“Yes mom, I promise I am doing fine. No dad, you don’t need to send me more food; I eat plenty and healthy at the dining hall. Mom, I told you already, I’ll be with a group of friends at the party tonight, I won’t go anywhere alone. Love you guys too!” This is just one of the many phone conversations held daily between my parents and I. Although I sound a bit impatient, the truth is, if it wasn’t for their support, I might not make here at St. John’s on my own.
I may only be five hours away from home, but sometimes, on those occasional lonely nights, it feels like I am thousands of miles away from home. However, I know this isn’t true, and if I really had to, I could jump on a bus or plane and go home. This type of reassurance has helped me to better transition into this new life of being a college student. On one hand, things in New York were foreign to me. I was forced to adjust to living in a large city with a lot of unfamiliar people. On the other hand, this was “my country.” I was born and raised here. Aside from the unfamiliar and diverse people, I felt pretty comfortable. My language is spoken here and the beliefs I grew up with in the United States are OK to be practiced here.
As I began to look around at St. Johns, I realized that not everyone was from the United States. In fact, diverse and dedicated, the students at St. Johns represent 38 states and 148 foreign countries. I know and understand how hard transitioning is for any American college student, but what about students who are not American? How will they learn to adjust and how different will transitioning be for them, if it is different at all.
When I reflected on my own college experience, I asked myself if a student’s country of origin affected their transition to college life. Would international students feel out of place in an American school? If students practiced certain beliefs at home, would they be able to, or be willing to practice them here at school? I never considered the fact that despite where a student is from, going to college is a big step, and no one takes it lightly, whether you are American or foreign to the country. Of course, things are not as familiar to them as they are to me, but as I mentioned before, not everything was familiar to me either.
Ira Aleksova, an international student from Macedonia, is quite a distance from home. However, despite the fact that she can’t see her parents on the weekends, their support for her as a student in America stays strong. In fact, it is equally as strong as any American student’s parents. Ira explained that the support of her family and friends back home is helpful. While she is thousands of miles away, her supporters’ back home call everyday, send packages, and send letters. According to Ira, her ability to easily transition to St. Johns has a lot to do with the support.
When she first came to America to attend St. Johns, Ruisa Scheffel, an international student from Brazil, felt lonely and homesick. She left behind family, friends, and a boyfriend. Eventually, over time, she made friends, and adjusting became so much easier. At certain times, she still felt lonely and homesick, but only when a special holiday came around.
After reading these results, a funny feeling came over me. These girls are not alone when they say that they occasionally feel homesick and miss the comfort of home. Is it weird that I feel the same way, even though I am from America? A student from the United States, who wished to remain anonymous, is able to see her family from time to time when they visit New York City. In times when they are not around, they make sure to call and keep in touch through internet, phone, and mail. Despite the closeness is distance, this student feels the pang of being away from home for the first time. This student experiences loneliness on the weekends when no one is around. However, this is common to both American students and international students.
The similarities in the way these three students transitioned into college amazed me. I assumed that distance and country of origin determined how a student would transition into college. When the American student was asked if adjusting to college was difficult, she admitted it was. “I think any change in life can be hard to adjust to.” On the survey, she commented on international students and said, “International students who are thrown into a different culture adjust differently. There is a language barrier and they are in a whole new culture.”
However, surprisingly, the international students did not feel this way at all. Ira felt as though she didn’t have any major problems adjusting to school, just because she was from Macedonia. In fact, she said transitioning was easy and after the first month, she even understood the professors. Some American students still haven’t even conquered that skill of understanding.
Adjusting to college life has a lot of factors behind it. For one thing, a student’s country of origin, as I am discussing, seems as though it would play a big role. However, I am discovering that it does not. According to College Student Development, “students use their values as standards of evaluation in determining what is good or bad, true or false, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable, important or unimportant.” I feel this is a major factor in determining how a student transitions to school. In fact, it does have a lot in common with a student’s country of origin, but it overrides that factor. Value plays a big role in transitioning. The book also states that “the values of college students are influenced by family, friends, religion, personal experiences, and societal factors.” For example, the American student I surveyed commented that on the weekends, she enjoys staying on campus and her beliefs play a big role in this decision. Ira and Ruisa both enjoy going out on the weekends because that is what they did at home.
Another factor that plays into transitioning is conformity. Conformity is adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard, and is often the result of group or peer pressure. Usually, the person adopts the new behavior or attitude as his or her own. This statement is true for a majority of students, no matter what country they are from. The two international students made friends once they moved here, and by natural instinct, might have felt pressured to conform to other’s beliefs and values. The American student and international students all stayed true to their beliefs, despite what country they came from. Although they conformed to groups, it wasn’t the country of origin that determined how well they transitioned to college.
