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Sample Student final exam answers 2018 (2018 final exam assignment) Part 3: Model Research Reports |
LITR 4340
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Ruth Brown
International Students: Human
Bridges across Countries
When thinking of which subject to research for my
project, I wanted to select a general topic that I had enjoyed being introduced
to in class and then narrow it down to something specific that I could learn
about even more. I also wanted something that would be relevant to my future in
the education field. The topic of “model minorities” had really interested me
because of the different expectations placed on them, as well as education
usually being a key part of their identities. In thinking of different aspects
of the “model minority,” I realized I wanted to learn more about international
students, students that come from other countries to the US for education. They
are an immigrant in a way, voluntarily traveling here to seek better
opportunities, but most of them return home in a relatively short time. How does
that affect their narrative? What experiences do they find upon their arrival in
a new land? What is the current state of international students? Are they more
likely to assimilate or resist? These are questions that I hope to find answers
to over the course of this research report.
I began my research by learning more about the legalistic
side of international students and what type of documentation they must acquire.
The visa type most associated with international students is an F-1 visa for
full-time students. Zong and Batalova explain that “while most international
students and exchange visitors return home, students on F-1 visas are permitted
to adjust their status to another visa category, such as temporary foreign
worker…or legal permanent resident.” There is also an option for students with
an F-1 visa to gain 12 months of training in their field.
While learning about specific
visas, I found an article entitled “Sharp Drop in International Student Visas
Worries Some US Colleges” about recent drops in student visas. The United
States is the leading host country of international students, but there was a
17% drop in issued F-1 to international students in 2017. Parija Kavilanz writes
“The biggest
decline in visa approvals in 2017 was
seen among students from Asian countries, particularly those from China and
India which typically account for the largest number of F-1 visas.”
The article gives a few speculated reasons as to why
the drops could have occurred. Students could be weighing the financial cost
against other countries, they could be worried about emerging anti-immigrant
attitudes from the US, or it could be visa policy changes that mean students
from China have a five year visa, instead of a one year. The US now only
accounts for 24% of international students and it has been made increasingly
more difficult for the students to stay in the US and find employment after
finishing their studies. There are also fears that international students will
use their visas to enter the country and then stay either taking away jobs from
US citizens or illegally overstaying their visas. Kavilanz also writes how the
State Department “said it now emphasizes that
the consulates ‘must refuse’ any applicants if they are ‘not satisfied that the
applicant's present intent is to depart the United States at the conclusion of
his or her study.’” This could affect future numbers of international students
and the length of time they stay in the United States, as well as the type of
experience they find.
After
researching the more legalistic and statistical side of international students,
I wanted to learn more about why they chose to become an international student
and understand the more personal side of the story. Instead of just hearing
stories about international students trying to overstay their visas or hide
themselves in the US and take jobs away from citizens, I wanted to put faces to
these students and learn about real people, not just generalities. Many
international students choose to study in the US because of better educational
opportunities, enhanced networking for future employment, and the chance to
experience a new culture. Imane Karroumi wrote about her experience as a
Moroccan student studying in the United States. She writes,
“I
now believe that exchange students can help change some of the assumptions and
preconceived ideas in their societies because people are more likely to accept
the change from within their society rather than from the outside. That is why I
strongly believe that an exchange experience is one of the most powerful ways to
promote human beings and help end those centuries’ long conflicts that take our
focus away from the real problems.”
Some of the events that took place during Karroumi’s stay
included meeting the Ambassador of Morocco, volunteering on Election Day,
finding a mentor in a CEO of a marketing company, and learning more about
different religions as well as sharing her own with others.
Karroumi explained that much of the learning during her
year’s stay took place outside of the classroom, rather than within. She states,
“That year taught me to be more tolerant and I think I helped people understand
more about my heritage.” Her experience shows that there was learning and
sharing between people. It was not just Karroumi learning about people in the
US, but also people in the US learning about Karroumi and her traditions. She
describes how grateful she was for the experience, but also how she wants others
to hear more stories from international students. At the conclusion of this
article, she explains what it was like after her experience, “when I came home I
felt I had seen America’s true face and heart. I knew more than what the news
told me and I helped others learn more about my culture.” International students
act as a bridge to bring language, culture, and ideas to and from different
countries. More than watching the news or reading words on a page, international
students constantly live out real experiences with real people and that helps
them and others evolve. The fears that are associated with international
students and immigrants should also be weighed against the benefits of
exchanging these ideas. The final line in Karroumi’s article, “this is how we
can really learn about others,” clearly displays how she believes international
students’ stories and voices are important for changing perspectives.
