Welcome back to Healthy Mentality! As local students, we are often oblivious to the hardships our peers endure, especially international students. In the spirit of R U OK Day, and thinking about others, this blog post will provide a general description of the most common difficulties experienced by international students.
1. Language barriers – Since English is not their native language, the majority of foreign students struggle with understanding and communicating in English. This problem does not only affect their ability to complete assessments but also discourages them from initiating conversation with locals. It is, therefore, understandable these individuals are more comfortable socialising with other international students who share these difficulties.
2. Social life – First day of university is daunting to everyone, let alone for newcomers of Australia. Since some international students cannot communicate well in English, their social life is seriously affected. They may have problems making friends at the university as they may not feel comfortable speaking in English and thus are reluctant to be proactive in building social connections.
3. Different cultural norms – As the majority of UNSW’s international student come from Asia, Australian cultures are significantly different from their own. Consequentially, these students may experience cultural shock as they struggle with understanding Australian cultures/slangs.
4. Homesickness – When the international students go and study in Australia for several years, they have to leave their families and friends, who take care and grow up with them. Living on the other side of the world and facing an unfamiliar environment on their own, commonly results in students developing symptoms of depression as they miss home.
Do you have more to add? Please let us know and share your stories with us via Facebook Messenger! Perhaps your challenges may help others overcome their current situation!
Love, Katie xx
Healthy Mentality 