The Global Engagement Center provides counseling and other services for international students.
Orange Coast College has more than 1,300 international students, being one of the top ten community colleges in the United States regarding the most international students.
International students, however, have unique concerns that only pertain to them and should be acknowledged.
Leonmark Chong, a counselor at the Global Engagement Center, discussed the three main issues international students experience.
“The first issue is finances,” Chong said. “Because the world economy inflation and transferring money is costly.”
There are concerns about rising inflation and skyrocketing prices in the U.S.
Headline Consumer Price Index inflation was 0.6 percent in August and 3.7 percent over the past year. Although the rate of increase is slower than before, inflation has not yet stopped.
“I plan to transfer to a four-year university, but the tuition at [a] University of California is very expensive,” Marakot Pavkheng, who is from Cambodia, said. “I will transfer to [a] California State University. CSU is reasonably priced and well located.”
OCC students transfer primarily to UC’s and CSU’s. Because UC tuition is so expensive, many students transfer to CSU. UC resident tuition is $14,436 and international student tuition is $48,636 per year. On the other hand, CSU resident tuition is $6,814 and international student tuition is approximately $16,318 per year.
It is not widely known to most people, but even at OCC, resident and international student tuition are very different. Resident tuition is $46 per unit, while international student tuition is $381.
” think many international students do not realize how expensive it is to live in Southern California before they come,” Chong said. “It is important to research and prepare well.” He noted the reality of study abroad and the importance of preparation.
“The second issue is finding housing. It is not easy to find houses. The first reason is expensive. The second reason is that the system differs significantly from their home countries,” Chong said. ”Moreover, international students cannot get a little-bedroom apartment because most American houses have a few bedrooms in a house.”
To address such concerns of international students, OCC introduces off-campus housing resources and homestay matches in addition to The Harbour. Kapi Residences provides student housing and Student International Housing, Inc. are listed on the OCC website.
“The third issue is [a] new language and new culture,” Chong said. “The issue includes studying English, interacting in English, and making friends in English.”
Communication problems faced by international students affect their personalities.
“It is very frustrating that I cannot communicate smoothly in English,” OCC freshman from Japan Nagomi Funabashi said. “My original personality was cheerful; however, now people around me think that I have a quiet personality, because I cannot use English like a native speaker. It is difficult for me to express my true self in English.”
However, sophomore Pavkheng reflected on his first year. “When I spoke English, I was nervous because I am not a native English speaker. It is difficult for me to speak English, but afterward, I improved my English after a few semesters,” Pavkheng said.
Although many issues come with studying abroad, there is no doubt that studying abroad is a valuable experience.
“Studying abroad is an excellent opportunity to meet people from all different countries,” Chong said. “Try to join other groups or make friends with whom you’re forced to speak English [with]. When you practice, you will improve so much more. I tell students, nobody cares, keep practicing, keep trying.”
International students are doing more research about studying abroad and living in the U.S., and consulting a counselor immediately when in trouble is the way to avoid fatal mistakes. Moreover, if they make a daily effort to speak English, that time will be valuable.