EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

Exploring Culture Essay

Steven Klein
University of Kentucky

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

2
Abstract

For this essay, I researched a culture that I was not a part of. In this case, international students.
There are many stereotypes and opinions that Americans place on students from different
countries that come to America to receive an education. I was able to interview two international
students that currently attend the University of Kentucky. These students are from India and
Hong Kong, China. I asked them many questions about how coming to America to study has
affected their lives, if they like it or not, and if they believe the stereotypes placed on their
culture are true or false. I also used other resources to help further my discussion about why
students come to America to study. I also focused on articles describing certain stereotypes of
international students that are negative. I hope that after someone reads this essay, they realize
that the American society places wrongful stereotypes on students from different countries.
Keywords: international, students, stereotypes, India, China, studies

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

3
Exploring Culture Essay

Everyone has a perception of others. And sometimes that perception is wrong (it usually
is). For this essay, I decided to focus on the topic of international students from abroad countries
that come to the United States for their higher education. I interviewed two students, one who is
from India, and one who is from Hong Kong, China. In this essay I hope to establish the
stereotypes that are placed on international students that are studying in the United States. I also
want to use sources that demonstrate whether those stereotypes are true, or false.
The perception that I had of international students before conducting two interviews with
actual international students, and then researching this topic was a negative one. I hate to say it
but I am sure that there are other people of my demographic that agree with me. Before
researching about international students, I believed that international students were a lot smarter
than an average American high school graduate student, just because they were born Indian or
Chinese. I say this just because of the stereotype that has been inflicted on students from India,
and China, and most of the other countries around that region.
For this project, I interviewed two international students that are currently attending the
University of Kentucky. The first student, Siraj Patel is from India. He was born in India and
grew up there. He said that he was lucky to be able to have a good education; he had math,
science, and English classes growing up. One big change that he was afraid of was not knowing
much about American history and if that would hurt the way he was perceived or behaved. He
decided to come to America because he was eligible to receive a study abroad scholarship that
his community provided to him. He felt that this was his best opportunity to receive a good
education outside of India. He plans on receiving a Pharmacy degree, and then return to India to

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

give back to the community that he grew up in and to help his family financially. The other
student that I interviewed declined to have his voice recorded, or for his name to be revealed, and
I respect that. He said that I could call him Max when I revealed his answers and perceptions
on being an international student. Max is from Hong Kong, China. He has lived there all his
life, and says that he never liked it. He thought that it was too populated for his liking. He came
to

America just to be able to receive a better education, and

to

leave China.
R

acha
el

Figure 1: There are many programs in

Kentucky that support international
students when they are facing
challenges related to their education

Ruble and Yan Zhang in their scholarly article write about how at United States colleges and
universities, Chinese students are the largest group of students originating from a particular
nation (Ruble and Zhang 2012)., However, many Chinese international students report
difficulties with stress and adaptation, often as a result of perceived cultural differences and lack
of support from others (Ruble and Zhang 2012). MA 2002 study in the International Journal of
Intercultural Relations examined the feelings that American students had towards international
students. Overall, Americans had little contact with international students, which led to
stereotypical attitudes that were overwhelmingly negative in nature. However, those students
who did have close contact with international students had an overall positive attitude about them
and were less likely to attribute negative stereotypes to the international students (Ruble and
Zhang 2012).
The research that was conducted as stated above demonstrates how Americans place
negative stereotypes on Chinese international students without even talking to them or getting to

