negativity against international students?
I was just looking through the accommodation pages for my university, and a surprising number of people have extremely negative things to say about living with an international student. This was quite a shock for me, an international student myself, and now I'm getting really apprehensive about going to uni after seeing loads of comments from people who are actively trying to avoid living with the "internationals"?
I'm curious about where such negativity stems from anyway? And as an international starting in September, I'd like to know if there is anything I can do about it to maybe change their impressions?
No trolling please, and if I have offended anyone, apologies in advance!
I'm curious about where such negativity stems from anyway? And as an international starting in September, I'd like to know if there is anything I can do about it to maybe change their impressions?
No trolling please, and if I have offended anyone, apologies in advance!
Scroll to see replies
Original post by mitalip
I was just looking through the accommodation pages for my university, and a surprising number of people have extremely negative things to say about living with an international student. This was quite a shock for me, an international student myself, and now I'm getting really apprehensive about going to uni after seeing loads of comments from people who are actively trying to avoid living with the "internationals"?
I'm curious about where such negativity stems from anyway? And as an international starting in September, I'd like to know if there is anything I can do about it to maybe change their impressions?
No trolling please, and if I have offended anyone, apologies in advance!
I'm curious about where such negativity stems from anyway? And as an international starting in September, I'd like to know if there is anything I can do about it to maybe change their impressions?
No trolling please, and if I have offended anyone, apologies in advance!
Where are you from?
It's some races/countries more than others that people want to avoid, and I'd say often people want to avoid a group of int. students rather than the individuals themselves.
Just as when Brits go abroad they tend to stick with other Brits, or at least native English speakers, a lot of international students coming to the UK will tend to stick with their own race/nationality a lot, which means if you end up in a flat of 8 with 3 Chinese people, there may well be a big divide between the two groups. Not necessarily any aggression between them, but being left out because you don't speak their language in your own country can be quite distressing for people who expected to make close friendships in halls.
There are also people who complain about the foods international students cook, particularly people from various Asian countries. As long as you store food hygenically, it doesn't matter what it looks/smells/tastes like, but I've heard of people leaving strange cuts of meat dripping over the rest of the food in the fridge, not wiping surfaces down after cooking etc.
What you personally can do is greet all your flatmates straight away, not bring friends from your home country around every night (once in a while is fine, as your flatmates will do this too) and take over the communual areas, and make an effort to speak to your flatmates even if you make better friendships with people from your home.
Also, don't take this the wrong way, but if you come from somewhere with very different hygiene standards, make sure you listen when your flatmates ask you to do something because they find the way you do it now unhygienic. International students get badly stereotyped with this, but there's definitely some truth in it when some people leave meat uncovered, loos unflushed etc.
Just as when Brits go abroad they tend to stick with other Brits, or at least native English speakers, a lot of international students coming to the UK will tend to stick with their own race/nationality a lot, which means if you end up in a flat of 8 with 3 Chinese people, there may well be a big divide between the two groups. Not necessarily any aggression between them, but being left out because you don't speak their language in your own country can be quite distressing for people who expected to make close friendships in halls.
There are also people who complain about the foods international students cook, particularly people from various Asian countries. As long as you store food hygenically, it doesn't matter what it looks/smells/tastes like, but I've heard of people leaving strange cuts of meat dripping over the rest of the food in the fridge, not wiping surfaces down after cooking etc.
What you personally can do is greet all your flatmates straight away, not bring friends from your home country around every night (once in a while is fine, as your flatmates will do this too) and take over the communual areas, and make an effort to speak to your flatmates even if you make better friendships with people from your home.
Also, don't take this the wrong way, but if you come from somewhere with very different hygiene standards, make sure you listen when your flatmates ask you to do something because they find the way you do it now unhygienic. International students get badly stereotyped with this, but there's definitely some truth in it when some people leave meat uncovered, loos unflushed etc.
To the extent that it exists, it is usually against international students who make no effort to integrate or socialise with the British, but instead socialise only with their own nationality. The Chinese are common offenders at doing this.
And if you don't make that mistake and you DO make friends with Brits, other easy ways to annoy people are:
- imitate our accents;
- go on about how much better your home country is than the UK (note that it's like criticising family - we can do it, you cannot);
- constantly critically compare the way things are done here with how they're done 'at home'.
