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International Students’ Survival Guide
Литагент HarperCollins
Get the most out of your time at universityThis e-book prepares you for undergraduate and postgraduate life at English-speaking universities. You will discover what to expect and how to prepare for living and studying in another country.Learn how to:• adjust to a new culture• make new friends• meet academic expectations• stay safe and wellThe authors are based in the US, UK and Australia so the ebook includes specific information relevant to students attending English-speaking universities in each of these countries.Suitable for students whose level of English is Upper Intermediate / CEF level B2 / IELTS 5.5 / iBT TOEFL 50 and higher.
Contents
Cover (#u9e93ff2d-d4e2-5d82-9dd6-7345bed4dc1f)
Title Page (#u8a3dc18c-fb53-5b87-a6b9-0e3b7c03ddc3)
Introduction (#ufef1baef-d521-51e1-85bb-1a70b0e9e2a0)
Section 1: Preparing you before you go
Chapter 1 Preparing to go abroad (#u588370f4-c123-5f37-9c21-9eafcab04728)
Chapter 2 Money and documents (#ub4749701-218e-5a87-af89-9b5149ae87a8)
Chapter 3 What should I pack? (#ue49f79bc-84bd-5ac1-aa3d-356dc41f75d7)
Section 2: What to expect from college/university life
Chapter 4 Dealing with culture shock (#ubb57d60e-2a93-5f34-8351-91f4df277c8c)
Chapter 5 Making friends (#ucf0b848a-89cf-583f-8a00-cdf705f59c20)
Chapter 6 College/University life (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 Staying safe and well (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 Dealing with difficulties (#litres_trial_promo)
Section 3: Studying in another country
Chapter 9 What is expected of you as a student? (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 Adjusting to new ways of teaching and learning (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 Skills for success at college/university (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 Communicating with staff and classmates (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 Problems with your studies (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 Avoiding plagiarism (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 Cultural reference (#litres_trial_promo)
Section 4: Preparing for the end of the semester/term
Chapter 16 Preparing for exams (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 Making the most of your time off (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 Graduation (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 Preparing to go home (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 20 Reverse culture shock (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher
Introduction (#ulink_cb64d1d7-b385-51eb-a6a9-ed861141223a)
Congratulations!
You’ve been accepted onto a college/university program in an English-speaking country! This is great news. You’re probably full of excitement and at the same time possibly a little anxious. This may be your first time away from home. It’s also likely that you’re changing from studying at a high school to undergraduate or graduate study which requires new skills. You may have lots of questions:
What will it be like?
What do I need to know?
How should I prepare myself?
What should I do or say?
How do I make the most out of my time studying abroad?
The information provided here will help you to make the move from your home country (where you live now) to the host country (where you’re going) as smooth as possible.
Who is this book for?
This book has been written to provide advice to anyone going to study (or already studying) in an English-speaking country. In this book, you’re called “international students” and the students who are from the country you’re studying in are called “home students” or “local students.” It’s likely that there are lots of other international students at the college/university. Some of these will be non-native speakers like yourself and others will be native speakers from other English-speaking countries. Some of the advice in this book helps you to make friends with other students, either other international students or home students.
Contents
If you look at the contents page, you’ll notice that the 20 chapters in this book are divided into four main sections that cover how to prepare before you leave, what to expect from college/university life, what it’s like studying in another country, and finally, how to prepare for the end of the semester/term or going home. Many people find going home as much of a change as arriving in a new country so the information in this section is important too.
Language
The language in this book has been graded so that it’s easier for learners of English to understand. If there’s a difficult word in the text, a definition of the word is provided in a box under the text. The definitions are taken from Collins COBUILD Advanced Dictionary which is a dictionary that is specifically written for learners of English. This dictionary may be useful to you while you’re studying abroad. You can access this dictionary for free at www.collinsdictionary.com/cobuild (http://www.collinsdictionary.com/cobuild)
Useful websites
The book also contains links to other useful websites to offer further help. That’s because the aim of this book is to act as your companion throughout your studies. Collins also has other resources that you might find useful. You can find these by going to www.collinselt.com (http://www.collinselt.com).
Specific information
The authors who wrote this book are based in the US, the UK, and Australia so the book contains general information on studying abroad and specific information on studying in these three countries. Key terms used at college/university in the US, the UK, and Australia are included in this book.
Here are some examples of some of the key terms:
Make the most of your time abroad
Between them the four authors have over 60 years’ experience working with international university students. They have watched many international students achieve success when studying abroad and they wanted to share their experiences and knowledge with you in this book so you can make the most out of the wonderful opportunity of studying abroad.
