Out-Of-Class #1: Typical Issues

(author name redacted)

Slug: International Students

Out of Class #1

February 26, 2014

            For some Michigan State University students, home is just a 15-minute drive away. For others, it is multiple hour HYPHEN HERE long flights back to a country on the other side of the world.

            According to the Office of International Students and Scholars, 7,161 international students were enrolled at MSU for the Fall 2013 semester. OUT OF HOW MANY STUDENTS TOTAL? GIVE ME A WAY TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE The number of international students at MSU is moving in an upward trend, but why do they choose to attend school here?

            Senior advertising student, NO COMMA HERE Michael Wong FROM WHERE? and freshman general management student, NO COMMA HERE Qi Zhang FROM WHERE? said they made the choice to come to MSU because of the programs available.

            Wong said he attended Washington State for his freshman and sophomore years but transferred because MSU offers such a good advertising program.

           

            As a freshman, coming to a new country may seem like a scary idea but Zhang and finance major, NO COMMA HERE Xinyi Jiang FROM WHERE? said they were not nervous. Zhang said she knew she wanted to study abroad and Jiang had visited America before.

            All 3 students said school back home in China is much different than MSU.

            “The style of study is study is different because when we study in China, we just prepare for our biggest exam,” said Zhang. “We think the exam is very important but when we study in America, we think not just the exam. We also need to do lots of work.”

           

            Zhang said when she compares school life with her friends back home, her friends are mostly focused on exams at the universities they attend.

            According to Jiang, school life in America is different because back home, she has help from friends in family where as in America she says SAID, STED SAYS. PLUS, PUT A COMMA HERE “I just have myself.” She thinks she will grow up faster than if she were to study in China.

            China is just one of the 131 countries represented at MSU, according to a statistical report done by the OISS. WHICH COUNTRIES ARE MOST REPRESENTED HERE? LET’S GET SOME EXTRA DATA.

            In order for any international student to attend school in America, he or she must obtain a valid visa stamp in their passport as well as I-20 or DS-2019 forms signed by the OISS. HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? ATTRIBUTE!

            Both I-20 and DS-2019 are certificates of eligibility which THAT, STED WHICH allow students to stay in America as exchange students.  HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? ATTRIBUTE!

            Wong said he is required to renew his visa every four to five years. As a senior, he is given three months after graduation to find a job. He hopes to find one in America, SEMICOLON, STED COMMA otherwise COMMA HERE he will go back home to Hong Kong.

            Just like domestic students can learn about different cultures from international students, Zhang said she has learned from some of her fellow classmates.

            “The students from Michigan they also tell me where is the best place to have a trip in Michigan,” said Zhang. SUCH AS, WHERE?

            By working a part-time job DOING WHAT? on campus, Wong said has also learned a lot.

            “In my opinion, it’s a good way to get better speaking and writing skills,” said Wong.

            Before studying in America, Jiang said she had more in common with fellow students back home. SUCH AS, WHAT? Now, she has less because of her experiences at MSU. HOW SO? IN WHICH WAYS IS SHE DIFFERENT? WHAT CHANGED HER?

            Though she is thousands of miles of home and feels the culture conflict IN WHAT WAYS?, Jiang said she also feels warmth. HOW SO?

WORD COUNT MISSING

Qi Zhang

zhangq38@msu.edu

Xinyi Jian

(517) 775-6702

jiangx25@msu.edu

Michael Wong

(517) 763-9440

wonghin@msu.edu

ASSIGNMENT GRADE: (grade redacted)

INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS: YOUR STRUCTURE WAS FINE, BUT WE NEED TO DO MORE REPORTING. FIRST, WE NEED TO FIND A NEUTRAL EXPERT WHO CAN HELP MAKE SENSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL STORIES AND PUT THOSE IN ALARGER CONTEXT; PERHAPS AN ADVISER AT OISS. SECOND, WE NEED TO OFFER SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF WHAT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT. WE CAN’T JUST TELL; WE NEED TO SHOW. AND WE SHOW VIA QUOTES AND SPECIFICS. THIRD, WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE AND ASK FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS TO GET THOSE MORE SPECIFIC ANSWERS. YOUR GRADE COULD SIGNIFICANTLY RISE IN REWRITE IF YOU ADEQUATELY ADDRESS THESE AREAS. PLUS, I NEED YOU TO LIST WORD COUNT AND ALL SOURCES, INCLUDING DOCUMENTARY AND ONLINE SOURCES.