International Student
This entry is part of an assignment called the "Stanford Cultures Project" for a sophomore writing course, Cultural Interfaces, at Stanford University. To learn more about the assignment, read this blogpost
Stanford University is a very diverse campus, made up of students with varied interests and backgrounds. This not only includes students as different as those from the East or West Coast, but adding a whole new perspective on life are the international students from all over the world. Coming from completely different cultures, these international students can offer insight on a myriad of subjects that can help alter other people's own perspectives.
Almost seven percent or 425 members of the undergrad community are international. On a personal level, Stanford’s international students prove to be great roommates and friends. International students infuse fresh ideas and styles into everyday life. Many students introduce their personal tastes to their peers, some of which are quite foreign. Examples include unfamiliar consumer products like this Japanese Ramune drink, different clothing style, and unique hobbies such as hat collecting.
These students also provide an international perspective that makes ordinary conversations more interesting. Overall, the exchange goes both ways. Not only are international students learning in their new country, they also enrich the lives of all students in the Stanford community.
Stanford provides a large amount of support for its international community. Bechtel International Centre organises a large number of activities for international students, and also provides advising on immigration issues. The annual International Student Orientation (ISO), a milestone programme for international freshmen, is also hosted by Bechtel. The interior design of Bechtel reflects this confluence of cultures -- there are subtle touches plastered all over the walls, such as small artifacts from around the world.
Just like local students, international students participate in diverse activities all around the world. Overseas studies programmes such as the Bing Overseas Studies Programme (BOSP) are often popular amongst international students; it could be because international students are already living 'overseas', way outside their comfort zone. The photo above is a photo taken at Cambridge University in the UK. Just as it shows a unique juxtaposition of the old and new cultures, international students bring their respective cultures to Stanford as well, empowering Stanford to be a melting pot of different styles and practices.
Comments
I thought this post did a good job of highlighting international students at Stanford by targeting logos appeal with facts such as "almost 7% or 425 members of the undergrad community are international". However, I think it would have been a nice balance to see the pathos side as well, possibly explaining the hardships international students must overcome with language barriers and cultural differences. Are they even more homesick than I was freshman year? They did touch on this emotional side a little; I especially liked the part in this post about international students bringing fresh ideas and style to Stanford and agree with this completely. My only other comment would be about the main photo choice, I personally thought some of the other photos were stronger more vivid representations of this particular subculture.
Posted by: Allison McCann | October 6, 2008 08:28 PM
I completely agree with Allison. There was good use of logos with statistics, but pathos would have contributed to the points being made. Something to include may be an international student's story about his/her adjustment experience at Stanford, and a domestic student's experience/friendship with international students. I'm also not sure about the post's photo choices - the opening photograph is most powerful and partially what people make their first impression based on, and I'm not sure what the goal was with the first picture. Pictures with actual Stanford students could also have contributed to pathos. However, I acknowledge that international students are a very diverse group, so this post is a great start to a broad overview of international students.
Posted by: Constance Duong | October 6, 2008 10:03 PM
I love how this blog touches on the diversity of Stanford University, however, I would have liked to see more visuals of actual foreign students in say, a classroom, at a dinner table, or just walking around the campus. I agree that international students are an integral component of what makes Stanford, Stanford, thus it would have only made the blog more pleasant if this could have somehow been incorporated. But besides that, I liked how the post acknowledged that international students bring unique perspectives to the campus. From my own experiences, I have nothing but positive things to say about these students and it is true that we all can gain a ton just by being around them!
Posted by: Carlos Arellano | October 6, 2008 11:21 PM
I agree with Carlos. I think that this blog was a bit removed from Stanford life and more focused on the interactions between international students. I think that adding a personal element or maybe commenting on whether Stanford is a comfortable and welcoming place for international students would have strongly helped their overall point. The visuals were all good quality, but I'm not quite sure what the photographer has to do with international students. Maybe a caption would have helped make the connection. Overall I enjoyed the blog though.
Posted by: Austen Wianecki | October 6, 2008 11:49 PM