My results were quite surprising to me because I assumed things that were not true about international students. In my autobiography about this report, I wrote that “I saw the way my friends transitioned compared to me and I caught on to the fact that the country a person grows up in will determine how they will transition. At this time, I want to know how others feel about this and how their beliefs affect their transition.” Indeed, I did find out how international students transition, and I was wrong to write this in my paper. I did see the way my friends transitioned compared to me, but when it came time to these other students, things were not all that different. I found that just because a student doesn’t grow up in a certain country, doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t adjust the same way as American students, or the students in that country.
Even though a student’s country of origin is important when discussing value and transitioning, it isn’t the determining factor in how that person will necessarily transition. I found that most students adjust to college the same way. At first, they make feel homesick and alone, but eventually, over time, things change. They all make friends and conform to certain groups. Having support from home is also a factor that helps the transitioning process. I found that despite what county a student comes from, transitioning is a developing process that takes time, no matter who you are.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Job fair
Yesterday was the St. John’s University Career Center job fair. I work at the Career Center, so I’ve seen a lot of the things that went on to organize the fair. Unfortuantly, I was forced to do a lot of the work to get ready for this fair as well. Yesterday I was stuck in Carnesseca Arena for four hours swiping people in. Ugh, talk about being bored. It amazed me to see how many older people (Alumni) showed up for the fair. In a way, it kind of scared me.
I really hope that by the time I am 25, I will have a career…one that I love and one will that last. At the fair, a lot of alumni showed up with Resumes and ready to talk to the employers. In fact, one lady even had her child with her. I’m not in the career field quite yet, but does that look bad to an employer? Not the fact that she had a child, but the fact that she was 30 and still didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life. Last week, a man came into the Career Center because he was alumni who had an appt. because he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. This man is married and has a few children. He was 47 years old and still did not have a career. I just don’t quite understand this. He graduated from St. Johns quite a while ago, so what happened after that? I know that maybe because of some circumstances he could not get a job, but why for so long? The Career Center has a lot of older people calling and saying they just don’t know what to do with themselves, and they are 40 and 50 years old. I just hope this isn’t me after graduation.
I really hope that by the time I am 25, I will have a career…one that I love and one will that last. At the fair, a lot of alumni showed up with Resumes and ready to talk to the employers. In fact, one lady even had her child with her. I’m not in the career field quite yet, but does that look bad to an employer? Not the fact that she had a child, but the fact that she was 30 and still didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life. Last week, a man came into the Career Center because he was alumni who had an appt. because he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. This man is married and has a few children. He was 47 years old and still did not have a career. I just don’t quite understand this. He graduated from St. Johns quite a while ago, so what happened after that? I know that maybe because of some circumstances he could not get a job, but why for so long? The Career Center has a lot of older people calling and saying they just don’t know what to do with themselves, and they are 40 and 50 years old. I just hope this isn’t me after graduation.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Pretty stumped
As we sit here in English class preparing to show our research, I find myself somewhat lost and unprepared. One guy in my group has really cool articles about the way St. John’s University use to be. He found news articles from the 90’s when St. John’s first decided they wanted to build dorms. His articles and information were actually interesting. The girl in my group was doing her report on woman and how they’ve changed over the years. Fashion played a major role in that and so she found pictures to show this change.
I, on the other hand, only had surveys and a few facts from books. My research pretty much stunk compared to there’s. I am seriously stumped with doing research. I don’t know where to find information for my paper. Online research didn’t help. Library research didn’t help. My surveys were a flop. Where to now? I just have no idea where to go from here. I wrote my paper, but it’s missing quite a bit. HELP :(
I, on the other hand, only had surveys and a few facts from books. My research pretty much stunk compared to there’s. I am seriously stumped with doing research. I don’t know where to find information for my paper. Online research didn’t help. Library research didn’t help. My surveys were a flop. Where to now? I just have no idea where to go from here. I wrote my paper, but it’s missing quite a bit. HELP :(
Monday, April 16, 2007
St. Johns demographics
My report is based on international students, so I thought it would be a good idea if I went on the website and found the demographics for St. John's University.
More than 18,000 students are enrolled at our five campuses – 14,229 of them undergraduates. Diverse and dedicated, our students represent 38 states and 148 foreign countries.