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

know them on a personal level. The main stereotype found in the study were reflections on how
Chinese students are smart, good at math and science, intelligent, studious, different, and
hardworking (Ruble and Zhang 2012). One famous saying that almost everyone has sure to have
heard throughout their life is dont judge a book by its cover. This saying can apply to this
concept of labeling Chinese international students in a negative way. Americans need to get rid
of this stereotype. When I asked Max about this stereotype and how he and his culture thought
of it, he said I believe Americans do label Chinese people as smart and good at math and
science. But my culture does not let the negative stereotype affect them.
I now feel that this stereotype about how students from Asia and the Middle East are
smarter than us Americans is not accurate. When I brought up this stereotype in my interviews
with Siraj and Max, they both believed it was not true also. Siraj made an interesting point,
stating, The math and science in India was harder, and more advanced. It turns out that Asians
and people from the Middle East are not smarter than us just because that is their ethnicity. ;It is
because their culture puts a greater emphasis on math and science than the average American,
public education system. So this shows that America is lacking behind other countries in its
education system.
Another stereotype that Americans place on international students is that they are only
coming to America to take over the jobs that are available. I disagree with this statement. I
asked Siraj and Max this question when I interviewed them and they both believed it was false.
International students do not want to take over the job force in America. They just want to
utilize the opportunities that are available in the United States as opposed to the country that they
are from. This starts with education. Siraj told me that there are not very good colleges in India
as opposed to the higher education programs in America. So, since he had the opportunity to

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

come to America to study, he knew he had to. Also, America is known as the land of
opportunity. Siraj and Max both hope to be able to live better lives because of the great chance
they have to receive an American education. They both strongly believe an American education
is more highly valued than an education from their home country.
After interviewing Siraj and Max, I do not believe that the stereotypes that I had and
my culture had of international students are true. The main reason that Americans go to college
is to receive a higher education. The main reason international students come to America is to
receive a higher education. Say higher education was not a primary focus in America, but was a
primary focus in China or the Middle East. Americans would definitely go overseas and get an
education. Our culture cannot single out
international students and say that they are
taking over our workforce and are becoming
Figure 2: The University of Kentucky shows how welcome they
are of international students

too populated in American colleges.

International students want what is best for

themselves, and that is why they decide to leave their families behind, their old lifestyle, just so
they can receive a prestigious education in America. This way, they have a future. They then
know that they can have a career in America, as opposed to living in the poor areas that exist in
other parts of the world.
I decided to interview and focus on international students for this project for many
reasons that interested me. One reason was to figure out clearly why students from Asia and the
Middle East decide to come to America for a higher education. I want to see if there is a
particular reason that is similar for different countries on why students my age decide to come to
America to study. There are many challenges and adversities that international students have to

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

face before even arriving in America for their study. Caroline A. Rickards, a writer for the
American Physiological Society, wrote a report on the many challenges that international
students face before even arriving in America. She states, The number one challenge endured
by all who come to the United States from another country is immigrationand this love/hate
relationship starts well before we even get to the United States border (Rickards, 2014). Then,
once they get to the United States, international
students will have to get a Social Security
number, they might want a credit card which is
difficult with no previous credit history, and then
they all have to get adjusted to the major culture
Figure 3: This figure shows how international students'
education is primarily funded

change that is present in the United States. Even

though international students are aware of these

different types of adversities, they still find the motivation to come to America to get an
education. What makes an American education so important to a student from another country?
After interviewing Siraj and Max, I realized that they both had similar reasons to come
to America for a college education. One reason was simply because they did not like living in
the countries they were from: India and China. They both did not like the way of living in those
countries. I also researched this topic to figure out other reasons why international students
come to America to study. The Department of Homeland Security provides a website to help
students from other countries figure out where to study in the United States and why they should.
America welcomes students who want to study internationally in America. One fact that I find
astounding, and is the main reason why America draws in so many international students, is that
15 of the 20 best universities in the world are located in the United States (Department of

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

Homeland Security, Study Smart!, 2013). The Department of Homeland Security also states on
their website that many international students decide to come to the United States because of
how modernized many of the prestigious universities are. Many universities today in America
have giant libraries, larger campuses, newer residence halls, and more resources available to
students.
Another reason why many
international students want to come to the
United States to study is because of the
variety of programs and majors that are
available currently (Department of
Homeland Security, Study Smart!). With
such a wide variety of learning

Figure 4: Although this data is from 2007-2008, the figure gives good
background on how many international students attend the
universities listed above, and which university accepts the most
international students

opportunities available, there is truly a

program for everyone. America offers the
most diverse and exciting range of higher

education options than anywhere in the world (Department of Homeland Security, Study
Smart!). After doing this research, I discovered that the main reason why international students
come to America for a higher education is because there is more opportunity here in America
than the country they are from. This motivates them because they know what they want in the
future, and are more determined to come to America, to study and get a good career here, than in
a foreign country.

