Int studenttest

Editor's Notes

• #3: Thank you for reading/listening to my mini-presentation on Meeting Career Support Challenges of Our International Students. I’ll start by going over the number of students currently studying in the US. This will give you an idea of the number of students impacted, Next, I’d like to cover why servicing this population is important and what it means to both the international student, domestic student, and the higher education institution. I’ll cover main concerns of the international student as well as the main challenges of the career counselor in servicing these students. I hope to expand upon best practices recommended by research and give you my personal insights as to their implications. Last but not least, I’d like to offer some suggestions for future research on topics that I would like to see elaborated on in order to understand this controversy further. Let’s begin!
• #4: According to wsj.com, the US served as host to 819,644 international students for the the 2012-2013 academic year; this was a 7.2% increase from the year before. International student populations have steadily been on the rise as these students continue to flock to the US in pursuit of academic and career aspirations.
• #5: With so many international students in our undergraduate and graduate programs, the question we have to ask ourselves is: are we serving the needs of this unique student population and why does that matter? It matters in 3 important ways. The first is that many of these students pay out of their own or their families pockets to finance their education. This is an important source of revenue for the college or university. The second as stated by Andrea C. Trice in her article, Navigating in a Multinational Learning Community: Academic Departments’ Responses to Graduate International Students is that they “help globalize the learning community by interjecting their varied perspectives and experiences into discussions that take place both inside and outside the classroom” (Trice, 2005 p.62). In this way, they benefit our domestic students and are a essential component of an emerging and culturally diverse multinational environment, similar to conditions they will face in the working world. Last but not least, our institutions of higher education are committed to serving each of our students to the best of our ability. It’s often an institutional mission and objective. If there is a deficiency in the system, it is our duty to explore the issue and come up with improvements.
• #6: Servicing this population can sometimes pose a challenge for faculty, career counselors, and student affairs as their needs, and in particular, career needs differ from domestic students (Spencer-Rodgers, 1998 p.509). One emerging concern about utilizing career support/services is that it caters to the American student and doesn’t address concerns specific to international students. Let’s explore this concern in depth by looking into some of the main challenges international students face when first arriving into the US. Having a language barrier, and not being as strong in their English speaking skills was a top concern among students. This is usually coupled with their unfamiliarity with the cultural norms present in their host country (Spencer-Rodgers, 1998 p.511). It takes some time for them to assimilate and learn to navigate their surroundings from a language and cultural perspective. Along with their educational challenges, they are also adapting and changing to new surroundings which is a challenge for them that domestic students don’t necessarily have to face in the same degree. Immigration and naturalization services impose certain restrictions surrounding work and international students. These policies can be complicated and difficult to understand. Many students are concerned about violating their visa requirements. This is in direct contradiction with their needs, as many students require a certain level of part-time and full-time employment either for the pay or for the practical experience or both (Spencer-Rodgers, 1998 p. 511). Navigating the employment sector was also difficult for these students. Many times students were unaware of where to look for job opportunities, unfamiliar with internet searches or the concept of networking (Spencer-Rodgers, 2005 p.511) Because of some of their cultural barriers, many would need to be properly prepared for employer interviews and formats. Many students reported that marketing oneself openly as well as direct eye contact and being assertive were considered rude in their native countries and not practiced (Spencer-Rodgers, 2005 P.511). It is not surprising that all of these factors combined put international students on the disadvantage in the job search process and off the bat make them less competitive with their American counter-parts. In a study by Yih-Jiun Shen and Edwin L. Herr Career Placement Concerns of International Graduate Students: A Qualitative Study, a graduate student top concern was career counselors catering to their level of specification with their respective industries. Their impression of counselors were that they were more geared toward undergraduate populations with career fairs and other events. Many students at the graduate level didn’t utilize the service because of this perception. Instead, they found career support in their faculty, academic departments, and student organizations. They often turned to these sources as they seemed to produce more results (Shen & Herr, 2004 p.22-23).
