Jacqueline Lan

Keane Ong
Stacc English 100
Professor Gabrielsson

International Documented Students

Students in many different colleges around the world have impacted college campuses
and society in a whole new way. Many international documented students have traveled far from
their homes to the United States for many different reasons involving their own lives to survive
this world. With more international students coming to a new environment in college campuses,
it provides a different group of diversity for the campus as well as gaining a better understanding
of the culture, itself. This idea of opportunity for success, known for the American Dream has
tempted theses college students for the slimmest chance of the greater opportunity that is
provided in the states rather than in their hometowns, or out of the country. Their pursuit for this
opportunity will eventually lead to getting the education they need for jobs and more knowledge
in the English language. The United States has become a home to international documented
students leaving their identity and struggles behind as they pass the border to a community.
Even before leaving for the United States, they will still struggle with problems that are
much more tedious than even before. That problem is applying for their visa. According to
Colorado State University by Lea Hanson and Jill Zambito, the only way to apply for a visa
starts with being accepted into an Immigration and Naturalization Services(INS) approved
university where he or she must enroll as a full-time student. (Hanson) Being accepted into a
university is no easy feat, it is the main problems all high school students face between the
months of January to May when they start receiving their acceptance letters. Most universities to

this day want students whose grade point average is over 3.5 and that is for students attending
schools in the United States, imagine the requirements for students coming from foreign
countries. This is a tall order, especially for students who are not good at school, but want a
better education. This could be solved if the university have set certain standards for specific
students that come from specific countries. Countries like Asia and Europe should have higher
standards compared to those of South America and Africa. These problems become more of a
hassle as they got on.
These tasks require speed since they would not have much time between getting accepted
into the university and try not get past the deadlines the university require for everything to be
completed. So after getting accepted into an INS approved university, the University much send
the accepted student an I-20 form, an INS required document consisting of demographical
information. (Hanson) All these forms are necessary just to have a chance of getting their visa.
This process is often a hassle since most students would need to send the forms overseas and
wait a long period of time before the University would open it and let the students know if all
their forms are good or if there are any missing information that they will need to inform the
University of. They could resolve this issue if they had made this process primarily online and
unless the student prefers it on paper. At this point, the student is half way through the process
which determines if they had wasted their time trying to complete the registration.
The next task is the most the difficult part of applying for their visa and also the most
important. This task is going to a local consulate where they get interviewed and determined if
the student would be granted the visa or not. In the autobiography The Distance Between Us
by Reyna Grande, had went through a similar situation. Reyna, Carlos, Mago and their father had
a discussion about how much education played a factor in getting a good paying job. However,

Mago said How are we going to have good careers with no papers (Grande 228) and at that
time their father was already working on the process that would get him and his children, green
cards so they could continue their education from then on and onto college. When it was time to
finalize the process of getting their green card, they needed to go to a local consulate to get
interviewed. These processes are not guaranteed for everyone to be granted permission to study
in the United States especially after what happened on September 11, 2001. That day would be
seen as a low point in the history of the United States. This problem could be resolved if the
University takes responsibility of these students including the interview if they really want the
particular student to attend their campus. This is a problem that all immigrant students have to
face and this does not even include what happens when they are actually in the University
learning.
Once classes are in session, the problem international students will face is speaking up
during class to answer questions due to their lack of knowledge in the English language. In
Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood by Richard Rodriguez, talks about a student who
faces problems inside a classroom. Richard, stand up. Dont look at the floor. Speak up. Speak
to the entire class, not just to me! (Rodriguez 192) It was the start of Rodriguezs school life
and in his first day of class, he was the only Mexican in a predominantly White school. So when
he was asked to answer a question from his teacher, he had refused to answer by lowering his
head and looking down on his toes. When Rodriguez was young he had very little knowledge of
the English language. His problem is something that most international students face when they
do not have the confidence to speak in English.
It is not only one specific race or group of people who have trouble in school particularly
the English language. In Ha Jins Arrival, He had given up on learning English, because he felt

it was too hard for him to learn it so late into his life. There was no hope for a late starter like
me to catch up with the students in the faster English class, so I kind of gave up and avoided
working hard on my English. (123) Jin had not entirely given up, though he eventually learned
English after he had finished college. However, when he was suggested to attend a college in the
United States, he gladly took the advice from his English professor and applied to the college his
professor recommended to expand his knowledge of English. Everything that he had done to
expand on his English had paid off now that he has autobiography in a book that talks about life
experiences and the problems he face growing up. There are always groups or clubs that help
with specific problems, which include clubs that help will help the students social skills to get
over their anxiety and work with others or help them speak their minds to the public.
Not knowing the English language happens to almost everyone who's born outside the
United States and it is a well-known problem. Reyna has also gone through the trouble of not
being able to speak English; however she was treated differently from Rodriguez and Jin. She
pointed to a table in the corner and gently pushed me forward. (Grande 171) What Reyna did
not know was she was being put into the second language group who had little to no knowledge
of English. Rodriguez was left to learn the language himself and was not allowed to speak
Spanish at home anymore. Jin had decided to put off English until after college and when he was
going to the United States to learn English he had to learn it himself without any help. There are
many ways and resources that help students study or even learn new habits that can benefit them
in other classes that the school provides.
In high school, there are clubs that help people with classes one in particular that should
be well known is Mesa. Mesa was known to make sure students would stay on track and make
sure the students were doing well by having biweekly report cards from each student. Here at

