International student

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Funny enough, internationals come all the way to the U.S. to study, immerse themselves in English, etc., then typically socialize in cliques composed of their fellow nationals.

I don't necessarily think they are anxious to socialize with Americans, rather they want the superior education this country offers. I also don't think that's an issue w/ a French student so much as it is some other nationalities/ethnicities.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I don't necessarily think they are anxious to socialize with Americans, rather they want the superior education this country offers. I also don't think that's an issue w/ a French student so much as it is some other nationalities/ethnicities.

Well and once they move far away from home into an entirely different culture and sometimes language, being around people who remind you of home and who you can understand is probably a comfort. People who can cook/appreciate 'your' food probably help too.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Well and once they move far away from home into an entirely different culture and sometimes language, being around people who remind you of home and who you can understand is probably a comfort. People who can cook/appreciate 'your' food probably help too.

There's that, but at my college, there was a large contingent of international students who had no intention of becoming involved with Americans and American culture at all. The college was (and I believe still is) need-aware when it comes to international students, meaning that the majority of international students were EXTREMELY wealthy. They knew they were coming back to their home countries to take over the family business, and they stuck primarily with other extremely wealthy students from Greece/Singapore/UAE/Luxembourg/fill-in-the-blank. They would occasionally socialize with other students, but their lives were completely different from the "typical" college student--and that was their choice.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

There's that, but at my college, there was a large contingent of international students who had no intention of becoming involved with Americans and American culture at all. The college was (and I believe still is) need-aware when it comes to international students, meaning that the majority of international students were EXTREMELY wealthy. They knew they were coming back to their home countries to take over the family business, and they stuck primarily with other extremely wealthy students from Greece/Singapore/UAE/Luxembourg/fill-in-the-blank. They would occasionally socialize with other students, but their lives were completely different from the "typical" college student--and that was their choice.

Yeah there's that too. I'm a small state school right now and the biggest group of international students are from one small area of India. They hang out together and they cook food together regularly since there's not really any other way to get good Indian food here. A lot would depend on your reasons for coming and whether you expect to stay in the country you're studying in or whether you're specifically intending to return home.