Reference: Stjohns.edu/about/diverse.sju
More than 18,000 students are enrolled at our five campuses – 14,229 of them undergraduates. Diverse and dedicated, our students represent 38 states and 148 foreign countries.
Reference: Stjohns.edu/about/diverse.sju
3 Survey results
My paper has a lot of opinion in it, mostly being my own because this is my theory/idea paper. However, because my paper is on international students, it is obvious that I need to have opinions from student's coming from different countries. I decided that I wanted to have another American fill out my survey, just so that my paper isn't based sole on my thoughts and opinions as an American.
1. Name (optional) Gender: Female
*If you feel like any of these questions are too personal, don’t answer them!
What country were you born in? United States
What country do you live in when you are not attending St.Johns? USA
What are the universities like in your country compared to the ones in the United States? N/A
Do you feel homesick often? Sometimes on the weekends when no one is around.
Do you talk to your friends/family back home? How often? Yes, at least once a day.
How do your family/friends support you while you are at school (for example, do they send you packages, letters, call you?) They call me and visit me.
Has their support helped you to better transition/adjust to being at college? Most definitely. They helped me to realize that I am not alone and that they are available to talk to if I feel homesick.
Did you find it difficult to adjust to being at an American college? If so, what sort of difficulties did/do you have? I think any change in life can be hard to adjust to, especially international students who are thrown into a different culture. There is a language barrier and the cultural differences that make it difficult to adjust because they are so different.
Do you believe being from another country has affected the way you transitioned or adjusted to school in America? If so, how? Being from a different country is difficult, but I don't think they (international students) adjust much differently from American college students. One difference, however, is that it isn't easy to visit home on the smaller vacations such as Thanksgiving or Easter weekend.
Do you prefer to go out on the weekends or stay on campus? Does your answer have anything to do with your culture or beliefs that you practiced at home? I enjoy staying on campus. It has everything to do with my beliefs and the difference between those of so many American college students.
Since coming to the United States, how, if at all, have you changed as a person? I have developed better habits and tried to get ride of my bad habits.
Will you be returning to St. Johns next semester? Why or why not. Yes. St. Johns has so much to offer in academics, extracurricular activities, and ways to explore NYC.
2. Name (optional) Ruisa Scheffel Gender: Female
*If you feel like any of these questions are too personal, don’t answer them!
What country were you born in? Brazil
What country do you live in when you are not attending St.Johns? Brazil
What are the universities like in your country compared to the ones in the United States? They are very different. They don't give support to sports, for example.
Do you feel homesick often? Not often, just when it is a special occasions (Birthday).
Do you talk to your friends/family back home? How often? Everyday
How do your family/friends support you while you are at school (for example, do they send you packages, letters, call you?) We talk on the phone everyday.
Has their support helped you to better transition/adjust to being at college? Yes, without them I wouldn't be here.
Did you find it difficult to adjust to being at an American college? If so, what sort of difficulties did/do you have? Yes, in the beginning I was feeling alone and I use to have a boyfriend in Brazil. It was really hard to not see him, family, and friends everyday.
Do you believe being from another country has affected the way you transitioned or adjusted to school in America? If so, how? Yes, in my country we have more support from professors, for example.
Do you prefer to go out on the weekends or stay on campus? Does your answer have anything to do with your culture or beliefs that you practiced at home? I love to go out with my friends. I miss parties at home.
Since coming to the United States, how, if at all, have you changed as a person? This is the first time I'm living by myself. Here, I have to do everything and make decisions alone. I grew up mentally. Now, I am more responsible.
Will you be returning to St. Johns next semester? Why or why not. Yes. I love it here and the city. I'm also on the volleyball team. I am sure coming back.
3. Name (optional) Ira Aleksova Gender: Female
*If you feel like any of these questions are too personal, don’t answer them!
What country were you born in? Macedonia
What country do you live in when you are not attending St.Johns? Macedonia
What are the universities like in your country compared to the ones in the United States? STULOV University
NY University
Do you feel homesick often? Yes
Do you talk to your friends/family back home? How often? Yes. Everyday.
How do your family/friends support you while you are at school (for example, do they send you packages, letters, call you?) They do all of that and even more.
Has their support helped you to better transition/adjust to being at college? Yes, they have helped me a lot.
Did you find it difficult to adjust to being at an American college? If so, what sort of difficulties did/do you have? No. It was very easy. At first, I didn't understand the professors really well. But, that was only the first month.
Do you believe being from another country has affected the way you transitioned or adjusted to school in America? If so, how? Yes. I find many differences. Some of them are positive and some are not. You always compare things.
