The stories that accompany each international student at Boston University are as diverse as the 143 countries that these students hail from. From the Bahamen who feels like he’s lived in America all his life even though he’s only been here for five years, to the Bangladeshi woman who grew up in Hong Kong and relishes the opportunity to study in Boston but misses her home greatly, these students endure visa complications, culture shock and homesickness for the benefits of a solid education.
Hailing from all corners of the globe, they are different people, from different countries of origin with different stories and especially different futures post-graduation. These students — and other international students readily found throughout campus — are the embodiment of diversity that is so renowned at BU.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
For the majority of students at BU, the trip home is a drive away. Many students hail from Massachusetts and its neighboring states, with New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania also well-represented. Even students who traveled across the country from the West Coast don’t fly more than five hours to get to Boston. But School of Management sophomore Chin Kuo flew for a day and a half — including two layovers — to get here from Malaysia.
“The flight definitely takes its toll on you physically,” recalls Kuo with a slight shudder at the horrors of being cramped in a tight airplane cabin. “That’s one reason why we international students don’t go home that often. But at the end of the day, it’s still worth it to travel thousands of miles to America for the educational opportunity and the experience.”
Be it 15 hours from Japan, 10 hours from England or 17 hours from India, these students are willing to undertake this arduous journey multiple times, initially for the vast educational benefits and later, to reunite with their families.
Family represents one of the bigger adjustments in the lives of international students. For them, parent’s weekend involves meeting their friends’ parents, but not introducing any of their own. Thanksgiving consists of going to a friend’s house to meet more family and inescapably answering questions about their own. Even phone calls are limited to a few times a month, with most contact between students and their parents mainly restricted to the occasional email.
“I can only afford to go home once or twice a year,” says Bulgarian BU Law student Alexandra Grashkina. “Honestly though, I think it’s tougher for my parents than it is for me. I’m an only child and I keep myself pretty busy and distracted here so it seems like it would be tougher for them.”
Other international students luck out when it comes to visiting family. Hideki Kondo, a School of Engineering freshman, manages to see his family “at least once every three weeks” when he makes the short drive to Newton, Mass. Kuo says he looks forward to regular visits with a sister in Miami and another sister and brother in Denver, where incidentally, his parents own a home that they visit at least once a year.
“I’m definitely kind of a black sheep when it comes to international students,” says Kuo. “Most students get the requisite Christmas break and summer visits when they go home. Not only do I get those but I also have family members in the United States so I get to see my them more often than others.”
CULTURE SHOCK
Despite globalization spearheaded by the United States — Starbucks and McDonald’s are readily found in almost every country today — venturing to college here for the first time still represents a great culture shock for international students.
“In all honesty, after six years in Massachusetts, I feel like I’m still adjusting to life here,” says Grashkina wistfully as she recollects her life back home. “It’s just so different compared to Bulgaria.”
“Oh my God, where do I start?” says Bangladeshi Anika Pasha as she considers what she misses about home in Hong Kong, compared to her life in Boston. “Obviously, there’s the weather. Unless you come from Russia, you’re not going to get used to the bitterness that is the Bostonian winter.”
“Then there’s the pace of life,” continues Pasha, who seems prepared to spill a long list of dislikes. “I come from Hong Kong and that place is just crazy. Boston is really tame and quiet in comparison. And then there’s the food. Everybody here has such bland taste in cuisine.”
On the other side of the coin, there are students who seemingly experience no problems making the transition. Students like Kuo and Goldin School of Dental Medicine student D’vano Forbes from the Bahamas say they had a much easier time than most international students.
“I was already well-adjusted, having grown up in an American type of atmosphere,” says Forbes. “Coming here for college was like taking a trip to visit a family in another state, except this trip lasted quite a few years.”
“Having all these siblings [who now live in the United States] set the precedent for me years before, and made the transition almost seamless,” says Kuo.
Meanwhile, for students who do have problems adjusting, recent BU graduate Shiho Takagi has a solution that she employed when dealing with the transition abroad.
“The best thing that ever happened to me was the International Orientation,” says Takagi as she fondly recalls her BU days. “Not only did it help me with getting to know BU and Boston but it helped me form lifelong friendships that I truly value.”
AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
The paths that international students travel to arrive at our hallowed campus vary as much as where they go from here. Some opt to continue on to graduate school, furthering their studies to gain an edge in an increasingly competitive job market. Others seek employment, choosing to stay in the United States where opportunity may be more plentiful compared to what is available to them back home. And then there are those who return home, bringing with them what they came here for in the first place — a top-notch education. However, in some circumstances, their futures may not rest entirely in their own hands.
“If you had asked me two years ago what I was going to do upon graduation, I probably would have said ‘staying here,'” says Grashkina. “But now, increased and stricter regulations on international students [staying in the United States] mean that a lot of it may largely be out of my control.”
Daniela Poles, the Senior Coordinator at the International Students and Scholars Office, says that a majority of students — more than 70 percent — stay in the United States to complete a year of Optional Practical Training. OPT, Poles says, provides students with an opportunity to extend their training after the student visas expire.
“The companies [where the students have completed their OPT] might hire and sponsor them, but I’ve heard from many students that it’s very difficult,” Poles says.
“Chances are I’ll be going home once I’m done here,” says Pasha. “I wouldn’t want to live here for the rest of my life, but I am thankful for the education I got here. Besides, I imagine it would be quite tough for me to get a visa, being from Bangladesh.” Pasha alluded to the fact that Bangladesh hovers under United States federal terrorist radar.
Even getting into graduate school turns out to be a tall order for international students, as Takagi found out first hand.
“Getting into grad school is a whole different story than trying to stay in the U.S. by working or getting a visa, and I know a lot of my friends had trouble with that because of their international status,” says Takagi.
“Many companies don’t want to sponsor us because they can easily find students with the same skills and ability who don’t have to pay all that money,” he adds. “In the end, I think most of the students end up paying the [sponsership] fee themselves when companies deduct it from their salaries.”
Despite the questions and concerns that international students have to deal with after graduation, most relish the opportunities given to them at BU.
“I am sure I am staying here after I graduate, following in my siblings’ footsteps,” says Kuo. “Regardless of what I do though, it’s been an awesome experience, both coming here as an international student and what I’ve done here. It’s a double-edged sword, but I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.”
