A college is more than just classrooms and laboratories. It represents a working
community with a population that can be greater than that of many towns. And college communities have to deal with many of the same issues and problems as the general
society around them.
All this can be a little scary, especially if a student is new not only to a college but also
to the country. This week in our Foreign Student Series, the subject is college support
services for students who come to the United States.
The school we have chosen for our example this week is Indiana University in
Bloomington. About ten percent of its almost forty thousand students are from other
countries.
The Office of International Services at Indiana University provides assistance to foreign
students and scholars. For example, the office organizes a special week-long
conference for new foreign students before the start of each semester.
The conference is called the New International Student Orientation. It provides
information about classes, social clubs and health services. New foreign students also
take placement examinations and a required English language test.
Also, the office of international student services organizes programs to help foreign
students feel more at home in the United States. For example, the office works with a
group called Bloomington Worldwide Friendship. This group helps international students
at the university meet and get to know people who live in Bloomington.
The university also has advisers who explain the rules of student life and try to help
international students feel at ease.
Most American colleges and universities have a similar office for students from other
countries. These offices can help guide students through the steps to come to the
United States. Later, they can provide support so the students become involved in
school life and make American friends.
The job is not always easy when students want to spend their free time with friends from
their own country or group. But an international student office is one of the best places
to start getting to know a new country and its people.
