complexity, individuals may have different interpretations of similar experiences. For this reason, numerous elements of college culture will have different interpretations for students from different cultures (Allyn 216).
Now, there are various ways that colleges can develop a vibrant mission to help support foreign student’s understanding and inclusion into the new culture. Campuses use special locations and renowned physical elements that reflect its mission statements. For example, a monument would call attention to the need for a special relationship among students. Urban legends can also help grow the college’s hope for a population that respects and treats each other as family. Such respected rituals convey important inclusionary messages. Other elements would include new student and faculty orientation, community engagement, and thoughtful response to conflict among others (Allyn 216).
It should also sound important that a college culture supports intellectual, political, and moral open-mindedness. Such a move shows how valuable an institutional commitment is to the creation of a collective and inclusive culture. Also, the honest reflection on institutional mission and openness to new ideas would play an important part in the protection against confusion.
The primary purpose of any college education program is to assist students to learn to become responsible adults. Thus, students, regardless of cultural background, should respect the obligations and rights of being part of the college community. Similar to any community, colleges offer both benefits and expectations for their members. For example, mutual respect and cross-cultural coexistence remain an important and clear expectation for all colleges. Therefore, it is noteworthy paying attention on how the student body facilitates the implementation of this norm (Allyn 216-217).
The last important aspect of higher education is the mutual respect for anybody whose backgrounds differ from others. The culture can play a vital function in supporting the idea that students should look into understanding foreign cultural traditions. The adjustment would mean that there is a respectful engagement with cultures across the diverse campus society. Such campus climates have the ability to help students become increasingly reflective of their backgrounds and developing a better understanding of their host cultures (Allyn 216).
In conclusion, the above discussion shows that individuals can be outsiders among privileged colleagues in college. As Bobby discussed, different cultural backgrounds have the ability to cause a conflicting environment. He mentioned his financial problems and the difficulty to go to college. From my personal experiences, I realize that different backgrounds cause communication problems among college students. The lack of clear communication then causes cross-cultural miscommunication thus creating a whole new world of an outsider for foreign students.
Works Cited
Allyn, Bobby. "Among Privileged Classmates, I am an Outsider." (n.d.). PDF Document.