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

During both interviews, I asked Siraj and Max how American culture differed from the
Indian culture and the Chinese culture. They both agreed in the fact that America is a lot
different than the country they are from. Siraj stated that American culture had less traditions
than the Indian culture that he was accustomed to. He believes that Americans are a lot more
social and that things are not taken as serious here as opposed to in India. They both had taken
English during their studies in their home countries, but neither were prepared for the changes
that were present in America. Siraj stated that he loves the cold weather here because in India, it
is hot almost year around. They both had a hard time getting used to the cultural norms here that
are not so normal where they are from.
An interesting observation that I discovered after conducting research about how
American education compared to education in other parts of the world, is that even though
America contains fifteen of the top twenty universities, America does not have the best education
system pre-college. In a study done by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES
2014), the achievement of American students is compared to students in other countries. There
was a test given to fifteen year old students in mathematics, science, and reading literacy. The
test was given in sixty-five different countries. The average score in the categories of
mathematics and science for the United States were lower than the average of all the countries
combined (NCES, 2014). For reading literacy, the United States was two points above the
average score (NCES, 2014).
This study shows how the American education system before college is lacking behind
education systems in other countries. This could play into the fact of the stereotype of why
Americans believe that people of Chinese ethnicity or Middle Eastern ethnicity are smarter than

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

10

us. They may be, but it is because they put more effort and more of a focus in their educational
system for the younger generation.
I am glad that I was able to research the topic of international students for this project.
Unfortunately, I have always had negative stereotypes of them, and I believe that the majority of
the American society does also. I believe this is mainly because of the culture that I have grown
up in. In movies, magazines, songs, or other types of current pop culture, international students,
and simply citizens from the Middle East and Asia, are perceived in a negative way. I have
always been interested on how international students react to the stereotypes that Americans
place on them when they come to America for a higher education. Based on my two interviews,
international students really do no let the negative stereotypes bother them. Based also off of the
research I conducted, the stereotypes that Americans place on people from the Middle Eastern or
Asia saying that because of their ethnicity, they are smarter than the average American. This is
not the case. After conducting research about this topic, I found that a Middle Eastern or Asian
education system is more advanced than the general, public American education through grades
kindergarten through twelfth grade. So, this stereotype is completely false.
I still do not think that Americans will change their views on international students just
because of our culture that labels them as smarter individuals based off of where they are from.
As a final conclusion, this project has helped me realize how wrong I was about international
students. They have the same goal as me, which is to receive the best education as possible. It
just so happens that for them, that education cannot be found in their home country. So, they
come to America.

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

11

References
1. Obst, D., & Forster, J. (2007). Perceptions of Higher Education: Coordinated by the
Institute of International Education.
2. Kantrowitz, M. (2014, January 8). The SmartStudent Guide to Studying in the US.
Retrieved October 6, 2014, from www.edupass.org
3. Ruble, R., & Zhang, Y. (2012, November 1). The Impact of Stereotypes on American
Students Willingness to Communicate with Chinese International Students.
Retrieved October 6, 2014.
4. Rickards, C. (2014, April 12). Far From Home Challenges Facing International
Graduate Students, Postdocs, & Professionals. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from
http://www.the-aps.org/forum-international
5. Department of Education, U. (2014, February 15). International Comparisons of
Achievement. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from
http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=1
6. Homeland Security, D. (2013, April 20). Study in the States, Start Here! Retrieved
October 6, 2014.
Images

EXPLORING CULTURE ESSAY

12

1. Untitled Photo of Kentucky Brazilian International Students Information. Retrieved

November 3, 2014, from:
https://www.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/WildcatExpansionREV2_0.jpg

2. Untitled Photo of The Network of International Students Logo. Retrieved November 3,

2014, from: http://www.universitiesandcollegesinkentucky.com/statelogos/logo-34.gif
3. Primary Source of Funding of International Students. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from:
http://www.iie.org/~/media/Images/Corporate/Other/OT-Open-Doors-2013-EconomicImpact-Landing-Page.ashx
4. International Students Studying in the United States. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from:
http://koreamerica.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/international-students-in-us-graph.jpg