International Students

International Students I
By Jessica, Xiao Hua, Manuel, and Florencio

Why is Santa Barbara City College the best option for international students? Sometimes it is difficult to make the right decision on choosing the school when you want to study in another country because there is a lot of information about the schools and their programs in the whole world. The first step students take is searching information in study centers or agencies and find the complete details about the culture, weather and educational systems of different schools. Also, students can see video tours and photos, and read comments about the schools so that they can know more about the environment around the campuses and cities. Many students choose SBCC because the fees here are lower than other internationals schools, and SBCC offers high quality in all of their study programs. The weather in Santa Barbara is very nice—not too hot, not too cold, and the campus is located by the ocean. Also the city has cultural diversity and people here are very friendly. In addition, traditionally, international students have excelled academically while at SBCC, which is well known for the high quality of teaching of its faculty and its outstanding support services. Besides, each year, international students earn "President's Honor Status" for supporting academic performance; in fact, after two years, every student can apply to transfer to an university to get a higher degree, consequently a better job and better future. In conclusion, there many points why international students choose to study at SBCC. First, the enviroment of the city and college fits international students to study. Second, the study system offers high quality. Third, the view and location of SBCC is very nice. Fourth, school keeps on supporting international students as much as it can. Last, international students have opportunities to transfer to a university to build up their beautiful life.

International Students II
By Cuong Nguyen, My Trinh, Fernando, Daycy, and Herminia

Living abroad is not easy for international students. We always think America is a paradise and when we study in America, we will have a good future, a good job and good education, but it is not easy. At Santa Barbara City College, there are a lot of international students. When international students are interviewed, they always say that they have problems here. Some of the problems are finding scholarships, culture shock and freedom. Scholarships are very important for international students that come to America. International scholarship is a program what helps students from different countries. Scholarships are an opportunity for the students to find money for their education goals. A scholarship helps the students to pay books, rent, food, etc. There are many scholarships such as merit scholarships, need based scholarships, athletic scholarship, school based individual scholarships and full/partial scholarships. Each student chooses the ideal scholarships for his or her education goals. SBCC scholarships help students with their college education at SBCC. Scholarships are a gift for the students who study very hard and make efforts to better themselves for the best future. SBCC scholarships are an excellent opportunity for international students to follow their dreams. Culture Shock is an emotional reaction that all international students meet when they arrive. First, language is a big problem because they don’t understand American people. Also, lifestyle in the U.S. is more liberal--the young American people, during spring breaks travel to different places, beaches, and mountains; in some countries, it is different. The entire family might go together on vacation. Second, the foods’ ingredients are different. In other countries, some foods are hot; in the U.S. people don’t make hot food all the time. In the U.S., it is more common to see fast food; in other countries it is more common to eat foods made at home. International students need lots of efforts and are independent. Living in a different country, they have to strive to study more. They need more time than native students. For example, if students study the same subject, like biology, besides studying for that subject, international students also have to study for English because that is not their first language. They have to work harder than native students. In addition, international students are independent. Moving to another country, they have to overcome a lot of difficult things. It’s completely different when they live in under the protection of their family. An international student talked about her life in Vietnam and at SBCC. Every thing she has to do by herself, like cooking, waking up with nobody waking her up, and going to work to make money. These are the things that she never did before. She did not know how to cook, and her mom took care everything for her—even waking her up to go to school every morning. Now she lives here alone, and nobody can help her anymore. It is only her and she needs to do everything. Right now, she can do many things by herself and find a job to make money to pay for the conditions of life at SBCC so she can also assist her family. She said she is completely different from the girl she was before who couldn’t do anything and relied on parents. She learns a lot and becomes more independent in her life everyday. Innternational students grow up a lot when they live and study in another country without their.parents and family. As a result, international students have three main different problems to deal with. First, culture schock, customs are different between the two countries--USA and their home country. Second, tuitions are expensive but there are different institutions that give fanancial aid to international students. And third, international students feel better in this country because they feel that they have more opportunities in the USA. Therefore, as a recommendation, it is good to research on the differences between both countries as well as the different kinds of financial help they can get.