To Study overseas part 2
The common problem among international students when they first came to the U.S. is about language. But it can be solved overtimes if they actively practice English and making friends with American students. However, some of them prefer to be friends with people from the same country and to keep speaking their native language. In that case, it takes a much longer time to overcome the language problem and often result in a longer time to complete their education. On the average, it takes about four years to complete the Bachelor’s degree, but it may take these students five or even six years. There are students who have been studying here for many years but still do not speak English well. When they apply for a job, many fail the interview due to their language deficiency. A few years ago, a hiring manager told me: “Even they have good technical skills but if they cannot communicate, I cannot hire them. Most technical jobs require teamwork where communication is critical. If they cannot discuss, share an idea, or express their opinion, they are useless.”
Another issue is some international students are quiet and do not like to ask questions in class. When do not understand something, they prefer to ask their friends instead of the professors. In U.S. schools, the interaction between students and the professors is important as it is part of the learning process. I often explain: “Professors are here to help you to learn. Talk to them and ask for help when you need it. If you do not understand something, raise your hand and ask questions. If you do not feel comfortable asking in front of the class, then make an appointment to see them in their office after class. Some students told me that in their country, asking too many questions means disrupting the class and could be labeled “Stupid.” I explained: “This is not your country. Nobody will laugh at you if you ask a question. In most classes, the best time to learn is during the questions and answers where students learn more by asking questions or listen to the answers from other students’ questions. Many professors do not lecture much, including me, as we believe students could learn the materials by themselves via assigned readings BEFORE the class. Classroom time is used for discussion and answering questions. Some professors would raise difficult questions to challenge students to think deeper so they can understand the concepts well.
During the lecture, students often take note but some do NOT know how to take note. They often try to write down as much as possible, since they cannot write as fast as the professor talk so their notes are missing many things. The incomplete notes can create confusion or give misleading information. To write clear and complete notes in class, students need to read the assigned materials BEFORE the class to know something about the lecture materials. During the class, they listen and process the information on what they know and what they do not know, and only write down important things. I always encourage students to review their notes immediately after class and check with the textbook for missing information then rewrite the notes. By going through this reviewing and rewriting process, it helps move material learned from short-term memory into long-term memory, which will help them to understand the materials at a deeper level. These notes will become study notes where they can review before a test. During the first day of class, I told the students: “If you can follow this study advice, I guarantee that you never have a problem in any class and will do well in most exams.” My questions are: “How many students have a good reading habit? How many students would read the materials before going to class? and How many students would review and rewrite their notes?
Studying overseas is a major investment but not every investment bring good results. Therefore, every student needs to have a “back-up” plan in case something does not work well. It means parents and children must think through what the students would do if something does not happen as expected. A backup plan involves many scenarios to keep the students achieve their educational goals. In this articles, I only focus on the academic issue such as what happens when the students do not do well in school or in their field of study? Many U.S. schools allow students to change their field of study in the first two years. For example, students could change their field of study from Computer Science to Information System Management or to Mathematics or Physics, etc. Of course, it may not be what the family expected but it is important for the students to explain the reason to their parents about the situation. There are reasons such as stress, homesick, broken heart, but school performance is often the main reason.
A few years ago, there was a student who did not do well in my class as he fell far behind everyone. When I reviewed his record, I found that he had failed many courses previously, his grade point average was below the standard, which means he was on an academic probation. I told him: “If you do not improve your grade, you will be dismissed because you are on probation already. But based on what I saw, I do not think you could pass this course.” He asked: “Then what will happen to me?” I explained: “As an international student, you are on special visas which allows you to study here. If the school dismisses you, they have to report to the immigration office that you are no longer in school. In that situation, you will have to go home. If you stay then you become an illegal person.” He cried: “But I cannot tell my parents, they expect that I will succeed.” I asked: “Did they know that you are on probation?” He shook his head: “No, I did not tell them anything.” I asked: “Do you know that students who are on probation but do not improve will be dismissed?” He nods and began to cry. I asked: “Do you have a backup plan?” He did not even know what it is. Later, I had a long conversation with him and his family, I learned that he was among the students who study overseas without any preparation. The family invested a lot of money to use a consultant to help write his application to get him into a top school without taking into consideration his academic performance. Eventually, he had to return to Shanghai after failed several courses.
I always advise students to share everything with their parents, including academic performance. They may also share their loneliness, homesickness, stress, frustration, broken relationships, and academic disappointment. But I also ask the parents to listen carefully without blaming or being angry. Every parent should know all the facts so they can help their children to take appropriate actions. After all, it is their investment and the future of their children. Only they can help them by putting their issues in perspective. If the problem is about school performance, they may let them know that failure in one course is not the end as they can learn from it and focus on improving their studying. If the problem is something else, they may need to have all the facts before taking any actions.
For parents of students who are planning to study overseas, my advice is to prepare as early as possible because getting accepted into a foreign school is ONLY the beginning. How well students learn, how well they mature, how well they do to achieve their educational goals is depending on how well they are prepared.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
