The challenges of international students in Falmouth

 International students at Falmouth University talk about the struggles they've faced since coming to the UK.

  Away from home, in a new place with a different culture, among strangers speaking another language, trying to fit in, study and find a place for themselves, they are just like everybody else or… are they?

   International students in the UK make up around 20% of the students in higher education in the country, according to statistics from the academic year 2016/2017. Apparently, at the time, the foreign students at Falmouth University were approximately 500 which is just ten percent of the overall number of students.

  Going to university is an overwhelming, emotional and stressful journey for most students, no matter whether they are local or not. For many of them, it is the first time they are going away from home on their own and it is probably the first time they would have to be fully independent. All first-year university students find themselves with many new responsibilities like sorting out their own finances, buying and preparing their own food, paying rent, doing the washing up and studying at the same time. Additionally, there is the unavoidable homesickness that eventually gets to everybody. So, how are international students any different?

   A lot of the international students, whether from the EU or from overseas, find adjusting to the environment, the culture and the language hard. Homesickness is also a big factor in what they have to deal with. “I spent the first few months very torn up about not seeing the rest of my family,” said Julia Korytowska, a Falmouth student from Poland, who has been in the UK for 11 years now. “When I began attending year 3 of primary school, I started to face difficulties beyond the loss of my family.”

  “I found adjusting to the environment very difficult at the beginning,” Julia told Thrutfal.

   And yet, homesickness and sorting out bills aren’t the only things foreign students struggle with. There are many more factors that make it a bit harder for them. However, it is important to note that it all depends on their personal experiences prior to their coming to the UK.

“The hardest thing, I think, for me was more like the way of life here and travelling around on my own for a long period of time because I didn't really know what to do or how to do stuff,” said Juri Choi, a Falmouth student from South Korea. “The language wasn’t really the most difficult part as I graduated from an international school where we had to speak English.”

“The hardest thing for me was finding people that I trusted as I don't form friendships easily,” said Matej Polak, a Falmouth student from Slovakia. “I think the biggest challenge for me is juggling work and university or just trying to sustain myself financially in general. Since I don't get the maintenance loan, I need to work in order to be able to live here.”

  Most people might think that the language is one of the biggest challenges students who study abroad face, but apparently, it is the least of their worries. While, the language is a big part of the overall experience, especially when somebody has to speak only in English, it isn’t the biggest problem. It all comes to the finances. There are student loans for EU students as well, so they do not need to worry about covering the full price of their tuition until after two years have passed from their graduation. However, the living expenses aren’t included and they have to provide for themselves.

  The easiest way to do that is to find a job because not every student’s family can afford to support them financially, no matter how much they would want to. Juggling university and having a job isn’t an easy thing to do. Finding the balance between a part-time job, attending university and doing their assessments takes time and getting used to.

   On the other hand, some students may have language difficulties, depending on how well they know it before coming to the UK. When it comes to studying a foreign language, not many people teach it in a communication-positive way, meaning that most of the time people learn several words and phrases but rarely are being taught to think in English on their own. Therefore, some challenges may occur when the student comes here and needs to speak. Due to lack of practice, they may find it extremely hard to voice their thoughts and thus, to make friends.

 “My spoken language was very limited and kids bullied me for it,” explained Julia about her first experience in an English primary school. “The hardest thing to get used to was definitely the language. I've always been a very chatty kid, and losing my ability to communicate with people made me lose some confidence in myself.”

  Despite all the hardships, international students manage to get used to the language, the way of life and being fully independent away from home. They find friends and some of them are even thinking about their further careers. 

  For a lot of the foreign students, a reason for coming to the UK may be either to get a better higher education than they would at home or it could be even the first step to them staying in the country after graduating.

  “I plan on staying in the UK after I graduate,” said Julia. “I do worry about how Brexit could affect me, particularly my family. I would want to encourage some of my family from Poland to live in England with me, but that may become a problem with Brexit.”

  In contrast, not all of the international students are planning to stay in the UK or even to return to their countries. For some of them, the future is still unclear but there are opportunities that can be taken.

  “Right now, I don't think I will stay here. I don't necessarily know whether I'll go home or live somewhere else. I feel like it is too early for me to know all that,” Matej told Truthfal.

  University students have many and different struggles when they first go to university. They have to adjust to being completely on their own but one thing that they can do, that international students can’t, is to go home whenever they like or get visited by friends and family every once in a while. The foreign students, on the other side, would most likely have to wait until the Christmas or Easter breaks before they are able to go back to their countries to visit their families. They could also be able to go back home for their summer breaks although some of them would remain in the UK, working.