• #7: All the studies seemed to point to 2 emerging themes when it came to counselor challenges when serving this population. The first is on the career development side. As seen on the previous side, If students are unaware of the service or under negative misconceptions about whether or not counselors would be able to help them in their search, they won’t use it (Shen & Herr, 2004 p.22-24). Even if they used the service, their career plans are in constant flux, depending upon whether the students stay or return to their home countries for re-entry or go to another country to work. All challenging scenarios, requiring a different career plan. Reasons for unpredictability lie in collectivism vs individualism attitude, which is a major differential from domestic students (Shen & Herr, p.19-20, 24). A second emerging theme is career placement of these students. This is a factor that unfortunately is one that the school can’t control. Employers typically are hesitant to hire international students because of restrictive INS policies and administrative hassles. This becomes a catch 22 for the student because they can’t get hired permanently in the US without the practical experience and employers are reluctant or unable to take them on (Shen & Herr p.23). An avenue for them may lie in obtaining a campus job, but according to studies these jobs are scarce and competition in fierce among American students (Spencer-Rodgers, 1998 p.511)
• #8: Now that we’ve talked about some of the challenges, I’d like to focus on some of the best practices as suggested by research. The first is targeted outreach in all forms both print and online (Shen & Herr, 2004 p.26) Let students know the function of the career office and how they can help with some of the specific concerns that are unique to international students. A reason for this mass marketing lies in the fact that we know how overwhelmed these students are when they first arrive and start their studies. An impact of targeting them early on in their academic career exposes them to the service and keeping up the relationship throughout their career will keep pace with their changing goals and remind them of the office purpose. Job preparation workshops were found to be the most useful resource for this group. Activities around preparing an American style resume vs CV, mock interviews to practice marketing your skills, and job search techniques were top of the list for assistance items (Shen & Herr, 2004 p.25; Spencer-Rodgers, 1998 p.511-512). These skills are integral for this population to master early on and should be apart of their orientation process at the institution. Simple in nature but because of their unfamiliarity can pose a serious disadvantage for these students if not known.
• #9: Even if students turn to other departments and faculty for career opportunities, it should be coordinated through the office in order to focus on internship activities. The more internships through the school, the better, as it expands access to on-campus and scholarly activities that enhance the student’s resume should be encouraged ( Shen & Herr, 2004 p.26). This close collaboration is essential in maximizing the student’s job experience and more can be accomplished through coordinated effort across departments for the student vs individual effort. Alumni support is critical to expanding access to employment. Counselors should be collaborating with Alumni relations in tracking information on international students that are currently working within the country and their job specifics. This could be a way in to the job market for the student and at the very least may serve as an important mentor relationship for the student in their career path (Shen & Herr, 2004 p.26). International alumni that are working within the field can prove to be the student’s best advocate for obtaining a position as well as enhance the school’s reputation to potential employers. They should be invited to campus on a regular basis for networking opportunities. With all the confusion surrounding INS policies and procedures, counselors will definitely prove to be a resource when it comes to explaining the administration involved and navigating this complicated system (Shen & Herr, 2004 p.25). Students are confused when it comes to what they can and cannot do under INS policies and need to be educated, counselors can serve as their guide in the process.
• #10: As stated by Yih-Jiun Shen & Edwin L. Herr in their article Career Placement Concerns of International Graduate Students: A Qualitative Study, “International graduate students endure high physical and emotional costs to pursue their ambitions and dreams through overseas study, with the achievement of their own career aspirations as an ultimate goal” (Shen & Herr, 2004 p.16). It is every institution’s mission to service all of their students to the best of their ability. The impact of applying these best practices goes beyond improving service to this academic population of students. By better preparing international students in order to compete and eventually enter the American job market, we not only expand their opportunities but expand the reputation and opportunities for the higher education institution. By better preparing our international students both culturally and technically, the institution’s product (the graduate) improves and employer anxiety and uncertainty around hiring process lessens.
• #11: As I searched for peer reviewed articles on international students and career development/planning, I was surprised to see how few articles had been researched on the topic. There were many on other aspects of international student life and experiences but not many on this particular challenge. As I read through the articles, I started to get a sense of how big of a challenge this really was. In particular, I’d like to see quantitative research which measures correlation between gender, major, ethnicity, and placement. I’d also like to see empirical data on %of students that stay in the US vs. returning to their native country vs. working in another country and the factors related to each decision. With international students steadily rising over the past 10 years (currently at record level) and the US serving as the world’s largest host to this population, I anticipate seeing more research emerge on this topic in the near future.