Like many institutions in the U.S., global universities make efforts to welcome and support international students on campus. These international student services include providing information on topics ranging from the campus and community to visa and academic support and student life activities.
Since international student services may vary from one institution to another, “it is essential for prospective students and their parents to discover what kind of support the student will actually have” to find a school that is the right fit, says Karen Ekman-Baur, certified educational planner for StudyHorizons in Germany, which advises students on international universities.
She says students should carefully review institutions’ websites and contact schools’ admissions offices by phone or email to find out about their international student services.
Here are some aspects that prospective students should consider when evaluating these services at global universities.
— The size of the school’s international student body: Universities with a large international student population may have more resources devoted to their international student services.
For example, the University of Munich in Germany has some 8,610 international students out of 51,000 enrolled for the 2016-17 winter semester, based on preliminary figures, says Stefan Lauterbach, head of the university’s International Office. The university offers a variety of international student services ranging from “counseling on international admission issues, social services and financial aid to buddy and mentoring programs,” says Lauterbach.
He says the school organizes orientation activities for international students as well as hosts an information fair, where students can learn about the many student groups that can help them settle in.
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However, just because a university has a small international student population doesn’t mean students should rule it out.
Marina Constantinidou, spokesperson for the University of Cyprus’ International Support Office, which opened in October 2015, said via email that the school currently has 46 international students out of 7,177 total students.
She said the office provides guidance and support to international students “on issues relating to immigration requirements and visas.” It also offers information on travel, accommodations, the academic calendar and medical exams and insurance.
“They shared some information regarding accommodation, life in Cyprus and how to get familiar with the country,” says Palestinian Yanal M. Hammoudeh, a student at the school. Hammoudeh says his MBA program, in collaboration with the International Support Office, organized an orientation of the campus, team-building exercises and social events.
— International student reception and orientation: Another aspect to consider is how a university welcomes students and helps them settle into their new environment.
The University of Glasgow in Scotland, for example, has an international student support team that greets and transports students from the airport to the campus and university residences, according to the school’s website. The team organizes an orientation and welcome program that includes everything from walking tours of the campus to a session on budgeting and saving.
At Lund University in Sweden, student mentors and staff greet students at the airport and hold a social event on the first night, says Megan Grindlay, international marketing manager for the school. Lund’s Orientation Weeks provide two weeks of events that combine information sessions — including topics on living and studying in Sweden — with social activities like hiking and taste testing Swedish foods.
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Grindlay says the school also has faculty- and program-specific welcome events “for their respective students to familiarize them with practical introduction information” and connect with other students.
Stefan Aubrey, an American student at the University of Munich, says the school’s orientation program covered “practical aspects of student life” and provided a cultural tour of Munich, helping students better adjust to their new home.
Aubrey says the school’s international office helps foreign students like himself integrate well into the campus and Munich cultural life, saying that without the division “it would be much tougher for students to navigate” the large university.
— Engagement on campus: Beyond the initial welcome and orientation, prospective students should also research how actively a school communicates with international students and the type of activities they offer — often through separate websites and social media accounts.
Lund University, for example, has an International Desk devoted to current international students. In addition to its presence on campus, the International Desk has a Facebook page for communicating about events, activities and Swedish cultural traditions taking place around the university and a newsletter with news and local events.
Some of the weekly on-campus events are a Swedish language lounge, a social for international students to practice their Swedish skills, and a board games night.
Although the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands has just one student service desk that helps both domestic and international students, Johan Rheeder, a university press officer, said via email that each academic faculty “has its own special contact person for international students and in most cases manages social media channels, newsletters, etc., specifically for this target group.”
For example, a Facebook page was created for international students in the economics and business program at the University of Amsterdam. Ukrainian national Yelyzaveta Nazarenko, a student in the school’s program, says the page is useful to international students who exchange and share information related to exams and coursework.
She says since some of the courses are different from those in the Dutch track, the Facebook page shares everything international students need to succeed in their program.
Nazarenko says the international student services that a university provides “can be crucial in making a choice of whether to enter that university or not.”
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What to Look for in International Student Services originally appeared on usnews.com
