Works Cited

Burt, Emily. "5 Questions International Students Should Expect to Hear."USNews. N.p., 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. <http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/international-student-counsel/2013/09/17/5-questions-international-students-should-expect-to-hear>.

Chen, Tanya. "21 Questions Asian People Are Sick Of Answering."Buzzfeed. N.p., 8 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/questions-asian-people-are-sick-of-answering#.ekAgy1q55q>.

"F1 Student Visa - The Application Process and Interview Tips." International Student. N.p., n.d.

Web. 08 Dec. 2015. <http://www.internationalstudent.com/immigration/f1-student-visa/#items-to-provide>.

"Questions to Expect during Your F1 Visa Interview - F1 Student Visa."International Student. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015. <http://www.internationalstudent.com/immigration/f1-student-visa/f1-visa-interview-questions/>.

Yeran, Zhou. "Chinese Students and Fitting In." The Diplomat. N.p., 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://thediplomat.com/2011/12/chinese-students-and-fitting-in/>.

What people ask Asian international students

American students are used to other students who are like them, so they often ask international students a lot of questions. I'm sure the same thing happens to American students in other countries. Whether or not these are rude is debatable. On the one hand, students are just trying to learn another culture, but the methodologies can be awkward. On the other hand, being singled out for questioning could be an alienating experience for many.

What is that accent?

Accent is one of the most evident things people notice, and a lot of them are dying to know where it's from. Many feel singled out when this is asked. At the same time, people are often just looking to understand. But the cost is being possibly insensitive.

How come you speak English so well?

Just like any other person who speaks a secondary language well, it takes practice to become good at a language.

What are you?

This reminds me of the video we saw in class, "What kind of Asian are you?" even if it was more about Asian Americans born in the US. Still, the insistent "No, where are you FROM?" is very othering. The answer to this question is, of course, "human."

More specific to Asians:

Have you ever eaten dog?

This is a real cultural practice, but it happens in such small amounts that it's not worth asking. Dogs are a culturally valued animal in America so it's not used in our cuisine. Asking an Asian this is basically accusing them of some moral injustice and is socially shaming.

Do you get in trouble if you don't get straight A's?

Maybe, maybe not, but why is this a quiz on how many stereotypes they fit into?

How do you say ___ in your native language?

Asians in the US don't exist to be everyone's translator.

There are many more examples of this, but one thing is for sure. A lot of people are tired of being the spokesperson for their race or nationality. It's good to be curious about other cultures, but there needs to be some more cultural sensitivity.

Questions Asked During F-1 Visa Interviews

International students have to do everything a domestic student does to get into a university. They have to take tests, write essays, fill out long applications, and send in their GPA and test scores. However, they have to take an extra step: interviewing for their F-1 visa to study in the United States. This interview, conducted in English, is yet another thing international students have to pass.

It's conducted between the prospective student and the interviewer. Just like any other interview, preparation and presentation are key. Students have to have the required documents ready like their application fee, financial information, acceptance letter, passport, and a photo of themselves. Confidence, personality, and excitement for the program are personal factors also taken into account.

The study plans of the student are one of the first things inquired about. This is general stuff like what their major is going to be, what their job is, and why they chose to study in the United States over their home country. The interviewer even asks the student why they want to pursue higher education in the first place.

Then they ask about the student's choice in university, where higher tier, well-known schools hold more weight than ones lesser known. What schools they applied to and how many are taken into account about their level of seriousness about their studies. The interviewer also wants to know how many schools accepted the student versus how many rejected them. On top of this, they gauge how much research the student has put into where they're going, so they ask questions about what city their top choice university is located in and whether or not they've contacted professors or students there.

The most obvious thing they ask students about is their academic strengths. In addition to the SAT, they often have to take a variety of other tests like the TOEFL, which tests proficiency in English. This is when they ask about GPA and high school or undergraduate diploma as well. They even inquire about why they didn't study abroad in another country like Australia, England, or Canada.

