Many students are interested in studying abroad however we do not often think of those

who are studying here from overseas. Studying in a different country comes with many
challenges, it can be something as little as a greeting that may be completely different. I chose to
study the community of students who came to the University of Kentucky from China because
they have adapted many elements of their Chinese culture to exemplify the traditions Americans
forego. I am curious to see how many Chinese students ended up at UK, how they have changed
their daily routines as well as what they plan to do in the future.
Stereotypes diminish a large portion of personal judgements an individual can make
about another person due to the assumptions society places on certain communities. In the
melting pot country people from all around the world live together. While we may live in
peace, stereotypes fill the heads of every citizen. When I chose to study the Chinese community,
I knew some stereotypes that people would have before even getting to know someone who is
Chinese. Probably the most accepted stereotype is that they are incredibly smart, specifically at
science and math, and could beat anyone else in an academic competition. Another common
assumption that is made is that they are shy, and not as social. Many people prior to getting to
know someone in the Chinese community believe that they will talk to them and get quiet and
short responses. They also assume that their responses will be in broken english, and they will
not be able to understand them very well. I think that stereotypes create unnecessary assumptions
that can cause barriers between individuals, because they are mostly untrue. Everyone has
stereotypes about them. Being from the United States, people from other countries probable
assume that I will be overweight, ignorant, and lacking intellectual curiosity before they even
meet me. While I hope these characteristics are not true, it goes to show that it is a part of human
nature to judge. People as a whole need to aim to give everyone a clean slate, and begin each
conversation without any previous assumptions. The chinese culture is intriguing, with their

colorful clothing, tasteful food, and all of the different culture norms. Every person has so much
more depth to them than stereotypes lead on. Taking the time to talk to others in a different
community can truly show how so many people make wrong judgements towards the people
around them.
At the University of Kentucky there is an organization called the Chinese Student and
Scholar Association and I was lucky enough to talk to one of its members. He stated that the
program was there for all students who were coming from China and it gave them the
opportunity to meet other people that were in the same situation they were coming to the United
States. This organization is important because a study was recently conducted and found that
loneliness was a common feeling among international students (Zhang). The main reason for
this is because of the heavy academic work-load and language limitations (Zhang). Here at the
University of Kentucky many people outreach towards the Chinese community to make sure that
they have an enjoyable experience. This group helps to teach the incoming students about
cultural norms so no one feels out of the loop. To make sure everyone does not have any bad
impressions due to feeling excluded from cultural norms.
China is about a thirteen hour plane ride away, so I wanted to know, why the University
of Kentucky. How out of all the schools in America do students decide upon UK. When I talked
to Anastasia she told me about a website that they have in China that shows all of the information
about the different universities. When she read about UK she fell in love with the environment
and the location of where it was. She enjoyed the city atmosphere, and the public safety. I also
interviewed Witt who wanted to attend the University of Kentucky because he wanted something
different than the other cities that he had lived in. I learned that students from China come here
because its easier to get into a University in America. Colleges in China are only based on GPA
Anastasia informed me, rather than here where community service, and prior involvements also

play a role in the application process. However while getting into a school in the United States
may be easier, according to Wit the workload is much more difficult. He told me that from what
he has heard students in college in China are slackers. He described the schools as being more
of a heaven but here in America people actually have to do work and it is much harder.
Aside from the workload facing culture norms is also a struggle because so many aspects
of their daily lives are much different. One shock was the decrease in people. In China there are
so many people that skyscrapers fill the land, architects started building up in order to fit a
certain amount of people into the city. Also, this college campus requires people to find means of
transportation in order to get to the grocery store. In China there were always places to walk to
where you could get the items that you needed. Without having an American license it is hard to
get to the places you need to go that are too far to walk from campus. There are many aspects of
American culture that takes a long time to get used to if you are coming from a foreign country.
The hardest barrier to overcome coming from China would be the language. The
grammar, scripture, and alphabet are completely different. Communicating with peers is
challenging because adolescents may have a different lingo than adults, or have phrases that
would not be taught to students who are learning to take english. One thing though which helps
the transitions are the chinese classes that China provides. Some students start learning english as
early as elementary school, like Anastasia did, so she has an easier time than most with the
language. A few of the main reasons some students are better at learning english than others
would be their aptitude for learning another language, motivation, [and] exposure to the
language (Suarez-Orozco, Suarez-Orozco, & Todorova 2008). Since international students want
to be in America for their education that gives them their motivation to take the time to learn the
language, they are immediately exposed upon coming to the country, and they would not put
forth all of this effort if they did not have to aptitude for learning another language.

Understanding teachers in certain classes can also be a struggle. The students have learned to
understand the main points, and not need to understand the minor details.
On top of a new language, daily routines are also completely different. The pace of life
here is more laid back according to Wit. In China everyone is always in a rush. One of the hard
aspects of coming to a new country would be the loss of home festivities. In the United States the
holidays we celebrate are much different, and since we do not celebrate them students from out
of the country lose the opportunity to celebrate them as well. The holidays and parades
celebrated across seas are missed by the students attending UK. Wit said that the only celebrating
he did from a home holiday would be on the Chinese New Year and it was filled with calls home
to his friends and family.
The big question people have for students who are coming to school overseas is whats
next. After studying for many years, and taking the time to adapt to the American culture I was
curious to know if the students wanted to go back to China or stay in America. What I learned
was that the plan is most often to stay in the United States. Some want to further their education
and attain a masters degree, but many want to stay here and begin their careers. One of the
hardest thing for me would be to branch out away from my family. Coming from Illinois I am
about a 7 hour car ride away, I could not imagine having a thirteen hour plane ride. Some schools
in China are different though than schools in the US. When talking to Anastasia she told me how
she would go and stay at school all week and only come home on weekends. Being away from
parents starting at a younger age helps ease the transition into college when most students from
out of the country only get to see their parents twice a year. Current technology also helps ease
the feeling one might get from home sickness. There are many ways to video chat so one can see
and talk to their friends and family. Also, with social media it is easy to see what others are up to,
and to keep everyone informed of what you are doing as well.

Attending a school that has a completely different culture than from back home can be
intimidating. Learning the culture norms is hard and takes a lot of practice to get used to. The
Chinese community at the University of Kentucky had a lot of changes to make in order to fit in
on campus. They had to learn a new language, grow accustomed to the different living pace, the
different foods and holidays, and have to cope with being so far from home. People may
stereotype the Chinese community as people who are good at math and have broken english.
Hanging out with people from this community taught me that they have all different types of
interests (definitely not just math), and they have been learning english for so long that they I had
no language barriers during my interviews. The club here at the University of Kentucky that is
for the Chinese students is really helpful in bringing together the different students to ease their
transition into such a different community. With their events throughout the school year I hope
people take the time to attend so they can learn more about the culture and be able to put aside
their prior judgements.
References
Alon, I. (2003). Chinese Culture, Organizational Behavior, and International Business
Management. Praeger.
Learning About the Chinese Community [Personal interview]. (n.d.).
Suarez-Orozco, C., Suarez-Orozco, M., & Todorova, I. (2008). Challenges to Learning English.
In Learning a New Land: Immigrant Students in American Society (p. 156). President
and Fellows of Harvard College.
The Chinese Community [Personal interview]. (n.d.).
Tsai, J., & Lee, P. (2000). Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology. SAGE.
Zhang, Z. (2007). Understanding Chinese International Graduate Students' Adaption to
Learning in North America: A Cultural Perspective. Higher Education Perspectives, 3(1),
45-59.