Maximizing the Experience of International Graduate Students: A Case-Study

The number of international graduate students attending higher education in U.S. has increased in past few decades. By studying in what is known as the land of opportunities, international graduate students beyond acquiring knowledge had opportunities to network with other professionals and enhance their cultural awareness. With surge in number of international graduate students, there had been increased attention paid to needs of this population; however, many colleges and universities were not adequately prepared to deal with wave of international graduate students. A comprehensive review of literature showed that attention given to international students ranged from areas such as transitional difficulties all way to physiological needs. The purpose of this critical, mixed method case study was to examine transitional difficulties of international graduate students and how university stakeholders may better accommodate needs of international graduate students at a pre-orientation program known as webinar program. According to Tas (2013), it is a good practice to outreach to international graduate students before they arrive on campus. In case of this comprehensive university in southeast Pennsylvania, a synchronous online webinar was implemented to allow a seamless arrival-and-welcome that facilitates success of acculturation of international graduate students at this educational institution. By examining acculturation needs of international graduate students in a pre-orientation program, initial gateway to every graduate program, faculty, professional staff and students were able to better prepare and accommodate needs of international graduate students even as they assist them to assimilate into environment. All university constituents who were directly involved with planning and implementing orientation programs benefited and gained a better understanding of possible transitional difficulties that international graduate students can face when starting in a United States institution. Institutional commitment to international graduate students is a must since what is provided to them impacted retention rate, academic performance, social interaction with other students, and their overall physiological and psychological being. Above all, international graduate students must be a focal point in design of every research-1 institution of pre-orientation program. Understanding diversity can establish a level of trust and acceptance with our graduate students but most importantly a deep appreciation and understanding for different cultures in an educational institution. The research questions guiding this mixed method case study were: (1) What were academic, social, and cultural histories of international graduate students and how did an existing pre-orientation program acknowledge, appreciate and address these histories? (2) What strategies and techniques did international graduate students employ to cope in their new environment?…