Studying abroad is meant to expose students to different cultures and help break down barriers. To many Ohio University students, however, international students and their cultures remain distinctly foreign.
International student enrollment at OU has risen 13 percent in the past year, according to the Office of Institutional Research, yet some students say they have had little interaction with foreigners.
“I think some of the Americans often feel shy or uncomfortable (around international students),” said Sally Behrenwald, an instructor in the Ohio Program of Intensive English. “If they think somebody might not understand them, they might feel hesitant to speak as well.”
That was the case for Emily Burns, a junior studying women’s and gender studies at OU, when she and her roommate were placed with a Chinese student during her sophomore year.
“I was a little nervous to be honest. I wasn’t sure how culturally adjusted she would be, and I wasn’t sure how developed her English would be,” Burns said.
It was awkward at first, Burns said, as welcoming a new roommate might be, but the awkwardness faded and the three still maintain a friendship.
“Her English was great,” Burns said. “We could understand her, but sometimes it took a couple tries. We’re still friends with her. We still see her all the time.”
Adapting to college life can be challenging for everyone, but for international students, it could mean leaving their lives behind and entering a whole new cultural atmosphere.
“It’s a transition period for students, so they’re undergoing adjustments not only in culture but also academic culture,” said Gerry Krzic, director of OPIE.
That transition, he said, might be more difficult for those whose native language varies linguistically further from English, such as Chinese or Japanese, than perhaps those from Western Europe.
The 893 Chinese students at OU account for 32 percent of the international-student population in Athens — more than any other nationality. Students from India and Saudi Arabia make up the second- and third-largest international-student populations on campus, according to the Fall 2011 Office of Institutional Research report.
Students from countries that have a relationship with the U.S. are more likely to study in the states, Krzic said, which is a reflection of world economics and politics. During his 25 years at OU, he has seen more students traveling from countries such as Iran, Iraq and Venezuela than from China.
Sophia Bingxin Huang, a second-year graduate student studying journalism, said a professor from Beijing Language and Culture University encouraged her to look at the rankings of individual colleges within a university instead of the university’s ranking as a whole.
A full scholarship is what brought Supradeep Vijaya Kumar, a second-year graduate student studying mechanical engineering, from Bangalore, India, to Athens, but both Huang and Kumar said many come for the weight of a Western degree.
With India’s growing population, now at 1.2 billion, simply having a college degree hardly guarantees success, Kumar said.
“It’s definitely better to get a Western degree, and it also carries a lot of reputation,” he said. “It’s got two things: first, the infrastructure and the quality; (and second), the sheer flash factor, saying, ‘Hey, I have a degree from the U.S. I traveled halfway around the world, and I have this fancy degree.’ ”
Living and studying far from his family and friends is sometimes difficult, Kumar admitted, but he said he found OU welcoming.
“My first thoughts were how friendly people here turned out to be, because I’m a brown guy in the middle of a bunch of white people, so I was like, ‘I’m going to feel so out of place,’ ” he said.
Kumar said he was able to make friends and appreciate rural Athens compared with the urban lifestyle he left in Bangalore. He has, however, faced several stereotypes from American students about his nationality.
“(One) stereotype is probably about food: All our food is not curry and not super-spicy,” Kumar said.
Though most stereotypes don’t bother Kumar, one that does is being asked how he learned to speak English so well.
“You forget that the British — they ruled us for two centuries,” Kumar said. “I’ve been studying English since I was 1 year old.”
Stereotypes work both ways, though, as foreign students studying in Athens come with some preconceptions about American culture, many of which are perpetuated by Hollywood.
“The guys that are here are very much like how we stereotype them back home,” said Emily Cheetham, a sophomore from Bournemouth, England, studying costume design. “Just this whole sort of ‘bro’ culture and the American football player.”
In order to move past stereotypes and appreciate American university life, Behrenwald encouraged her fellow international students to branch out, noting that some nationalities in particular tend to socialize with people from similar backgrounds.
“I’m as aware as anyone else that Chinese students tend to travel in groups and cluster together,” Burns said, “and I think it’s hard to really place blame, but both sides could do more to bridge that gap.”
Though there are many resources on campus to help international students, Burns said there is still a large amount of personal responsibility.
“I think it’s really hard to get adjusted to living in a new culture and getting used to the American college experience — especially the OU experience,” she said. “I think it’s going to take an effort from American students and international students to reach out and bridge the gap that some would say have formed.”
gm220908@ohiou.edu
