Foreign Exchange

Foreign Exchange

One of the greatest experiences that a college student can have is that of studying abroad. It is one of the most enlightening experiences one can ever become involved in. It is a wonderful way to learn about another culture. Unfortunately, many of the foreign exchange students at State University have a difficult time interacting with the American students on campus. This lack of interaction is causing all students at State to miss out on a very important experience. Although there is currently a program for learning about foreigners and there foods, it is not an on-going program. State University should set up new programs to ensure that the foreign exchange students are able to socialize with the non-foreign exchange students.

The non-communication between the Americans and the foreign students that is currently going on at Iowa State University is a problem in many ways. When the foreign exchange students do not have much interaction with the American students, they miss experiencing the things they came here experience. "I only have seven months here, and two are already gone. And, well, I don’t know any Americans," said a foreign exchange student. Wasting time while here is a major concern for many of these foreign exchange students. They only have a small amount of time to soak in an entirely different culture. Foreign exchange students want to experience what it is like to be part of our culture. For the foreign exchange students to learn what it is like to be a part of our culture, they must first be accepted into the culture. If this new culture does not accept them, they can not learn what it is like to be a part of the new culture. Without being able to become a part of our society, they are un...

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...at Iowa State, but it is one of the best also.

It is State University’s responsibility to make sure that its students grow not only academically but culturally as well. Iowa State should make sure that its students broaden their own horizons and learn to open their minds to new and different things. By setting up some of the afore-mentioned programs, Iowa State would do its part in helping us learn culturally. The study abroad program is a wonderful program, but it could be made much more beneficial. It could better benefit both the Americans and the foreign exchange students if the roads of communication were more open.

Works Cited:

1. Study Abroad Center. Iowa State University.

<http.//www.iastate.edu/~cip/INTL/Project_Assist.html>

2. Harcourt Brace and Company. "The Nature of Culture." United States of America, 1999. Cultural Anthropology.