Preface
This book is designed to help new foreign students begin the process of living and studying in the United States. We suggest that you read it at the start of your experience and refer to it periodically as your needs change and expand. We have arranged the topics in the order in which they are likely to become relevant to you.
Living and studying outside your country will be one of the most significant experiences in your life. Many challenges lie ahead.
There are the challenges of the classroom. The American educational system may be quite different from what you have known. Can you succeed in it and meet your educational goals? Are you confident of your ability to express your knowledge and insights clearly, especially if English is not your first language? Who will be available to help you in the absence of your family and close friends?
There are the challenges of daily life outside the classroom. You will have to adjust to living in a new community with rules and customs undoubtedly different from your own. You will surely experience the feeling of being an outsider. How will you make new friends? Will you have the opportunity to learn all you want to know about American society?
We hope this book contributes to your ability to understand and appreciate the culture of U.S. higher education. Ask questions and seek advice from the many people, especially the staff of the international student office, who will gladly offer assistance to you at your new college or university. Take full advantage of the programs organized on your behalf. No guidebook can replace the personal touch and local connections you will get by participating in your school’s activities.
As international commerce and communication have grown, higher education has become increasingly international. Students across the world are on the move. Each academic year, more than 1,200,000 students worldwide pursue higher education outside their home countries. More than 450,000 foreign students study in the United States, while over 70,000 U.S. students go abroad.
Foreign students benefit from the high caliber of a U.S. education, of course, but the United States benefits, too. Foreign students increase diversity in the student body, teach U.S. students about other countries and cultures, and are among the best graduate students and faculty in the world’s finest university system.
The following material was originally published in NAFSA’s International Student Handbook (Basking Ridge, NJ: AT&T, 1996). Copyright 1996 by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Washington, DC. NAFSA hereby licenses its members, and its members only, to adapt or reuse the text in materials prepared by members for local use on their campuses to advise, guide, and orient new foreign students. Members accepting this license agree to credit the source of the material as follows:
“Reprinted [or adapted] with permission from NAFSA’s International Student Handbook (AT&T, 1996). Copyright 1996 NAFSA: Association of International Educators.”
Copyright notice applies to reprints only. Note that this license applies only to localized use of the text on a NAFSA member campus. Questions should be directed to Mr. Steven Kennedy, Director of Publications, NAFSA, stevek@nafsa.org.
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