Tldr - mix with the Brits, and embrace British life rather than critiquing it.
And if you don't make that mistake and you DO make friends with Brits, other easy ways to annoy people are:
- imitate our accents;
- go on about how much better your home country is than the UK (note that it's like criticising family - we can do it, you cannot);
- constantly critically compare the way things are done here with how they're done 'at home'.
Tldr - mix with the Brits, and embrace British life rather than critiquing it.
Original post by Crumpet1
To the extent that it exists, it is usually against international students who make no effort to integrate or socialise with the British, but instead socialise only with their own nationality. The Chinese are common offenders at doing this.
And if you don't make that mistake and you DO make friends with Brits, other easy ways to annoy people are:
- imitate our accents;
- go on about how much better your home country is than the UK (note that it's like criticising family - we can do it, you cannot);
- constantly critically compare the way things are done here with how they're done 'at home'.
Tldr - mix with the Brits, and embrace British life rather than critiquing it.
And if you don't make that mistake and you DO make friends with Brits, other easy ways to annoy people are:
- imitate our accents;
- go on about how much better your home country is than the UK (note that it's like criticising family - we can do it, you cannot);
- constantly critically compare the way things are done here with how they're done 'at home'.
Tldr - mix with the Brits, and embrace British life rather than critiquing it.
Hmmm I'm not sure I agree with your "easy ways to annoy people" entirely.
Imitating accents is fine if it's not done all the time - I lived with a huge range of British accents, and we always imitated ech other's. An international student joining in with that would have been fine (and probably hilarious). Trying to "sound native" is also fine, it's better than speaking with a really strong foreign accent as it shows you're making the effort. What isn't fine is taking the mick out of British accents if it isn't a group joke.
With your other two points, I accept you said "constantly", but I think the threshold for this varies from person to person. I personally would like to find out about other cultures, and how they vary from the UK, but of course if someone brought it up every five minutes I'd want to shoot them in the face.
I know I've been a bit pinickity there, but I don't want international students coming to the UK to feel left out of what can be quite common at University, especially during the first few weeks.
I think the negativity comes from two places. Partly, some international students really don't integrate with the rest of the student body. At my uni, for example, the Chinese Christian society has its own basketball team... What's wrong with the normal basketball team that the rest of the student body join? These are the 'internationals' that people often perceive as being standoffish - though it's understandable when you remember that many young people haven't actually chosen to come all this way and that their parents have chosen this route for them. This part of the negativity often comes from the fact that you often see and hear groups of international students nattering in their own language, which is fairly exclusionary since it means it's impossible to join in and make friends like you could if you heard a discussion about something you love in a language you know. (East Asian languages are very rarely taught in uk schools afaik), and also from the perception that many international students continue to behave as if they're at home and not partake in British culture etc - hence the 'Asian foods' section of the campus grocery store being large and well-stocked.
The other source of resentment can I think be to do with money. Many of the East Asian students are loaded (which you have to be to be able to afford to do the UK study thing) and after a while of seeing the ridiculously expensive brands on the bus it gets a bit old (especially when worn by people who don't understand that, for example, the label on the outside cuff of a man's coat is meant to be removed so we don't all know it cost £800) and you can understand a bit of envy from students who are struggling to get by.
Another minor thing can be a differences of opinion. There was a girl from Belarus in one of my seminar groups last year who went on a massive rant about how Russia was misunderstood by the West and that the overt displays of force we see (eg Pussy Riot) are staged by western journalists. I was stunned that she'd been here for two years studying a politics degree and hadn't absorbed any of our propaganda!
On the other hand, this is just the international student stereotype, and while there are many who fit it there are also many who don't (especially EU students). My top tips if you're worried would be to join societies other than your international group. SO join ScandiSoc, or the Asian Society, or whatever, but also join societies for other things that interest you - don't let your entire friendship group be based around where you come from, because if you do, what was the point of coming all this way? I have to say the fact that you're asking the question suggests you're self aware enough for it to be okay.
