International Student Organization

International student organization. East Carolina University is a university with enrollment around 30,000 students; 299 of them is international students from 67 countries. When students choose to attend the university; they begin a new part of life. Many students go to study in other cities, and some students go to other countries. America is a very popular and high-class education that is valued all over the world, and of course a lot of students from other countries want to get a degree here.

People in different countries behave differently: religion, ethnicity, geographic location and quality of life plays an important role in the behavior of people. Therefore, students that come to America from other countries have more difficulty than those who were born and raced here. Foreign students need time to adjust to a different culture, a different language, and many other things.

A possible way for international student to deal with the complexities of ECU joins the International Student Organization (ISA). The ISA help international students understand American culture and feel more like at home by having festivals, shopping and field trips and a lot of different events. The ISA , one of over 200 student organizations at ECU, is mostly composed of foreign exchange students, or students who were not born in America although. The meetings and club are open to anyone who wants to join.

The main reason it was setup was to give international students an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the American culture in part through a campus experience, and also to offer non-international ECU students, with an interest in one cultures, knowledge and experience in working with individuals from other backgrounds. It also allows international and American students to share experience and learn about other cultures at personal point of view.

The ISA cooperating with International House provides a special orientation for international students through the “First friend program” (FFP) so that new students do not feel lonely. International Ports O’Call stage of PirateFest The International student organization was involved in many activities and events. One of the biggest events in which ISA was involved in was the Pirate festival. PirateFest gives international students a chance to share their culture to help others understand them etter. This “annual event celebrates eastern North Carolina’s rich history steeped with famous pirates, including the infamous Blackbeard and Greenville’s own Pirates of ECU” (Mike Davis), and encourages people to wear pirate regalia-hats, swords, and eye patches. The festival is held over two days and is composed of different stages, each of which represents a different event. The event feature food, art and crafts vendors and also musical and stage performers.

Historical trolley tours stage is a very useful and interesting part of the festival because it’s a great way to move around the festival especially for international students who do not know the location of streets in the city. One of the most interesting stages for international students was the “International Ports O’Call” because includes music, food, and attractions from nations around the world, and it will definitely help international students to feel more like at home and make it hard to forget about their culture.

For international students who are coming to study in another country it is hard to find friends. It is not easy to get used to the different behavior of people and be open to new acquaintances. Therefore, and in cooperation with ISA the international house created ?? the program called “First friend program”(FFP). To be involved in FFP both mentor and mentee must fill out an application, which has questions that help determine the background, interests, preferences and other information needed to help decide the best mentee-mentee match.

The FFP is really easy because by filling out an application you know that you’ll meet someone who has same interests as you. The FFP helps international students to adjust to life at ECU as quickly and smoothly as possible, and also enhance satisfaction with their academic and social experience. This program is very useful for students because they will not feel lonely and homesick, they are able to meet new friends and also international students can learn the nuances of culture from the inside, as well as be more successful in learning.

Besides homework, tests and grades, a student social life is fun, but it is not always easy to find entertainment that are always enjoy. Many international students don’t have a car and therefore their possibilities are limited, but the international house “every Friday makes shopping trips”(William Mallett). Drivers take students where they want to go and take them back to residence after shopping. Also every Thursday students can go to greenway excursions. Playing sports and socializing in the fresh air, very useful and at the same time you can see new parts of the city as well as make new friends.

Most people believe that studying in a different country is a privilege because they are able to experience other cultures, and learn from them. However, in the United States it is not as good as they thought because International students have much more pressure being in this country, and sometimes they cannot handle it very well. Therefore, in the United States the life of an international student is very unfavorable if people compare it to the life of an American student.

International students have to learn a new language to study, they cannot work while studying, and their tuition is much more expensive. When people moves to the United Stated to study they imagine that it will be very helpful, and they believe that learning a new language will not be a problem. However, when they really start studying their major, they find out that it is not easy since people have to really understand and appreciate the language. International students have to really learn English, and they have to know how to write it in order to have success.

Also, for them to have success in university they have to participate in class, and analyze an amount of readings, and because they are international students, it is very difficult to achieve since they believe that Americans are going to laugh at them or make jokes of them if they say something incorrectly. For example, some Americans do not realize sometimes how hard is for international students being in a different country, with different people, learning a new language, and experiencing different cultures, so some of them do not really appreciate the effort that international students put on being in the United States.

It’s way more pressure for international students. They have to have good grades and work as hard as possible, because if not people back home going to put a lot of shame on them and their parents. Studying in different country it is always competition for international students, but if students choose right University where people care about international students and trying to help it shouldn’t be that hard.

International student organization definitely helps students from other countries feel more comfortable and less homesick, so they can you do best in classes to compete with other student on the same level. Work cited. Mike,Davis. “Arrrgh you ready for Pirate Fest? ” East Carolinian, 12 April 2012 . Web. 1 November. Mallet,William “International Student Organization. ” 30 october. 2012 MALLETTW@ecu. edu Personal page Office of International Affairs www. ecu. edu/intlaffairs/