Search

As the international student population continues to increase in the United States’ higher education institutions, the need to explore the significance of socialization as a necessary predictor to academic success has become inevitable. While most studies on students’ socialization had investigated socialization experiences of students in general, there has been a paucity of research that specifically explored the socialization experiences of first-year international master’s degree students from non-Western countries. This study’s findings revealed respondents’ varying perspectives on adjustment, group support, social experiences, making friends, among other constructs, and implicated the need for more support services as well as the need for international students to take ownership of their socialization, determination, and persistence.

Many scholars have described the various challenges international students face in Western developed countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Some of the challenges include differences in culture, language barriers, adjustment problems, medical concerns, pedagogical challenges, housing issues, lack of support services, and financial difficulty. This paper explores some challenges of international students and implicates the need for host universities to provide more resources and support services towards meeting international students’ academic and social needs. Aside from exploring the challenges, conflicts, and contradictions to the international student experience, and their implications to academic performance, the paper presents recommendations and suggestions to host universities on how to meet international students’ varying academic and social needs.