Last year, Forbes released a statistic in their article on the rise of international student enrollment in the U.S. The study released by the Open Doors report by the Institute of International Education (IIE) found a 12% increase in the 2022-23 school year of international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities.
The IIE found that international enrollment during that school year was 1,057,188 students. At Rowan University, 2% of students are international. Though a small population, the stories of international students at Rowan demonstrate how well the university is doing in accommodating them.
Rowan University offers all international students a valid non-immigrant visa to be considered for international scholarship awards. These merit-based scholarships for international students can be from $1,000 to $19,000 per year. An award like this is crucial for students coming from different countries to study in the United States, who wonder how they will afford their education.
The university also has an International Center, one of the largest resources for these students. An important source that students can look for is employment opportunities, as it is a lot harder for them to get employed. International students at Rowan who hold an F-1 Student visa are able to find on-campus jobs, and they also teach them how to obtain a Social Security number.
For international students looking into getting jobs outside of campus, and working in a field directly related to their major, they must complete Optional Practical Training (OPT). However, there are a lot of requirements, such as finding employment within 90 days of completing OPT, as well as pre-completion OPT requirements that students must follow.
On the International Center website, there is information for incoming students, current students, J-1 visa students, those who are in specific educational exchange programs, how to study abroad, traveling internationally, and the English Language Program (ELP).
There are a lot of different resources for international students, but is it enough? Erukana “Erwin” Wambi and Sophie Ogunsanmi are both international students at Rowan, who are in completely different stages of their college journey.
Erwin Wambi, a sophomore who is majoring in computer science with a Certificate of Undergraduate Study in Social Change and Social Justice, is an international student from Uganda. He believes he was not informed about a lot of things during his first year at Rowan.
“The international population is not fully made aware about these available resources, I feel like they should navigate ways of trying to advertise them,” Wambi said. “For example, when I mentioned a program where there is a therapist, most students don’t even know the program because international students come from countries where they do not really acknowledge mental health.”
He also stated that there are a lot of struggles when being at Rowan. When he came in the spring, it was hard to adjust to the weather change as he is from the tropics. He also entered a semester late, so there was no huge “accepted students day,” more of a small orientation for all international students.
“They bombarded us with a lot of resources from the offices, mental health and all of that,” Wambi said. “It was a lot of information to use all at once. I didn’t know to some extent what rights I had as an international student.”
Wambi faced a serious situation where his roommates were harassing him and he experienced constant bullying, however, he was never aware of how to switch rooms. He spent more than a month like this as it was not easy for him to navigate and handle the situation.
He has been able to find some opportunities in leadership roles at Rowan. However, finding a job has been difficult for him, so dealing with financial hardships was another issue. For Wambi, it was harder to get a job because most require a Social Security number, which takes time to obtain through filling out forms. However, it’s given him a chance to serve as an undergraduate program coordinator for the Office of SJICR, mentor STEM transfer students, and work on a project called Operation Uganda.
Sophie Ogunsanmi, a senior and psychological science major with a neuroscience minor, also experienced struggles as an international student from Nigeria.
“A lot of international students who don’t have family here have to navigate that first year by themselves,” said Ogunsanmi. “They don’t know the things that they can do. They literally don’t know the power they have, they don’t know where they can go to talk to someone about things and get help.”
She was able to receive a lot more help due to the fact that she had family members already living here when she moved from her country. Her biggest struggle she faced, and that she says a lot of other international students have experienced, is paying for out-of-state tuition.
“I remember my first year, I was actively working full-time jobs to be able to cover my tuition and it is really hard trying to be a dedicated student,” Ogunsanmi said. “Also, working full time to ensure that I get the education that I deserve. I feel like the Rowan administration, they don’t really understand how hard that is.”
International students are not able to obtain FAFSA, and for some to get scholarships, she said it is required to obtain it. This has caused her to feel hopeless because there is nobody that can provide financial support.
She does not regret her time here at Rowan. As she moves into the post-graduation mindset, she believes her educational experience at the university has been the best it could have been. The Psychology Department, which she was involved in as a psychological sciences major, gave her support as she believed her professors were willing to invest in their students.
One of the key things that is not talked about often is the lives of international students after college. Ogunsanmi decided to continue pursuing a higher degree by getting her doctoral degree in neuroscience.
“Post-graduation is very difficult. You know, you’re dealing with the fact that this school is sending you several emails when to move,” Wambi said. “And then you’re dealing with the fact that you know you have to go back home. If you don’t have a job here, it’s very difficult for certain students from certain countries to navigate that.”
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