Do you prefer to go out on the weekends or stay on campus? Does your answer have anything to do with your culture or beliefs that you practiced at home? To go out and have fun. Yes, I did the same thing back in my country.
Since coming to the United States, how, if at all, have you changed as a person? I've become more aware that if I want to get something, I have to work for it by myself. I've become more responsible.
Will you be returning to St. Johns next semester? Why or why not. Yes. I love my tennis team and the competitions we play. I enjoy living in NYC. It's a true opportunity for a job and fulfilling my dreams.
1. Name (optional) Gender: Female
*If you feel like any of these questions are too personal, don’t answer them!
What country were you born in? United States
What country do you live in when you are not attending St.Johns? USA
What are the universities like in your country compared to the ones in the United States? N/A
Do you feel homesick often? Sometimes on the weekends when no one is around.
Do you talk to your friends/family back home? How often? Yes, at least once a day.
How do your family/friends support you while you are at school (for example, do they send you packages, letters, call you?) They call me and visit me.
Has their support helped you to better transition/adjust to being at college? Most definitely. They helped me to realize that I am not alone and that they are available to talk to if I feel homesick.
Did you find it difficult to adjust to being at an American college? If so, what sort of difficulties did/do you have? I think any change in life can be hard to adjust to, especially international students who are thrown into a different culture. There is a language barrier and the cultural differences that make it difficult to adjust because they are so different.
Do you believe being from another country has affected the way you transitioned or adjusted to school in America? If so, how? Being from a different country is difficult, but I don't think they (international students) adjust much differently from American college students. One difference, however, is that it isn't easy to visit home on the smaller vacations such as Thanksgiving or Easter weekend.
Do you prefer to go out on the weekends or stay on campus? Does your answer have anything to do with your culture or beliefs that you practiced at home? I enjoy staying on campus. It has everything to do with my beliefs and the difference between those of so many American college students.
Since coming to the United States, how, if at all, have you changed as a person? I have developed better habits and tried to get ride of my bad habits.
Will you be returning to St. Johns next semester? Why or why not. Yes. St. Johns has so much to offer in academics, extracurricular activities, and ways to explore NYC.
2. Name (optional) Ruisa Scheffel Gender: Female
*If you feel like any of these questions are too personal, don’t answer them!
What country were you born in? Brazil
What country do you live in when you are not attending St.Johns? Brazil
What are the universities like in your country compared to the ones in the United States? They are very different. They don't give support to sports, for example.
Do you feel homesick often? Not often, just when it is a special occasions (Birthday).
Do you talk to your friends/family back home? How often? Everyday
How do your family/friends support you while you are at school (for example, do they send you packages, letters, call you?) We talk on the phone everyday.
Has their support helped you to better transition/adjust to being at college? Yes, without them I wouldn't be here.
Did you find it difficult to adjust to being at an American college? If so, what sort of difficulties did/do you have? Yes, in the beginning I was feeling alone and I use to have a boyfriend in Brazil. It was really hard to not see him, family, and friends everyday.
Do you believe being from another country has affected the way you transitioned or adjusted to school in America? If so, how? Yes, in my country we have more support from professors, for example.
Do you prefer to go out on the weekends or stay on campus? Does your answer have anything to do with your culture or beliefs that you practiced at home? I love to go out with my friends. I miss parties at home.
Since coming to the United States, how, if at all, have you changed as a person? This is the first time I'm living by myself. Here, I have to do everything and make decisions alone. I grew up mentally. Now, I am more responsible.
Will you be returning to St. Johns next semester? Why or why not. Yes. I love it here and the city. I'm also on the volleyball team. I am sure coming back.
3. Name (optional) Ira Aleksova Gender: Female
*If you feel like any of these questions are too personal, don’t answer them!
What country were you born in? Macedonia
What country do you live in when you are not attending St.Johns? Macedonia
What are the universities like in your country compared to the ones in the United States? STULOV University
NY University
Do you feel homesick often? Yes
Do you talk to your friends/family back home? How often? Yes. Everyday.
How do your family/friends support you while you are at school (for example, do they send you packages, letters, call you?) They do all of that and even more.
Has their support helped you to better transition/adjust to being at college? Yes, they have helped me a lot.
Did you find it difficult to adjust to being at an American college? If so, what sort of difficulties did/do you have? No. It was very easy. At first, I didn't understand the professors really well. But, that was only the first month.
