Student Union
- By Ying Fu
Chinese Students in US Reflect on COVID Chaos
Ryan Wang was among hundreds of thousands of Chinese students at U.S. colleges or universities who struggled over whether to return home to China or remain in the United States when the COVID-19 pandemic surged in the spring of 2020.
“When the pandemic started in China [months earlier], I felt lucky I was already back to the U.S. for the new semester,” Wang, a Chinese undergraduate studying economics at Columbia University in New York City, told VOA.
Unlike Wang, many international students had not returned to the United States from winter break in January 2020 and fretted that they would lose credits and tuition fees if they could not get back to school.
For Wang, the concerns centered around whether he could return home to China.
“I had to live through the fear of infection, paying over $10,000 dollars for a one-way ticket, and being scammed by fake ticket dealers before I could go home again,” he said.
Fake dealers were selling bogus tickets to international students desperate to go home after Beijing limited international carriers to one flight a week into China in April 2020. To the delight of his parents, he said, three months after U.S. colleges and universities shut down their campuses and moved all learning online, he finally made it home to Jiangsu.
“It was such a relief. Not only because I [could stop worrying] about securing tickets home, but also that I didn’t have to sanitize everything and worry about COVID-19,” he said. In Jiangsu, a province of over 80 million people in East China that includes Shanghai, there was less reported community spread from March 2020 to June 2021.
Just how many Chinese students sat out the 2020-2021 academic year in the U.S. was revealed this week by the Institute of International Education in its yearly report about international student mobility. The report said almost 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities showed a 15% decrease in overall international student attendance, and a 45.6% decrease in new student enrollment.
Among Chinese students -- the largest percentage of total 914,095 international students in the U.S. -- there was a 14.8% decline from the previous year to 317,299, or 34.7% of all international students. The second largest group from India, comprising 18.3% of all international students, showed a decline of 13.2%.
Engaging students far away
U.S. universities struggled to keep students on track. Like many schools, Columbia University extended its pass-fail policies, which reduced the academic stress of online learning. Wang said the university also provided office and study space in China where lockdowns were lifting, so students could stay engaged.
Others took classes at local universities through exchange programs arranged by their U.S. universities. Xinle Hou took two classes at Beijing Normal University (BNU) through a program called “go-local” through Barnard College, which is the women’s undergraduate institution affiliated with Columbia. Other universities, including New York University (NYU) and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, arranged for their students to attend classes in China as the pandemic abated there, while infections rose in the U.S.
Online learning fail
But not everyone was so lucky. Many students were required to take classes online remotely. [[ https://www.voanews.com/a/student-union_if-its-330-am-it-must-be-time-online-class/6199331.html ]]
Hou, who had attended Barnard in New York City, described feeling burned out, and then “dystopian” from sleep deprivation, trying to attend classes at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., and then at 8:30 in the morning.
“As I had an online class at night, I did not have much energy to actually go out during the day, which made me feel very detached from the place I was physically living in,” she said.
Florence Chen, an undergraduate student at Columbia University, told VOA that most of her classes were synchronous, meaning students worldwide attended class at the same time, regardless of their time zone. [[ https://www.voanews.com/a/student-union_why-students-go-dark-zoom-classes/6202872.html ]]
“It was truly a suffering to take classes late at night,” she lamented, adding that 3 a.m. was just too late for her.[[ https://www.voanews.com/a/student-union_students-give-online-learning-low-marks/6186962.html ]]
Irene Zhang, who attended Colby College in the northeastern U.S. state of Maine, returned to China during COVID-19. She ended up taking a semester off.
“My college experience was definitely disrupted,” Irene wrote in a text. “I think COVID disconnected a lot of international students to their U.S. institutions.”
While American campuses remained in lockdown, China was opening up, students said. Some studied online and interned in person.
Chen worked a full-time internship while taking online classes in the evenings. Wang interned on weekdays and watched lecture videos intensively on weekends. Most of his online classes, he said, were offered asynchronously, or at his convenience.
“It was arguably the most productive period in my college years,” he said.
Mass return
After more than a year of closures, most American universities have called all their students back to campus. But not everyone feels secure about the pandemic.
“I still don’t feel entirely safe, but I really needed to come back and graduate, as my college does not offer remote options anymore starting this semester,” said Zhang.