Pasadena City College, there is a program for international students which is necessary for all
international students attending Pasadena City College. During iJam youll learn about
American college life, prepare for your classes, and make friends with other students from
around the world. (International Student Pathways) There are many more clubs besides this one
whose goals are to better the students learning habits as well as this social skills. And this one is
mainly directed to students who are having problems with this knowledge of English. Although,
these international students will meet many people that will help with their transition into the
new environment as well as gaining better confidence in their social skills, because their finding
a way to provide themselves for the future and find a job, they need to pay for high tuitions since
they are nonresidents of the United States.
There are many different ways to solve an issue for paying for a high rate in tuitions for
community colleges and universities, but its not always the case for international students, once
they get approval for a visa. Most international students are looking for colleges that have
cheaper alternatives to be able to get the education and job careers, they need. In the George
Mason University in Virginia, a 19 year old girl, Giancarla Rojas, isnt able to ...afford the outof-state tuition of $29,000 a year Virginia charges people with her immigration status, so she and
six other students filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Arlington County Circuit Court arguing that they
should be able to pay the same lower rates as other longtime Virginia resident. (Washington
Post), which shows that many students who are immigrants wants equality for tuitions, and want
to be able to pay the same amount as a student who was born in the states. Having a high tuition
in colleges can affect international students who are trying to get a better education in the United
States, and then they offer, in other countries. Most college students, who live in the United
States, would get the help they need from financial aid and scholarships, but not many of those

are provided for international students. For the tuitions in the University of Texas, one student,
Hyun Kyung Kim, public relations sophomore and international student from South Korea, said
even though her parents can afford her full tuition, she is guilt-stricken about her parents being
burdened with the cumbersome tuition. To help her parents, she said she even tried to look for
on-campus jobs, which were not readily available to her because of her international status.
(Tahir). This is one of the biggest issues in trying to attend colleges for international students,
especially when the rate of tuition is at a very high cost to get the education they need. They also
have to deal with issues in earning some money for applying for a visa, but since not a citizen in
the United States, it becomes more difficult to be able to earn the money, since most jobs require
you to be a citizen in the United States. If the colleges that these students are applying for, are
able to help and resolve this situation with their finances, and be able to stay in the country,
without being force to be an undocumented student, it will highly benefit them, not just for the
colleges, but for incoming students in general and provide more opportunities for them. But
even the high tuitions in college, isnt the only issue that needs to be solved.
In most colleges in the states, they provide Financial Aid, which is a long process for the
application, and will also need approval from the advisors. But since financial aid requires a
social security number and an alien registration number, they will be rejected without those
requirements. During the process of applying for financial aid When a international student with
a social security number submits a FAFSA, they should supply their social security number in
the answer to question 8, and check option 3 ("No, neither of the above.") in the answer to
question 15-16 ("Are you a U.S. citizen?") to indicate that they are not eligible for federal
student financial aid. (Kantrowitz), this shows that international students may not be able to get
the money from the US government, since they arent necessarily a citizen of the country and it

also takes a while for them to obtain their visa on time, before the deadlines of tuition payments.
With the help of colleges and paying more close attention to what's really happening for students
who are international, they need to provide more options for them in order to get the education
they need and also earn some money in a job.
Once international students are documented and are able to bypass the process of the visa
and tuitions, they suddenly feel homesick since they arent so use to the environment and the
different cultures surrounding them. Sometimes they even feel that they aren't able to use part of
their culture towards their education and social skills. When Reyna Grande was in elementary
school in the United States, it was her first day of school and she had already felt as if she was an
outsider to her new classmates. She wondered Would it be so terrible to be sent back? Even
though I like this beautiful place. I still missed my home. It still called to me in different
ways.(174), making her feels homesick and longing to reunite with her family in Iguala, and
also be able to understand the language she is able to communicate with. A similar situation with
Kim, a student at the University of Texas, also had issues with being homesick. When she first
came to UT, for the first semester of college, She said she was scared and lonely when she
first came to UT last semester and she was intimidated to strike a conversation with the
American people because of her weak English language skills and because she did not have
common topics to talk to them about.(Tahir), causing her to feel homesickness of not being
able to accustom to what the Americans do in their daily lives and embrace her culture. Even
though Kim wanted to come to America for more job opportunities and a better in her education,
she would try going back to Korea, where she originally came from, but the cost was typically
high for the airfare. Since international students are coming from a different part of the world,
globally, they are forced to go through the process of avoiding being undocumented and being