Do you believe being from another country has affected the way you transitioned or adjusted to school in America? If so, how? Yes. I find many differences. Some of them are positive and some are not. You always compare things.
Do you prefer to go out on the weekends or stay on campus? Does your answer have anything to do with your culture or beliefs that you practiced at home? To go out and have fun. Yes, I did the same thing back in my country.
Since coming to the United States, how, if at all, have you changed as a person? I've become more aware that if I want to get something, I have to work for it by myself. I've become more responsible.
Will you be returning to St. Johns next semester? Why or why not. Yes. I love my tennis team and the competitions we play. I enjoy living in NYC. It's a true opportunity for a job and fulfilling my dreams.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
My birthday!
Do you remember when you were 9 years old and your birthday was only a week away? You would remind everyone how many days were left until your birthday at least three times a day. Then, when your birthday finally arrived, you were up super early and expected everyone to cater to you all day. It was as everyone you encountered was expected to know that it was your birthday. Hello, it was your birthday. You only deserved the best.
Well, ten years later and I haven’t changed a bit. I won’t lie, when my birthday comes around, I become even more selfish than I already am. I can’t help myself. A birthday is a very special day, no matter how old you are turning…even if it 19. Some people don’t appreciate their own special day and that’s their own fault. I, on the other hand, like to take advantage. I have a count down of my birthday going right now, and as I would like you all to know, it’s in 5 days! Wahoo, I am so excited. Considering it’s a Friday night, I have big plans for myself. I have already warned my friends of my behaviors on my birthday and how they are expected to support me. Hehe. I’m just kidding (kind of). My birthday weekend should be fun because Friday (the day of my birthday) is the Carnival on the Great Lawn. I love rides and free food; so obviously, this should be a good day. Friday night, I plan on going out to dinner and partying. I mean, it is Friday. That’s only expected of me! Saturday, although it will no longer be my birthday, are the concerts. Yay for Katie’s Birthday weekend!
Well, ten years later and I haven’t changed a bit. I won’t lie, when my birthday comes around, I become even more selfish than I already am. I can’t help myself. A birthday is a very special day, no matter how old you are turning…even if it 19. Some people don’t appreciate their own special day and that’s their own fault. I, on the other hand, like to take advantage. I have a count down of my birthday going right now, and as I would like you all to know, it’s in 5 days! Wahoo, I am so excited. Considering it’s a Friday night, I have big plans for myself. I have already warned my friends of my behaviors on my birthday and how they are expected to support me. Hehe. I’m just kidding (kind of). My birthday weekend should be fun because Friday (the day of my birthday) is the Carnival on the Great Lawn. I love rides and free food; so obviously, this should be a good day. Friday night, I plan on going out to dinner and partying. I mean, it is Friday. That’s only expected of me! Saturday, although it will no longer be my birthday, are the concerts. Yay for Katie’s Birthday weekend!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Library research
I spent some time in the library before started my research paper just so I could get a few more ideas. Here are some of the things I came across that will hopefully help me out!
-Individuals use their values as standards of evaluation in determining what is good or bad, true or false, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable, important or unimportant
-Individuals do not always behave in ways that are consistent with their stated beliefs and values
-The values of college students are influenced by family, friends, religion, personal experiences, and societal factors. Their perceptions, motives, goals, interests, and decision making processes are closely related to the systems of values they hold
-Conformity - is adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard. Conformity is often the result of group or peer pressure. Usually, the person adopts the new behavior or attitude as his or her own.
**Note-Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find as much information as I had hoped. If anyone has an any ideas or references that they think would help, let me know!
References: *College Student Development-Leighton C.Whitaker, PhD, Richard E. Slimak, PhD-1996-The Haworth Press-Binghamton, NY
*http://web.umr.edu/~pfyc212b/social.htm
-Individuals use their values as standards of evaluation in determining what is good or bad, true or false, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable, important or unimportant
-Individuals do not always behave in ways that are consistent with their stated beliefs and values
-The values of college students are influenced by family, friends, religion, personal experiences, and societal factors. Their perceptions, motives, goals, interests, and decision making processes are closely related to the systems of values they hold
-Conformity - is adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard. Conformity is often the result of group or peer pressure. Usually, the person adopts the new behavior or attitude as his or her own.
**Note-Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find as much information as I had hoped. If anyone has an any ideas or references that they think would help, let me know!
References: *College Student Development-Leighton C.Whitaker, PhD, Richard E. Slimak, PhD-1996-The Haworth Press-Binghamton, NY
*http://web.umr.edu/~pfyc212b/social.htm
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