“Although many COVID restrictions have been lifted and people wander around, I personally still follow the protocols, which include masking all the time indoors and outdoors, distancing wherever appropriate, eating in my own room, and sanitizing everything,” said Chen. “It’s been kind of sad that I cannot hang out with friends or explore the city since COVID-19 hit. However, I do believe that safety and well-being is my top concern and priority studying in a foreign country.”
US, or else?
After graduating from University of Maryland, Rhine Liu has started law school in Hong Kong. Although she said she thinks U.S. law schools are unparalleled in excellence, her parents want her closer to home.
“Overall, I am very glad for the opportunity to be able to spend my college life in such a culturally diverse environment,” May Ding wrote VOA. “The experience shaped me to become a global citizen with a global vision."
For her part, Hou said she plans to stay in the U.S. and pursue a master’s of fine arts in creative writing. The U.S. has the best resources and opportunities for creative writers, she noted.
Zhang, who is looking at graduate programs in education, also plans to stay in the country as there are “some great programs” that fit her passion.
“If money is not a problem, I believe that all parents may aspire to send their kids for the best education,” Chen noted. “Studying in the U.S. indeed brings a world of opportunities.”
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misspelled Xinle Hou.
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International students navigate financial challenges to pay US tuition
Navigating the complexities of higher education is challenging for many, but for international students, the financial hurdles can be particularly daunting.
Faced with skyrocketing tuition and fees, limited access to financial aid, and the instability of scholarships, many international students struggle to sustain their academic dreams.
Funding problems can lead some students to withdraw their college applications, as Alpha Daramy Sesay of Sierra Leone did. He abandoned his dream of studying journalism at the University of Maryland.
"I've applied to almost three universities in the past two years, and the board members were thrilled with my purpose statement and approved my application unambiguously," Sesay told VOA News. "However, I was unable to register due to the funding bottleneck, and the deadline for these offers has just lapsed."
Sesay had meticulously planned his move to the U.S., even stopping his scholarship search when a family member promised financial support. When Sesay was admitted to his dream school, however, the family support fell through, leaving him scrambling for scholarships that didn't cover all expenses.
Reflecting on his ordeal, Sesay advises future international students to seek scholarships and consult with school advisers early to avoid similar setbacks.
Talia Popovski, senior director of International Student Services at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, suggests starting at a community college to save on tuition costs.
"Primarily, we have international students pursuing associate degrees," she said. "This is a major way for them to save money compared to going directly to a university."
Popovski emphasized the benefits of community colleges as pathways to universities, with many international students pursuing associate degrees before transferring to earn their bachelor's degrees. She also highlighted the role of on-campus work in alleviating financial burdens, suggesting institutional work-study programs as options.
According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a nonprofit dedicated to international education and exchange, international students are ineligible for federal work-study positions, necessitating discussions with advisers about employment eligibility. Popovski also mentioned that universities offer part-time jobs through their human resources departments, including paid internships, which provide additional financial support for education.
Student secures honor scholarship
Guilherme Lucas Mannarino, who received his associate degree from Valencia College, turned down 32 esports scholarships to study in Florida.
"I came to the United States [from Brazil] when I was 18 years old," Mannarino recalled. "I rejected all the scholarships that I acquired through esports, playing Fortnite."
Mannarino, who majored in finance at Valencia College, exemplified proactive planning in overcoming financial challenges.
Despite declining the esports scholarships, Mannarino secured an honor scholarship at Valencia College covering 50% of his tuition. He attributed his financial stability to planning ahead, staying on top of his academics, and acquiring an on-campus job.
To supplement his income, he conducted workshops advising Brazilian students on esports scholarships, allowing him to cover living expenses by finding roommates through social media.
"I was able to find a roommate on social media before coming to the U.S., which is a great way to save money," he said. "A year later, we had another roommate, which made my living costs cheaper, which is honestly the best way to save money in the U.S."
Tips for overcoming financial hurdles
Kadiatou Sow, from Conakry, Guinea, is studying at Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Michigan.
"Managing the high cost of tuition and living expenses while studying abroad involves a strategic approach," Sow said. "I prioritize securing scholarships and grants tailored for international students to alleviate tuition expenses and sometimes cover living costs. Supplementing this with part-time work both on campus and in the local community provides a steady income for daily necessities."
She encourages fellow international students to balance work and studies effectively, understand visa work-hour regulations, and seek university support for financial aid options.
"Seeking guidance from university support services and staying informed about financial aid options are essential strategies for navigating these challenges successfully," Sow said.
Three ways international students can overcome financial hurdles:
1. Community college enrollment: Begin with an associate degree at a community college to save significantly on tuition costs before transferring to a university for a bachelor's degree.
