Challenges Faced by International Students

This 5-page English essay examines the difficulties international students encounter when pursuing their education in foreign countries. It discusses issues such as cultural adjustment, financial burdens, language barriers, and the impact of these challenges on mental health. The essay also considers arguments for and against equal treatment of domestic and international students, highlighting the need for support systems and policies to address these concerns.

Running head: ENGLISH ESSAY
Struggles and Challenges of an International Student
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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ENGLISH ESSAY
Introduction
The growth of the different educational segments in the international country is the major
reason behind the rapid growth of the international students. Especially, in United States, the
education population is rapidly growing. The report derived from the Institute of International
Education proclaims that in the year of 2013, almost 819,644 international students enrolled in
US higher education and this amount is the 40% increased portion within a decade (Curtin et al.
108). It is also reported that these students contribute almost $24 billion to the US economy (Ball
and Stephen 200). However, it is observed that the students from the international countries often
face the difficulties and enormous challenges while pursuing their career in a foreign country.
This essay would put forward to describe such struggles and challenges faced by the
international students. The study would also examine the impact of the foreign scenario on the
international students.
Discussion
The international students stand to benefit from a fruitful educational experience in the
education sector of foreign countries. Yet, they usually have to sacrifice their comfort, natives,
and families to pursue their careers (Curtin et al. 108). They are often detached from the
financial and social supports in their home countries. Apart from this, the differences in
languages and cultures and difficulties with their visas are also the major concerns for the
international students. It has been implied that the international students often have to struggle
for supplementing their income when they are studying in a country like United States since the
lifestyle was quite expensive (Ball and Stephen 189). In usual cases, they must work and struggle
hard to integrate with their counterparts in America in both academically and socially. It was

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argued that the students not only struggle for the higher living costs, they often face challenges
due to the different societal values and the cultural distinctiveness (Wu et al. 250). They are
grown up in a different pattern and in a different cultural scenario. Therefore, it is quite difficult
for them to adjust in a complete diverse scenario.
It is quite a considerable factor that the international countries like Australia, United
States, United Kingdom, and others provide the significant opportunities to the foreign students
in working towards their career growth. Especially, the students who visit United States for
pursing their post-secondary education face the difficulties in some of the specific aspects. For
example, they often face challenge due to the low competency skills in English language,
acculturation, discriminations, and social and academic integration (Powell and Richard 1). Few
factors have the recognizable influence on the adaption of a person to a new culture. The cultural
distance, linguistic values, attachments to the home culture, motivation for transition, interacting
with the members of host countries, and receptivity of the host environment are some of these
considerable factors (Wu et al. 244). After conducting the survey in the international education,
the argument described the minimization of the educational standards for the international
students (Strayhorn and Terrell 56). However, by opposing this statement, it was suggested that
the foreign cultures should raise the standard of being more receptive and acceptable towards the
international students (Yan et al. 62). It is noticed that in spited of judging through the
perspectives of the faculty, it is considered that the both the domestic and the international
students should progress in the similar standard of education. It is declared that the international
students deserve to receive the equal opportunities to learn about the other cultures and traditions
of other countries.

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However, it has been seen that there are certain areas that have the clear impacts on the
mental health of the international students. The food behaviour is quite different to the foreign
students in compare to their natives. In adopting the different food habits, it becomes quite
difficult for them to survive. In fact, they face the considerable challenges while communicating
with the people in international countries. The cultural differences are the social determinants for
them that often lead to struggle. In United States, the international students even have to work
hard to earn money besides studying to collect enough money to survive (Lin, Shu-Yuan, and
Susan Day 16). It becomes quite difficult for them to manage both the job and their studies
altogether. The difficulties even faced when the international students face the discriminative
attitude at their universities. In many of the universities, thee international students are bullied
that affects their mental health in a negative way. In spite of the regulations imposed on the
universities against discriminations, the act persists. The homesickness is another form of
struggle that the international students usually face (Hegarty 223). When the students ought to
face the cultural differences, diverse food habits, and different societal aspects, they often feel
the homesickness. This situation sometimes affects the psychological health in a significant way.
The shortfall of the monetary factors sometimes even makes their life much miserable. Hence, it
can be interpreted that the international students face the significant challenges in pursuing their
career in the foreign countries.
Conclusion
The study evaluates the ideas of the significant challenges and considerable struggle that
the international students often face while pursuing their career in the foreign country. Living
apart from their natives are sometimes much difficult in various ways. The homesickness, the
different food habits, cultural diverseness, and high cost of living are the major determinants that

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the international students have to deal with too often. The obtained ideas from the survey result
regarding this struggle concluded that the international education standards are supposed to be
flexible for the foreign students. In opposing this idea, some scholars present their arguments by
suggesting the equal treatment to the foreign and domestic students. However, the discriminative
attitude and the continuous bullying can affect the mental health of the international students.
The proper acceptability and the regulations of the international government would be much
helpful in resolving such considerable issues faced by the international students while pursuing
their career.

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References
Ball, Stephen J. "Education, justice and democracy: The struggle over ignorance and
opportunity." Reimagining the Purpose of Schools and Educational Organisations. Springer
International Publishing, 2016. 189-205.
Curtin, Nicola, Abigail J. Stewart, and Joan M. Ostrove. "Fostering academic self-concept:
Advisor support and sense of belonging among international and domestic graduate
students." American Educational Research Journal50.1 (2013): 108-137.
Hegarty, Niall. "Where we are now–the presence and importance of international students to
universities in the United States." Journal of International Students 4.3 (2014): 223-235.
Lin, Shu-Yuan, and Susan Day Scherz. "Challenges facing Asian international graduate students
in the US: Pedagogical considerations in higher education." Journal of International Students 4.1
(2014): 16-33.
Powell, Richard. "8 Perceptual, cultural and linguistic challenges facing Japan as a site of
international arbitration." International Arbitration Discourse and Practices in Asia (2017): 1.
Strayhorn, Terrell L. "Reframing academic advising for student success: From advisor to cultural
navigator." The Journal of the National Academic Advising Association 35.1 (2015): 56-63.
Wu, Hsiao-ping, Esther Garza, and Norma Guzman. "International student’s challenge and
adjustment to college." Education Research International 2015 (2015).
Yan, Kun, and David C. Berliner. "Chinese international students' personal and sociocultural
stressors in the United States." Journal of college student development 54.1 (2013): 62-84.

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