As previously mentioned, real experiences with real
people are far more valuable for learning than articles or news stories. Reading
about Karroumi’s experience encouraged me to interview and talk with my friend
Amanda D’souza about her own personal international student experience. I’ve
known Amanda for about three years now and I knew she was an international
student from Dubai, but beyond light conversations about her trips back to visit
family, we had never discussed her student experience here in the US, or what
her life was like in Dubai. This research report provided the perfect
opportunity to exchange ideas and build a stronger bridge of connection between
us.
I began the interview by asking
her why she chose to study in the US and she
responded that she felt the education would be better here and she would
receive a better value of education for money, education being expensive in
Dubai. When asked what the hardest parts of being an international student were,
she answered that everything here is expensive and she is only allowed to work
on campus. But she described the best
parts of being an international student as the opportunity to earn money on
campus while going to school, trying new foods and cultures, meeting new people,
and being independent.
After finishing her degree,
Amanda plans to return home to Dubai for a while and eventually she wants to
move to Australia to work. I asked her if knowing she wasn’t going to be staying
in the US after graduation made her more or less likely to try to adapt to the
American culture. She replied that even though she will be leaving in a few
years, she still wants to try to learn American customs because she likes the
new experiences and she feels like people here are trusting and she doesn’t want
to hurt them by not learning. If she could change anything about her experience,
she would do more research beforehand about different housing plans so that she
could experience the most freedom and have the most independent situation from
the beginning. She really appreciates having her own space and time and
discovering an independence she never had in Dubai.
Amanda explained that things in the US are not too
different from growing up in Dubai and she hasn’t experienced much culture
shock. But when asked what she thinks it means to be “American” or what she
identifies with being American, she thought of many ideas. She would first
recognize an American by their speech and accents because she grew up learning
and hearing British English. The next identifying factor would be food. She
thinks of American food as bland and dry with boiled vegetables and lacking
spices. She also voiced her ideas of Americans being independent from a very
young age, with an example of being able to drive at 16. She said if she would
compare her teenage brother, who still lives in Dubai, with an American
teenager, she feels the American would be more mature. The two things that
Amanda was shocked to see in America were the transportation and broken
families. She was surprised that you need a car to go anywhere and she doesn’t
see people walking along the streets to shop for food. She explained that she
was also not used to seeing broken or mixed families, as well as extended
families not living together.
The interview with Amanda helped me learn and expand my
views of the world, even though I wasn’t physically traveling anywhere. Much of
the ideas we discussed during the interview, were ideas that I had previously
discussed in class. Seeing and talking about these ideas in person with Amanda,
instead of imagining a real person through literature, helped us both grow in
our understanding of each other and the cultures we are byproducts of.
In this research report, I set out to learn if
international students have a similar journey to immigrants and if they are more
or less likely to assimilate. While I did discover some answers to those
questions, I believe they do have a similar experience to immigrants and they
seem less likely to resist because they are traveling here to experience new
ideas and cultures, I discovered so much more. In this age of globalization and
instant technological connection, there is more opportunity and encouragement to
build relationships across cultures and countries, yet there is a lack of
personal connection. When we personally connect with other human beings, we
learn far more than news stories, government statistics, and even literature can
teach us. International students are important to the US. Anderson explains that
international students
“provide billions of dollars to the U.S.
economy every year, subsidize the education of U.S. students and are a key
source of talent that help make American tech companies the envy of the world.”
However, more than just financial resources international students are important
because they truly are human bridges across cultures and countries. As Karroumi
stated, “this is how we can really learn about others.”
Works Cited
Anderson, Stuart. “Guess Who's Not Coming To America? International Students.” Forbes,
Forbes Magazine, 2 Mar. 2018,
www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2018/03/02/guess-whos-not-coming-to-america-international-students/#1855ddf13c3e.
D’souza, Amanda. Personal interview. 25 April 2018.
Karroumi, Imane. “The Exchange Experience Changed My Life
Forever.” The Huffington Post, 25 May 2011,
www.huffingtonpost.com/imane-karroumi/the-exchange-experience-c_b_243895.html.
Kavilanz, Parija. “Sharp Drop in International Student
Visas Worries Some US Colleges.”CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 14 Mar.
2018,
money.cnn.com/2018/03/12/news/economy/international-student-visa-college/index.html.
Zong, Jie, and Jeanne Batalova.
“International Students in the United States.”Migrationpolicy.org, 12 May
2016,
www.migrationpolicy.org/article/international-students-united-states.