2. On-campus employment: Explore institutional work-study programs and university job boards for part-time employment opportunities that complement studies and provide financial support.
3. Proactive financial planning: Save money before arriving in the U.S., seek scholarships tailored for international students, and explore paid internship opportunities to supplement income.
While financial obstacles are daunting, international students can achieve their academic aspirations through strategic planning, diligent scholarship pursuit and leveraging on-campus resources, advisers say.
By adopting proactive financial strategies and staying resilient, they can successfully navigate the challenges of financing their education abroad, ensuring a path to academic success and personal growth.
- By VOA News
Indian newspaper offers tips for US-bound students
Telangana Today, a newspaper in India, offers a list of tips and resources for students planning to study in the United States.
Among them:
- Prepare for your travel to the U.S., making sure to gather all necessary documents, including your passport and visa.
- Be sure to attend orientations.
- By VOA News
Michigan State international students get their own space
Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, is setting aside a space in the International Center for international students.
Nidal Dajani, vice president of the school's International Student Association, said that the club plans to use the space to host events and hopes to collaborate with other student groups.
- By Dylan Ebs
International students find community during Pride Month
For LGBTQ+ international students, Pride Month, observed in June, is a unique time to reflect.
They hold on to multiple identities — both their LGBTQ+ identity and their cultural background — but coming to terms with them is not always easy.
For graduate student David Zhou, these identities can feel conflicting as transgender rights in China remain a controversial issue and spaces for LGBTQ people close. Zhou, 25, is transgender and pursuing an education in the STEM field at an urban university in the Midwestern United States.
VOA is using a pseudonym for Zhou’s first name and is not naming his university to protect his identity due to safety concerns back home in China. Zhou is not open about his transgender identity to his family.
During Pride Month, Zhou said he attended multiple LGBTQ+ events in his community and is surrounded by a supportive group of LGBTQ+ students who can relate to his experiences. But he’s not open about his identity to everyone on campus and said he doesn’t disclose his preferred pronouns to everyone to avoid transphobic comments.
“I feel like I have to make some judgments of the character of that person to see if they’re a good person to disclose [my identity] to,” Zhou said.
Zhou’s Pride Month celebrations included attending local markets with LGBTQ+ vendors and hanging out with his LGBTQ+ friends.
“They normalized being trans and for a long time I feel like trans identity is, should I say a vulnerability, brings me fear and worrying about discrimination, but having those events are helpful because it allowed me to see that queer people could just [live] openly,” he said.
At social events where few international students are present, Zhou said it can be tough to fit in.
“There's a lot of times like when they were talking about things I kind of, don't really understand, mostly because I kind of lack some background experience or knowledge,” he said.
Zhou said he is not aware of specific groups for LGBTQ+ international students at his university, but said international students are more prevalent in graduate programs and therefore find representation in organizations for LGBTQ+ graduate students.
In China, transgender individuals must obtain consent from an “immediate family member,” even for adults hoping to transition, which critics say limits the autonomy of transgender individuals while supporters say the policy protects doctors from violence by upset parents.
Struby Struble, a former coordinator of the University of Missouri LGBTQ+ Resource Center, told NAFSA: Association of International Educators in 2015 that LGBTQ+ international students face a “double barrier” on campus.
“With their international student friends, they feel isolated because they’re the LGBT one,” she said. “But then among the LGBT students on campus, they feel isolated because they’re the international one.”
Nick Martin, associate director of the Q Center, Binghamton University’s LGBTQ+ student support office, said when international students tour the center, there’s often a sense of hesitation as they enter a type of space that may not be present in their home country.
“I compare that to a year in after they've come into the space, they've again, maybe come to some of our events, they've got more connected,” he said.
Martin said graduate students have a unique interest in the Q Center as they may use the office for research and advocacy purposes that align with their studies.
“For older students, there may be hesitancy in a different way, but I think it's more in the vein of they want to do some of the advocacy work,” he said.
Martin said he thinks about how both his office and BU’s international student office can support students who come from countries with few — if any — protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.
“It's been a learning process of what those students really need, but I think I've kind of learned that a lot of students are just looking for the safe space that we offer,” Martin said.
- By VOA News
International students discuss US campus culture shock
International students at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, talked about culture shock in an article in La Voz News, the student newspaper.
"It felt like a major culture shock. Everything was so different, from academics to mannerism," said a student from Mexico.
Read the full story here.