Jenny Siklós, Madison English as a Second Language School, Wisconsin, USA
Dr. Fiona Swee-Lin Price, Tamago Consulting: The intercultural education specialists, Melbourne, Australia
Els Van Geyte, University of Birmingham, UK
Anneli Williams, University of Glasgow, UK
1 Preparing to go abroad (#ulink_97307ed9-81bb-579d-bef0-6e460973eef7)
So you’ve decided to study abroad! Studying in another country is more than just a degree: it’s an experience. You won’t just be going to classes, you’ll be adapting to a new culture, new people, and new places. Make sure your experience is as positive as possible by finding out as much as you can. The more research you do before you leave, the easier life will be when you arrive. Here are some things you can do before you go.
Do:
Talk to other people who have studied in the same institution or town.
Read the website of the institution where you will be studying. Some institutions have webpages with information for international students.
Read about the town where you will live, not just the country in general.
Don’t:
Don’t always assume what you see on TV shows or read in news reports is 100% correct. The job of TV and news reports is making a good story about a country, not necessarily informing people about everyday life there.
Don’t assume that all the people in countries like the UK, US, and Australia are white and English-speaking. These countries have immigrants from all over the world.
Preparing for your first week
The first week in your study country will be both exciting and overwhelming. There will be many things you need to organize: finding your way to and around campus, registering for your course or classes, and making decisions about your studies and accommodation. Here are useful terms to know when you arrive.
Orientation Week
Most institutions provide information about the course and campus in the week before classes start or the first week of the semester/term. This week is called Orientation Week, Welcome Week, Freshman Week, or Freshers’ Week.
Registration Day
Registration Day (or Enrollment Day) is when students confirm what they are studying and get their ID card. This may happen on campus on a specific day or online. Find out what documents you need for Registration Day and bring them with you.
Course of study
Most majors/courses are made up of several units/classes each taught by a different professor or tutor. In the UK the term “lecturer” is also used.
Pre-requisite: A pre-requisite is a unit/class you must take before you can study something else.
Required/Compulsory: A required class is a class which every student in the major must study.
Electives/Elective units: An elective is a class which you can choose to study. Students must study all required classes and a certain number of electives of their choice.
In the US, you’ll have a combination of required classes and electives. Required classes may be part of your major, or part of general requirements for a BA, for example. Even if you’re an English major, for example, you’ll still need to take a certain number of science classes.
In the UK, the different parts of your course are usually called modules. There will be compulsory modules and possibly also optional ones, which can also be called elective modules. Sometimes these can be taken in subjects which aren’t part of your main discipline (e.g. in English language while you’re studying mathematics).
Before you enroll, find out which parts of your major are required, which have pre-requisites, and which parts you can choose.
Student support services
Most institutions have support services to help students find somewhere to live, handle problems (with health, finances, etc.), difficulty with studies, and so on. Some institutions will have services specifically for international students.
How your classes are taught
The types of classes students attend abroad may be quite different from the classes you attended at home. Most international students are used to sitting in rows and listening while their professor/lecturer speaks. In English-speaking countries, these are called “lectures.” You’ll also be attending other types of classes where both the professor/lecturer and the students speak. You should be able to find out what sort of classes your major will be running from your college or university website or from the information they have sent you.
Below is a list of common types of classes.
Lectures: In lectures, the professor/lecturer speaks and students listen quietly and take notes. Your professor/lecturer may put up a podcast and/or PowerPoint slides online for students afterward. You may sometimes be given the slides or a reading list beforehand to prepare for the lecture.
Discussion groups, Tutorials, or Seminars: These are classes for small groups of students. Students are expected to ask questions and discuss things with the professor/lecturer and other students.
Workshops: These are also classes for smaller groups. Workshops focus on practical activities, sometimes as a follow-up to a lecture.
Online classes: The professor/lecturer provides materials to read and links to websites and videos. There may also be an online “board” where students discuss things with the professor/lecturer and other students.
College/University culture
Every university and college has a different flavor. Before you leave, find out as much as you can about the institution where you’ll be studying and the town or city where it is. How does it compare to your hometown and the schools you’ve attended there? Here are some questions to think about.
Location: Is it a big city or a small town? Inland or on the coast? Close to home or a long flight away?
Classmates: How many students per class? Will other students be mostly locals, or from other states, or other international students from other countries?
Activities: What activities do you enjoy? Can you buy food you like, practice your religion, play favorite sports, and do other things you like?
Where to stay
There are many kinds of places where you can stay while you’re studying. The main types of accommodation are explained below.
Campus accommodation:
Many institutions have accommodation for students on campus. This is usually a bedroom with shared bathroom and possibly a kitchen. Sometimes the bedrooms have their own bathrooms so you don’t have to share. Sometimes you may have to share the bedroom with another person. You will not be expected to share a bedroom with a person of the opposite sex but you will find men and women living in the same campus accommodation.
Sometimes a building with lots of bedrooms (for one or two students) and a shared bathroom is called a dormitory or in the UK, a hall of residence. Meals can sometimes be provided too in which case there may not be kitchen facilities. Living in campus accommodation is convenient, and can be a great place to make friends.
