New Workshops Ease the Transition to Campus Life
Image by K. Webster
10/03/2019
By Katharine Webster
How do you pronounce 鈥淲orcester鈥� and 鈥淕loucester鈥�?
A dozen new international students laughed as they watched a video that demonstrated that most Americans don鈥檛 know how to say the names of several Massachusetts cities.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not the only ones who don鈥檛 know how to say 鈥楬averhill,鈥欌�� Allyson Lynch, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), assured them in a workshop on conversational English.
Soon, she had them pronouncing the names like natives: 鈥淲ooster,鈥� 鈥淕lawster鈥� and 鈥淗ay-vrl.鈥�
Image by Tory Wesnofske
Earlier, she had handed out 鈥渃ultural bingo鈥� cards that required the students to walk around and ask each other questions like 鈥淗ave you ever been to Canada?鈥� and 鈥淒o you prefer tea to coffee?鈥� so they could practice speaking American English and get to know each other. After the video, they paired up to fill in Mad Libs and read them aloud.
Starting at a new university in a new country is doubly challenging. Five of the six countries sending the most students to 51视频 are in Asia 鈥� India, China, South Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia 鈥� and the cultural differences can be both exciting and overwhelming, Lynch says.
So this fall, OMA has ramped up its support for the university鈥檚 growing population of international students by hosting weekly workshops in English conversation, career skills and cultural differences.
鈥淲e want these students to have a fun and happy experience,鈥� Lynch says. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e gone through a lot to come here, and their families have sacrificed so much. It鈥檚 a huge adjustment and a leap of faith.鈥�
To help students adjust to life as River Hawks, OMA offered a two-day orientation for new international students before classes began and a one-day orientation after classes began for late-arriving students. More than 200 students attended the programs, which introduced them to campus resources to help them with everything from their studies to their health.
Image by K. Webster
Before they had even arrived, 10 student ambassadors from OMA had corresponded with all of them to answer questions like 鈥淲hat kind of clothing will I need?鈥� and point them toward people and resources within the International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) to help with logistics.
Osamah Banabilah, a junior chemical engineering student from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who attended the two-day orientation, said he was grateful for a session on how to open a bank account and get a debit card.
鈥淎nd I got to know some people with similar hobbies like football 鈥� soccer,鈥� he said, quickly switching to the American term for the world鈥檚 most popular sport.
This fall, OMA is continuing its support with the workshops and the Pair-up Program, which began as a student initiative in the DifferenceMaker program. The Pair-up Program, now celebrating its fifth anniversary, assigns American student buddies to new international students in their major or program.
In the brand-new English conversation group, the students are learning how to communicate with professors in person and by email, how to recognize sarcasm and other aspects of American humor, and how to join in cheering for the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and Patriots. Lynch leads the group with help from two students: Mariella Mendez, an English major, and Shruti Talwar, a graduate student in public health.
Image by K. Webster
Jeronimo Clusella Alvarez, a junior finance major from Madrid, said he hopes to lose his Spanish accent so that when he gives business presentations, everyone can understand what he鈥檚 saying. Akash Ghodekar, a master鈥檚 student in engineering management from Pune, India, agreed. He was educated in British English, but spoke the regional Marathi language outside of school, he said.
鈥淚n India, we鈥檙e not used to speaking English on a daily basis, and if you鈥檙e speaking (publicly) and you fumble, you lose confidence,鈥� Ghodekar said. 鈥淚t can be very difficult to find a job if you don鈥檛 have good communication skills.鈥�
Lingming Chen, a master鈥檚 student in public health from Heilongjiang province in China, said she has trouble understanding some of the conversations in the classroom 鈥� and wants the confidence to speak up herself.
鈥淚n my country, we don鈥檛 talk in the classroom, but here we talk a lot,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd people speak so fast! I want to understand better.鈥�
In addition to the English conversation group, Lynch is holding weekly 鈥淐ulture Shock Talks鈥� to deal with topics such as academic writing and .
Image by K. Webster
She and other OMA staff are also encouraging international students to attend a series of 鈥淐areer Corner鈥� workshops on Tuesday afternoons. Staff from Career & Co-op Services are taking them through the paces of writing a professional resume, putting up a LinkedIn profile and practicing for interviews.
In the past, the Culture Shock Talks were held monthly. This year, all three workshops are being held weekly in September and October. The intensive support is designed to give international students a solid base before their tests, projects and papers pile up 鈥� and so that when homesickness strikes, they won鈥檛 be struggling so much in other ways, Lynch says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more beneficial to them to get this information early,鈥� she says.
The support and friendship will continue after October, too, through monthly workshops, International Education Week, international student clubs and field trips. Apple picking at a local orchard, always a popular outing, is Saturday, Oct.5. American students are welcome to join in the events and activities, especially the English conversation group.
Visit the Multicultural Affairs website for more information on support for international students.
