Cross Examination of South Korean and Indian International Students

Running head: CAPSTONE PROJECT
Cross examination of both cultures of South Korea and Indian international students and how
they adapt to outside cultures
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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CAPSTONE PROJECT
Introduction
There is no gain in highlighting that significant portion of students from Asia move
overseas in order to pursue their higher education. According to the reports published by the
International Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the number of
international students throughout the world has increased from 0.8 million in 1975 to 3.7
million in 2009. In addition to this, the statistics published by UNESCO stated that each year
the number of international students is increased with an average percentage of 12% (Sood).
The United States is the main destination for the international students. As per the report
published by the Institute of International Education, at least 69,000 students went to study in
the U.S during the tenure of 2009 to 2010 per year. Among the students who opt from
studying in U.S, the majority of them prefer to go to California, New York and Texas
respectively. After United States, the second destination for the international students is the
U.K. After the U.S and the U.K, there comes China. As per the China’s Ministry of
Education (2010), 265,000 students visit China for perusing higher education. China also
send their students abroad for studying than any other countries in the world and this I
followed by India and South Korea respectively. For the South Korean students, the preferred
subject for studying abroad includes engineering followed by business management. In India,
the main subject or the degree of choice for studying abroad is biology or biotechnology
students, who are interested in doing their doctorate degree abroad. This is followed by
management students and engineering students. Studying aboard helps the in improving the
economic condition of the country (Sood).
When a student arrive in the United States, he or she mainly gets mesmerized by its
extravagant structures, jaw dropping shopping malls, sky touching building, clean roads and
expensive cars over the roads. Apart from its metropolitan look, the cultural trend of America
is complete different than other order countries (Borcher). Joshanloo are of the opinion that

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CAPSTONE PROJECT
the cultural of the United States follow a westernized principle that is different from Eastern
culture. Thus, Asian students who visit America under the quota of the international students
for completing their higher studies, a certain point of time pass through a cultural shock. The
cultural shock creates an intense feeing of homesickness and irritability that feeling
extremely overwhelming at first. If overwhelmed feeling is not recovered soon, it can lead to
the generation of complex mental health issues along with social exclusion, hampering the
academic grades (Sullivan and Susan Kashubeck-Wes). The following is a Capstone Project
that is aimed towards identifying the cultural challenges experienced by the students from
two different countries in Asia, South Korea and India that spend highest number to students
to American for higher studies. The analysis of the cultural barriers experienced by the South
Korean and the Indian students will be done based on the cultural difference showcased by
the Hofstede model. This will be followed by the cross-cultural examination of the South
Korea and India and initiatives taken by the South Korean and the Indian students in order to
overcome these challenges.
International students in America
Over the past few years, few Korean students have moved abroad, in the United
States. During 2012, for the first time within eight years total number of South Korean
students studying abroad decreased by almost 9% as reported by Jai Ok Shim, the then
executive director of the Fullbright Commission in the Seoul. During 2013, the majority of
the Korean students visiting the U.S mainly headed for the diploma degrees and not for full
time course. The cost of studying is the main barrier towards the decrease in the percentage
of the South Korean students studying abroad. The drowning statistics might not seem
significant. However, for years the colleges in the U.S are counting on large number of
Korean students. South Korea is regarded as the third largest source of the international

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CAPSTONE PROJECT
students in the United States just after China and India however, increase in the valuation of
the U.S in the stock markets is the main reason behind the steep downfall of the Korean
students abroad (Rubin).
As per the U.S Embassy & Consulates in India, the number of international students
in the Unites states has increased by three percent during a period of one year as per the last
reported data in 2017. Whereas, the number of American students who are going abroad for
their higher studies have increased by four percent during the last one year. The report also
highlighted that the Indian students in the U.S have increased at a record level in fourth time
in row with the number amounting to 186,000 in the year 2017 and thus visualizing a double-
digit growth. The unparallel access to the instructors and wide-variety of internship along
with research opportunities given by the American universities, are the main drive that
attracts the Indian students in America.
Cultural difference between the South Korean and Indian students
Hofstede comparison between Indian and United States
As per the Hofstede model, the main difference between the culture of India and the
United States lie in the domain of power-distance, individualism, long-term orientation and
indulgence (Hofested).

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CAPSTONE PROJECT
Figure: Hosftede comparison between the India and the United States
(Source: Hofstede Insight)
The dimension of power-distance in Hofstede model highlights that fact that not all
the individuals in the societies are equal. It mainly expresses the attitude of the culture
towards the inequalities prevalent in the societies. India scores high in power distance (77) in
comparison to the United States (40) (Hofested). This difference in the power dimension in
the Indian and American culture generates a tendency among the Indian students to develop
an attitude to being dominated or directed by others. The Indian students are more likely to
expect to be directed by the teachers or the seniors than taking their own decisions unlike the
native students of America. This creates a barrier in their academic success, as they believe
that it is the duty of the teachers to make the determining decisions for them. In the academic
field for higher studies in America, encouragement is given for independent thinking like
writing a new research proposal or designing a new project in an independent manner. Since
the Indian students loves to be directed by the professors’ they lack in the ground of
independent thinking and problem solving skills and thereby creating a gap in quality

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CAPSTONE PROJECT
academic performance. Moreover, in India due to the presence of strong power difference,
communication occurs in top down manner and is directive in style (Wu, Hsiao-ping, Esther,
and Norma). Coelho are of the opinion that due to strong power difference, the Indian
students feel that they are inferior to American students thus that communicate with their
American mates like a subordinates. This sense of communication style makes the Indian
students more vulnerable towards social bullying or social exclusion leading to the generation
of depression and thereby hampering their overall academic performance. Telbis et al. stated
that the Indian students or the parents have a preconceived notion in mind that the American
students and the entire educational set-up are far more superior to Indian set-up. While the
academic setup of American is far more superior to India however, questionable issues still
persists in the domain of intellectual superiority of the American students in comparison to
the Indian student. However, the apparent assumptions of the Indian students that they are
inferior to the American students create a sense of cultural exclusion. Under the cultural
exclusion, the Indian students are less likely to take part in the sporting or culturally activity
for the fear of encountering miserable failure. This cultural exclusion hampers their strength
to take competitive challenges and thereby hampering their academic progress (Wu, Hsiao-
ping, Esther, and Norma).
Individualism is measured by the degree of interdependence of a society. In India
(score 48) has a culture that has both collectivistic and individualistic traits in comparison to
the Unites States (91) (Hofested). The high score of Individualism in the United States
signifies that the students of US are more self-independent and upfront. This is because in
America, the children stays alone after they attain adulthood (18 years of age) this helps to
become independent, take their won decision and handle the moment of crisis in life alone.
However, in India, the children mainly stays with their parents even after marriages thus there
develops a stage of dependence over the parents. In moving aboard to study in America, the