Benefits and experience as an international student

Résumé du document

"One of the main trends over the last 10 years has been the success of UK higher education institutions in attracting international students," declared the Universities UK report by Evans, (October 20th 2011).

According to the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA 2010), more than 405,810 international students study for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the UK every year, making it the number two choice in the world, behind the USA. Non-EU students mainly arrive from China about 56 990 and India 38 500; EU students mostly come from Germany 15 425 and France 13 780 (data of 2010). These statistics lead us to speculate that with so many different backgrounds, some may consider the UK cultureas unacceptable while others may adapt to it very easily.However, the most important should be to break through this culture shock which has become a serious factor for success, according to Elisabeth Marx (1999-2001).

The experience of studying abroad gives the opportunity to meet local people as well as other international students, to travel to new places and learn more about yourself as an individual. Thus the experience of being an international student is likely to be a life-changing, fulfilling and challenging one. There are key issues that international students face in the UK such as studying in a different language and potentially different teaching methods.

Extraits

[...] These statistics lead us to speculate that with so many different backgrounds, some may consider the UK cultureas unacceptable while others may adapt to it very easily.However, the most important should be to break through this culture shock which has become a serious factor for success, according to Elisabeth Marx (1999-2001). The experience of studying abroad gives the opportunity to meet local people as well as other international students, to travel to new places and learn more about yourself as an individual. Thus the experience of being an international student is likely to be a life-changing, fulfilling and challenging one. [...]

[...] Confidentiality and anonymity was guaranteed to safeguard respondent rights. The research allowed me to gather and analyse data and information in order to increase our understanding of the topic by using different methods and theories. Throughout my research I followed different steps: determined the research question and the type of research problem, tried to contextualize and design the research, collected and analysed the data to obtain results and finally I summarized the results. Ethical implications The ethical implications and guidelines of my research have been processed: the outcomes have the potential to improve the experience of future international students. [...]

[...] Finally, the more answers are obtained, the more questions arise! APPENDICES Information form I am undertaking a study which explores the following research project: Spending a year overseas enriches and enhances the experience of studying for a university degree.' How far does the experience of students support this? The information I would like to analyse and compare is the quality of the experience of studying 'at home' and overseas. I will be focusing on the cost of food, transports, accommodation, social life, work load, teaching methods etc Official authorization has been obtained in order to conduct the above research project.The information that you deliver will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be released to any other bodies. [...]

[...] Then I used rating scale questions like the second one which asks the audience to rate what they feared the most, and leading questions such as the one asking about the cost of living. I did not make the questionnaires too time consuming to complete as it might put people off answering them. As said earlier, the participants answered the questionnaire directly on the Internet through a specific link that I sent them. Analysing and evaluating data There is a sexual dimorphism regarding the age of these students. The average age of the girls is 21 years old against 23 for the boys. All the ages combined, the mean is 22 years. [...]

[...] Consent form 'Spending a year overseas enriches and enhances the experience of studying for a university degree.' How far does the experience of students support this? I agree to take part in the survey Questionnaire An answered questionnaire REFERENCES Catherine Montgomery Understanding the International Student Experience.[e-book] Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: Accessed 10th December 2011 Elisabeth Marx, 1999-2001. Breaking through culture shock: what you need to succeed in international business. [e-book] London, Yarmouth: Nicholas Brealey. Available at: Accessed 10th December. Gareth Evans, 2011.The number of foreign students studying at UK universities has doubled in ten years. [...]