By
Benjamin Kim
Arizona Daily Wildcat
International students making transition to UA, America
Coming from another hemisphere, Vishal Patel had more concerns than the typical freshman at UA.
Besides needing to find a place to live, he wondered about where to shop, eat, meet people and just have fun. But his transition was eased by the fact that he was able to live on-campus.
"First, you were a stranger - you didn't know where to go or what to do," Patel, an international student in the pre-business program, said. "But once you get to know friends, it feels like home."
Hundreds of other international students are also adjusting to life not only on campus, but also life in America.
Patel chose the University of Arizona because the weather was similar to his hometown, Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, a country bordering Saudi Arabia.
In the United Arab Emirates, Patel already became comfortable with a variety of cultures. Many people originally from the United States, Britain and India also live in the country, so he didn't experience any culture shock when coming to the United States, partially because he's spoken English since he was three years old.
More than 650 new undergraduate and graduate students from other countries have registered for classes this fall, exceeding the number set last fall by about 100 students, said Dale LaFleur, UA program coordinator at the International Center.
Through the center, International Student Program Services organizes a separate orientation for international students and works with advisors to meet students and help them with registration. All international students attended this orientation instead of sessions with domestic students.
Not only do international students have to cope with the normal stresses of being new to campus, they also have to deal with studying in a country they have never been to before, LaFleur said.
"This is their first new experience living in a new country, using new currency, eating new food, meeting new people," he said.
In some cases, individual programs lure students from other countries to the UA.
"I decided to come here because it was the best place for (Management and Information Systems)," said Tom Luong, a management information systems sophomore from Vietnam.
The biggest difficulty for Luong has been adjusting to the different culture.
"Everything in Vietnam is more (family oriented), and here, you have to do everything by yourself," Luong said. "It was hard for me at first."
Last year, more than 2,300 international students from about 125 different countries were studying at the UA, LaFleur said.
While numbers for this fall were not available, they haven't changed drastically, LaFleur said.
"Groups from China and India are our largest," LaFleur said. "I think they come here because the educational system is similar to what they may have been getting in their home country."
The International Center provides various programs, advising and immigration services to help students from other countries deal with the transition.
Thanks to ISPS and help from fellow Indian students, Binesh Chanb hasn't had any problems finding housing.
"I was expecting (the United States) to be more glamorous," said Chanb, a graduate student studying computer science. Chanb, originally from India, was impressed with the conditions of classrooms as well as the UA campus overall.
"Back home, there are wooden benches and no air conditioning in school," said Chanb who has been in the United States for only two weeks. "So far, no problems, just a lot of homework."
