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Success strategies for the international Ph.D.

student

Charles Blankson, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Marketing

Department of Marketing & Logistics, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA

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Rationale for international student recruitment Economic

Essential source of revenue by post-secondary institutions (Andrade 2006).

International students and their dependents supply over US$13 billion dollars annually to the US economy – with majority of the funds originating outside the US (IIE 2005).

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Rationale for international student recruitment

International students contribute to intercultural learning.

Increase understanding of diversity and global issues.

Create international business and trade connections.

Promote foreign policy interests (Schneider 2000).

In some cases, international students remain in the country after graduation to fill needed positions-

Australia, Canada, UK, USA, the EU.

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Challenges: - To encourage intercultural learning,

there is need for interaction of international and domestic students (Zhao et al. 2005).

Language issue [76% of ESL students in one Australian University were judged to require intensive English language support] (Ramburuth 2001).

Difficulties understanding lectures – vocabulary and speed of speaking…

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Challenges:-

Less social support than domestic students.

The more interaction international students had with Americans, the greater their adjustment (Hechanova-Alampay et al. 2002).

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Challenges:- Preference for friendships with co-nationals.

Confidence in own abilities.

Loneliness and homesickness.

Cultural adjustment.

Faculty often misinterpret the behaviors of international students and need greater understanding of their academic, social, emotional and psychological challenges.

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Challenges:-

Evidence suggests that some faculty make accommodations for weak English-language proficiency in course requirements and on assessments (Ramburuth 2001).

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Success In spite of difficulties with

English and other challenges, international students are academically successful (Berman and Cheng 2001).

International students are generally satisfied with their experiences in English-speaking universities (Lee and Wesche 2000)... More so with academic aspects than

social aspects.

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Success strategies:- Cultural adjustment is gradual.

Be self-motivated.

Put in maximum effort.

Be proactive in demonstrating your willingness to succeed academically…

Visit with faculty and let them know you better. Be sociable and proactively develop friendship

with American students. Involve yourself in campus activities such as

foot-ball games, basket ball games, Department outing, get-togethers, societies etc.

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Success strategies:-

Show up!!! Be seen in the Department. Offer to make presentations

about your country…and your country’s educational system

Try to be sociable and personable...

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Success strategies:-

Be enthusiastic, diligent, collegial, broad-minded, professional, and loyal to your department, college, university.

Smile!!! Have a “thick skin.” Be humble and also, flexible. Have Drive and work very hard. Avoid “politics” in the

Department.

February 2015 survey of UNT international students’ experiences at

UNT “Difficulty in making friends.”

“I have difficulty in organizing my time – weekly assignments, journal article reading – some articles about 20 pages.”

“It is hard for me to write – the sentences and vocabularies in the right way.”

“Give more publicity to the campus groups/societies.”

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February 2015 survey of UNT international students’ experiences at

UNT contd.

“I am currently having problems interacting with people due to being new to the school.”

“Pay more attention to assisting international students.”

“Help international students to adjust to living in the US.”

“Acknowledge that international students have multilingual skills whereas most Americans do not have these skills.”

“I want to know more about the do’s and don’t’s in America such as on all spheres of life including social, academia, Police/Law Enforcement – as ignorance of the law is no excuse.”

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Success strategies:-

But remember….as an apprentice of the academy – a Ph.D. student…

“Publish or perish” is very real in academia. No excuses are entertained!!

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