Studying in the US: Helping Foreign Students Feel at Home

Posted by thanhlt

March 4, 2010

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Being
a new student in school can be a little scary. Being a new student in a new
country can be even scarier.

A
college or university’s international student office is a good place to start
getting to know the school and the country. This week in our Foreign Student
Series, we talk about support services for international students in the United
States.

Members of the International Students’ Assembly at the University of Southern California

Our example is the University of Southern California in
Los Angeles. U.S.C. has had the most international students of any American college
or university for the past seven years. So says the Institution of
International Education in New York.

U.S.C.’s
Office of International Services says the number of students this year is about
seven thousand five hundred. The University of Southern California has more
than thirty-five thousand students total.

The
Office of International Services helps explain student life at the university. It
also organizes programs to help foreign students feel more at ease in their new
surroundings. For example, there are trips to explore the Los Angeles area.

Most American colleges
and universities have a similar office that helps international students. These
offices look for ways to get students involved in school life and make American
friends. Their job is not always easy. International students often want to
spend their free time with friends from their own country or group.

India,
China, South Korea, Japan and Canada sent the most students to the United
States during the last school year. Next came Taiwan, Mexico, Turkey, Saudi
Arabia and Thailand.

The office
at U.S.C. also assists family members who come to the United States with international
students. The family members can take English classes and go on trips to places
like museums.

The Office of
International Services also organizes other activities. For example, a State of
the World Seminar takes place each semester. A group of international students
and a professor discuss current social and political issues and take questions
from the audience. The most recent seminar, held earlier this month, dealt with
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And
that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our
series on studying in the United States will continue next week. Earlier
reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. Click on Foreign Student Series. You can
write comments and read what other people are saying. I’m Steve Ember.