The story of the international student is often a tale of “manys”: many miles, many forms, many problems and the occasional headache.
Last year, more than 490,000 international students came to the United States in the hopes of attending one of the nation’s higher education institutions.
At The University of Memphis, 550 students hailing from approximately 76 countries, are enrolled in classes for the fall semester.
With varying backgrounds, races, religions and levels of education, international students embody the culturally enriched environment within The U of M’s campus.
Students attending The U of M come from places as varied as the remote regions of Uzbekistan and the densely populated cities of China.
China, India, Thailand and Canada are the four countries that contribute most to The U of M enrollment.
For foreign students, the process of getting accepted and enrolled in college is often a tedious and frustrating task.
A foreign student hoping to attend The University of Memphis must attain a passport and student visa, complete an arrival-departure form, an I-20 form and/or an on-campus part-time work form — and that’s all just to get them here.
In addition, the students must secure housing and must be fully covered by insurance.
Heysun Kim, a U of M freshman from Korea, said life as an international student can be a struggle.
“Language and communication are the greatest challenges I deal with,” said Kim.
Kim is currently involved in the Korean Association and the Intensive English for International students program, or IEI, at The U of M, and said the language barrier decreases ever day.
When international students arrive on campus, they are often confronted with a virtual smorgasbord of languages.
Even though many international students like Kim speak English when they arrive, they often become lost in fast-paced conversations, slang words and the “Southern dialect” of the English language as it is spoken on campus.
Some foreign students go though a culture shock upon arrival and can become overwhelmed and homesick.
Although Kim has a husband from Korea that lives with her in her South Memphis home, she continues to miss her parents.
“(I) miss the mountains and rivers and the landscape of Korea,” she said, referring to a landscape quite different than the mostly flat plateau of West Tennessee.
Through all the trials and tribulations, no matter where they are from, international students are bound by one common quest — to attain a higher education. Most are succeeding, despite the difficulty.
In fact, 72 percent of international students at The U of M are graduate students, many of whom specifically transferred just to attend one of The University’s various graduate programs.
With the help of the International Student Association at The U of M, which offers many services to foreign students, including (but not limited to) academic assistance, job searches, help with visa extensions and insurance as well as immigration information, the transition from the students’ home countries to The U of M is made as gracefully as possible. These services allow international students to remain and receive a 4-year degree.
Kim also said that it is not hard to find motivation to study and accomplish her goals, in part because of the study ethic that was instilled in her at the Korean schools she attended.
“The obstacles I overcame took to get (to The U of M) are what motivate me to continue to do well,” Kim said.
