Essay Example on Supporting International Students: An Initiative for Success

Students face a lot of challenges in school, and they need all the support they can get to enable them to succeed. The challenges are more intense for students studying abroad that is far away from home. A large number of international students lack English language proficiency and so require remedial instructions to keep up with their fellow students. Different organizations such as the Chinese Union aim at helping students in their academic as well as social endeavors, and this helps the student to succeed in the long run. It is true that the socioeconomic background of student hugely impacts their achievement and postsecondary outcomes. Students need counselors and tutors as well as good institutionalized structures that help them get maximum value in consideration to their potential. For students and scholars who study overseas, support is an essential part of their success stories. It is because different kinds of support help them easily adapt and make their stay easy allowing them to focus on important things such as their school work.

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Organizations such as the Chinese Union impact a lot of lives through their programs, which are service-oriented. In a case of a Chinese student who comes to the United States for the first time in school basis, offering services like airport pickups, off-campus housing and even new students welcome meetings don't seem like much but to the new student, this makes their stay a smooth ride. All this support has helped a lot of students overcome the fear of studying abroad, which is associated with both culture and language shock (Lew, 2010). Some get themselves resisting or adopting assimilation as they strive to achieve social mobility. Moreover, since most international students are not financially well off, they need financial aid in terms of affordable college fees and job opportunities. Students who get this kind of support have high chances of graduating with fewer difficulties, the reason being they can afford to buy learning resources and generally live decently hence become more motivated to succeed. Language and cultural barriers can create committed and academically engaged individuals, but this is only possible when resources are availed to such students.

I noted that even though students from diverse cultures can be given services and programming necessary for their success, the support is insufficient if the students are not made aware of how such services can be useful and where they are located. It is for this reason that peer support is also encouraged as it allows students to connect and hence succeed together. The social environment of a student is crucial for their success in school. Also, international students need additional learning resources not only to enable them to get better academically but also to learn more about cultural norms. It helps in making these students more comfortable and able to navigate their environment.

Apart from programs such as CU that take care of students in a deliberate and responsible way, as well as which make students comfortable, local guides are also important as they help students to transition from one environment to another. The Chinese union works on providing opportunities for Chinese groups to communicate with international and local student organizations, and I think this is very effective in the transition process for the Chinese students. It allows for the creation of gradual personal connections of culture and language. When students know and feel that they are supported, they easily take advantage of resources both on and off-campus but generally support essential for the success of students.

Reference

Lew, J. (2010). Asian American youth in poverty: Benefits and limitations of ethnic networks in postsecondary and labor force options. Journal of Education for Students placed at Risk, 15(1-2), 127-143.