The Hardest Parts of Being an International Student
Studying outside of your home country can be an amazing experience filled with opportunities for personal and academic growth. It’s also really hard! Read on to find out the hardest parts of being an international student according to two Americans studying Logistics and Law in Reims, France.
Studying in your second language can be a challenge.
Academic jargon, unfamiliar concepts, and professors that cater to native speakers can make demanding studies even more difficult for international students studying in our second language. In addition to gaining knowledge related to your field of study, you’re constantly working on your linguistic skills as well.
You’re unfamiliar with the higher education system.
No two countries do higher education exactly the same way. From the number of hours students spend on campus per week, to appropriate classroom etiquette, to the types of evaluations students take, school abroad can look quite different than school in your home country.
Meeting academic expectations isn’t always simple.
International students formed academic habits, mastered basic assignments, and established thinking patterns in our home countries throughout primary and secondary school. In many cases, understanding and meeting expectations in a new context requires some serious adaptation and practice.
You feel a lot of pressure to succeed.
International students aren’t simply motivated by their interest in a certain academic discipline to succeed. In many cases, there’s a lot riding on your academic performance – including your residency status and your plans to live abroad in the future. This added pressure can be hard to bear on top of an already rigorous program.
You have to work harder than your peers.
For all of the reasons we’ve discussed, international students often have to work twice as hard to produce the same results as our peers. You have to be patient, resilient, and motivated to achieve results that your classmates might reach with minimal effort.
All in all, being an international student is tough. Nonetheless, it can be an enriching, transformative experience that makes all the difficulties worthwhile. If you’ve ever been an international student, what challenged you the most and what did you learn from your experience? Let us know in a comment!
2 Comments
Misha
Whew! That does sound like a lot of pressure! You two are inspiring! So proud of both of you.
Jalen & Maria
Thank you!