International Students: U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM

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. 

U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM

CATEGORY: EDUCATION 
U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM 
Topic: U.S. Education System 


Introduction:
The U.S. education system gives international students many choices. There is an
array of institutions, programs, and locations that can make the student feel confused.
To simplify the choices, a student must carefully study how each program can fulfill their
goals.  A student will need to know how the U.S. education system is organized so that
they can make informed decisions.


Dialogue:
This conversation is between Alex and Julie, who see each other at the campus coffee
shop. Alex is in a nursing program, and Julie is finishing paramedic school.
Julie:  Alex, good to see you. I haven’t seen you in a long time. What have you been up
to?
Alex:  Hey, great to see you too. I’ve been studying a lot and getting ready for my
nursing test.
Julie:  That’s right.  You’re in the nursing program. How’s that going?
Alex:  Pretty good.  The textbook part was pretty brutal, but I enjoy being with the
patients.  Now we’re actually practicing nursing and using what we learned from
the books to help people.
Julie:  Are there a lot of guys in your program?  
Alex:  No.  Actually, I think I’m one of four.  There are about 250 students in the program
and most of them are women.
Julie:  I guess nursing has traditionally been a field that attracted mostly women.
Alex:  Yeah, it is.  But, it’s starting to change nowadays.  More and more men are
joining.
Julie:  Do your guy friends give you a hard time for being in the nursing program?
Alex:  They did a little at first.  But now that they see what a great career I’ll have,
they’re all cool with it.  
Julie:  It’s pretty cool that men and women are choosing jobs now that they might not
have in the past because of their gender.  I even have a friend, Mary, who is a
carpenter.
Alex:  Yeah.  I see women now that have jobs that were usually a man’s job in the past.
Like, I’ve seen female truck drivers on the road and a woman came to install my
cable TV the other day.
Julie: That’s interesting.  I’ve seen men doing jobs that were traditionally “women’s jobs”
too.  My niece had a man as her first grade teacher and most elementary school
teachers are women.
Alex:  Right, it’s true.  My brother is a stay-at-home dad because his wife is a lawyer.
So, he stays home and takes cares of their baby.
Julie:  You don’t hear a lot about dad’s staying home with the children.  It’s usually the
mother that stays home with the children.
Alex:  Yeah, but like you said, roles are changing for men and women more and more.
 
Julie:  Well, look at me even.  I had a job interview at a local fire department for a
paramedic’s position.  Most paramedics are men.
Alex: Oh, yeah.  I forgot.  How do you feel you did on the interview?
Julie:  I think I did pretty well.  I feel like I could do as good a job as any man that
interviewed.  
Alex:  I’m sure you could.  You’ve been studying so much, so I bet you answered all the
medical questions correctly.
Julie:  Yeah.  I could answer everything they asked me.  They said I was the only
candidate who answered all of their questions correctly.
Alex:  That’s awesome.  I hope you get the job.
permission of English 1 on 1. Julie:  Thanks.  Me too.
Alex:  Well, it seems like we’re both going into careers that are not too typical for our
genders.
Julie:  Times are changing.
Alex:  That’s true.
Julie:  Well, I guess I’d better get going.  Good luck with all of your patients and on the
nursing exam next week.
Alex:  Thanks.  Good luck with the job too.  Call me and let know what happens.
Julie:  I will.  See ya.
Alex:  Bye.