Of course, they also need to know about the student's finances. They often ask about what the student's income and job is as well as how much their sponsor makes (if applicable). Financial history is important, so the student needs to show their recent tax returns and bank statements. However, they also care about the future and want to know how exactly the student will cover the costs of school, housing, and other things.

Thinking even further into the future, they want to know if the student has plans to move back to their home country after their studies. The F-1 visa is only granted to those with ties to their home country or with plans to return to it, although of course some students continue to stay in the United States anyway. Still, applicants have to provide evidence of likely returning to their country like revealing how many relatives they have there or whether they have a job lined up.

Asian exchange student experiences - Zhou Yeran

In a climate where US universities are scrambling to find solutions to encourage more international student involvement and assimilation on campus, Chinese student Zhou Yeran provides some suggestions. She majors in English at Illinois university and writes for their university newspaper.

Although she has some ideas of what could work, she knows what doesn't work. At her college, English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are required for students from non English-speaking countries. She thinks, "while these solutions are well-intentioned, they don't always work." I can definitely see how ESL classes can help Chinese students get more involved on campus. Language barriers are one of the biggest reasons that separate people from interacting. However, social behavior depends on many more factors than just language, such as being able to relate to someone's interests.

A big reason why Chinese students don't interact much with domestic students is because there's already enough other Chinese students on campus to relate with. Yeran explains that there's less of a motivation to interact with American students because "they have their group already – their Chinese clique." If I studied abroad, I'd likely gravitate mostly towards other American students for friendship, too. It's just easier to interact with people who share your native tongue but also have a shared culture. There's a lot less to work through in terms of barriers. I imagine it would be especially prevalent in students who are shy.

A glaring flaw that a lot of universities miss is that not all foreign students want to "assimilate" and find that idea far removed from their priorities as a student. It's a positive that universities are making an attempt to make students feel more included, but they have to be careful that these efforts don't come across as alienating. Thinking about assimilation, Yeran mentions, "One of the problems with “helping” Chinese students assimilate into U.S. universities that such efforts can actually feel a little condescending – many don’t want to assimilate." A Chinese classmate of hers adds, “We are all adults here, and I can manage my own life perfectly fine. What makes them think I want their help?” This is one thing I've always been curious about. Since I'm white myself, I could never know if these efforts seemed condescending or not for sure, although I had my suspicions. On the other hand, I am a woman, so I have dealt with university efforts to assimilate women into STEM fields. As a prior computer science major, I've had tons of offers to enter "women's only" spaces for those into STEM majors, and they've always felt condescending in a similar way. Like Yeran's friend, I didn't feel the need for special treatment based on a static thing such as race or sex, so I understand the sentiment from this view.

Yeran makes an interesting separation between types of Chinese students. The first group leads "a hermetic life," the second group comes from "well-to-do families" that are only interested in Chinese student life, and and the third group that "embraces the new experiences, with or without help." She has a few theories on why all Chinese students aren't like the third group who are willing to tackle their new life in the United States with enthusiasm. One of them is that there "simply aren’t over 157,000 people in China who can go to a foreign country with drastically different social norms and succeed in that new environment." The third group definitely requires a certain kind of person when in reality all humans are very diverse in personality.

Finally, Yeran's solution to all this is for colleges to admit less Chinese students. To me this was a surprising conclusion, especially since she's a Chinese student herself. But the more I read, the more I understood the reasoning. Again, a big issue is that Chinese students go to US universities and only interact with other Chinese students because there are so many of them. Yeran adds, "it’s tempting even for adventurous students to hang around with those who can speak their first language." I can see how this is a big crutch to international students that even a strong ESL program can't overcome. On the other hand, other Chinese students "often comment sarcastically that they thought it was America they were coming to, not Chinatown." Students don't only come for the education, they also often come for the immersion in another culture, so this is understandable. After all, the main point of "exchange" is for countries to share their cultures with each other.