considered as an illegal immigrant to the states. In the Freedom Writers, one students writes
about her mother being an illegal immigrant in the United States, She came to America in
search of the American dream. Immigrants like my mom, came to this land looking for endless
possibilities, but now those possibilities seem limited. (Gruwell 22), which most documented
students, came to America for, to look for endless possibilities in order to be more successful
with their life rather than living in another country, they originally lived in. But since most of the
students that are citizens, it may lead them to question on their health and safety in America. If
international students are coming from an unknown country to the United States, it may lead to
some unnecessary attention, such as contagious diseases and also feeling as if the states have
taken over and is no longer American country that it was. This may also cause immigrants to
feel less welcoming to the country and leading them feeling homesickness, as well, since the US
citizens, feel its been taken over the entire world. This causes most immigrants to visit their
families in their own countries, but also cost a lot of airfare for planes, and they already are
having to pay for tuition and books in college.
If college campuses are able to spread some of the international students culture, such as
providing social events for international students, it will resolve them from being homesick and
having to find a way to see their families again, back in their hometowns. It will also provide
more comfort for the students, making them feel as if they never left, and not having to worry
about other students, considering them as a native student, and not fully a US citizen, in the
country. They also should get involved as well on campus, such as joining organizations or clubs
to make them feel more welcomed to the country and being able to meet new friends, so they
would be able to feel confident with themselves staying in the states and not having to worry
about trying their hardest to belong to the campus and other students, and just being themselves.

It does, however, take time in order for students to get use to the environment that they are
unknown of and being able to feel less of an outsider, which is causing them to feel
homesickness and think about going back to their own countries. It will strive them into getting
where they want to be in their life and feel successful in coming to a country, with an infinite
amount of opportunities, waiting for them.
Though many international students that are documented struggled into getting where
they want to be, they try their hardest into reaching that goal. With more students, including
international students, different students are able to learn about different cultures, outside of the
United States, through communicating. It also takes time for them to be able to feel successful
and not regret coming into the United States for more opportunities with their lives and getting a
better education than they already have or that they weren't able to provide those options in their
hometowns. If the colleges and advisors finally decide to look more into the international
students struggles, helping them with their citizenships, and cover their tuition and book fees,
they would easily be able to have a better opportunity with their education, being able to learn
many new things that they didn't know about before. They would also not have to worry about
their families and maybe be able to bring their families to the US, if they earn extra money for
them to fly to the United States and not have stress with their independence and learning to gain
more independence, being in the states. If these students weren't able to get these opportunities in
the states, it would not only force them to still be undocumented or they would have to stay in
their home countries, and wouldn't be as successful for job opportunities and have a good future,
in their hands. This issue is something that affects most families, including students who is a
citizen and may also have a family member who is an immigrant, which could lead them to be
deported considering them an illegal immigrant and also not being able to gain the success and

have a better future in their lives, the way that a US citizen would get those great
opportunities. If international students are able to gain more opportunities in the United States
by not having to worry about their visa expiring or being able to get a job opportunity to earn
some money to survive, it would be less of a hassle and problem for documented students and
they wouldn't need to worry too much about becoming undocumented, as well as getting
deported back. Without colleges and the government, look more into these issues and struggles
that documented students are facing, it would still be an issue for them to worry about renewing
their visa, especially with the amount of money they would worry about needing to renew it
every time it is close to the expiration date, trying their hardest stay in the country to reach to
those great and successful opportunities, that theyve been dreaming of since, they have arrived
to this country.

Work Cited

"As Nonresident Tuition Rises, International UT Students Face Many Challenges - The
Daily Texan." As Nonresident Tuition Rises, International UT Students Face Many
Challenges. Ed. Rabeea Tahir. The Daily Texan, 13 June 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

Grande, Reyna. The Distance Between Us. New York: Washington Square, 2012. Print.

Gruwell, Erin. "Diary 10." The Freedom Writers Diary. 10th ed. New York: Broadway,
2000. 22. Print.

Hanson, Lea. The Troubling Issues Facing International Students Today. Colorado
State. N.P. N.D. Web. 26 November 2014.

International Student Pathway. Pasadena City College. n.p. n.d. Web. 26, November,
2014.

Jin, Ha. Arrival. The Writers Presence. Ed. Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford/ St.
Martins. 2011. 122-128

Jouvenal, Justin. "7 Immigrants Brought Here as Children Sue for In-state Virginia
College Tuition Rates." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. The Washington Post, 17 Dec.
2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2014.

Kantrowitz, Mark. "EduPASS . Financial Aid for International Students . The FAFSA."
EduPASS . Financial Aid for International Students . The FAFSA. Www.edupass.org, 1
Jan. 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.

Rodriguez Richard. Aria: The Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood. The Writers

Presence. Ed. Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2011. 187-203. Print.