The other source of resentment can I think be to do with money. Many of the East Asian students are loaded (which you have to be to be able to afford to do the UK study thing) and after a while of seeing the ridiculously expensive brands on the bus it gets a bit old (especially when worn by people who don't understand that, for example, the label on the outside cuff of a man's coat is meant to be removed so we don't all know it cost £800) and you can understand a bit of envy from students who are struggling to get by.
Another minor thing can be a differences of opinion. There was a girl from Belarus in one of my seminar groups last year who went on a massive rant about how Russia was misunderstood by the West and that the overt displays of force we see (eg Pussy Riot) are staged by western journalists. I was stunned that she'd been here for two years studying a politics degree and hadn't absorbed any of our propaganda!
On the other hand, this is just the international student stereotype, and while there are many who fit it there are also many who don't (especially EU students). My top tips if you're worried would be to join societies other than your international group. SO join ScandiSoc, or the Asian Society, or whatever, but also join societies for other things that interest you - don't let your entire friendship group be based around where you come from, because if you do, what was the point of coming all this way? I have to say the fact that you're asking the question suggests you're self aware enough for it to be okay.
Original post by RibenaRockstar
the perception that many international students continue to behave as if they're at home and not partake in British culture etc - hence the 'Asian foods' section of the campus grocery store being large and well-stocked.
the perception that many international students continue to behave as if they're at home and not partake in British culture etc - hence the 'Asian foods' section of the campus grocery store being large and well-stocked.
what ...
i can't make my own food if i want to? :e
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by iamyourmum
what ...
i can't make my own food if i want to? :e
i can't make my own food if i want to? :e
Of course you can, I'm just suggesting that it might be fun to try other foods. My weekly meals at uni tend to revolve around risotto, curry, tomato pasta type things, and chili con carne. I very rarely have traditional British type food like pies and fish and chips.
Original post by New- Emperor
Where are you from?
i'm originally from india but have lived in and traveled to a fair amount of places abroad
Original post by Katie_p
It's some races/countries more than others that people want to avoid, and I'd say often people want to avoid a group of int. students rather than the individuals themselves.
Just as when Brits go abroad they tend to stick with other Brits, or at least native English speakers, a lot of international students coming to the UK will tend to stick with their own race/nationality a lot, which means if you end up in a flat of 8 with 3 Chinese people, there may well be a big divide between the two groups. Not necessarily any aggression between them, but being left out because you don't speak their language in your own country can be quite distressing for people who expected to make close friendships in halls.
There are also people who complain about the foods international students cook, particularly people from various Asian countries. As long as you store food hygenically, it doesn't matter what it looks/smells/tastes like, but I've heard of people leaving strange cuts of meat dripping over the rest of the food in the fridge, not wiping surfaces down after cooking etc.
What you personally can do is greet all your flatmates straight away, not bring friends from your home country around every night (once in a while is fine, as your flatmates will do this too) and take over the communual areas, and make an effort to speak to your flatmates even if you make better friendships with people from your home.
Also, don't take this the wrong way, but if you come from somewhere with very different hygiene standards, make sure you listen when your flatmates ask you to do something because they find the way you do it now unhygienic. International students get badly stereotyped with this, but there's definitely some truth in it when some people leave meat uncovered, loos unflushed etc.
Just as when Brits go abroad they tend to stick with other Brits, or at least native English speakers, a lot of international students coming to the UK will tend to stick with their own race/nationality a lot, which means if you end up in a flat of 8 with 3 Chinese people, there may well be a big divide between the two groups. Not necessarily any aggression between them, but being left out because you don't speak their language in your own country can be quite distressing for people who expected to make close friendships in halls.
There are also people who complain about the foods international students cook, particularly people from various Asian countries. As long as you store food hygenically, it doesn't matter what it looks/smells/tastes like, but I've heard of people leaving strange cuts of meat dripping over the rest of the food in the fridge, not wiping surfaces down after cooking etc.
What you personally can do is greet all your flatmates straight away, not bring friends from your home country around every night (once in a while is fine, as your flatmates will do this too) and take over the communual areas, and make an effort to speak to your flatmates even if you make better friendships with people from your home.
Also, don't take this the wrong way, but if you come from somewhere with very different hygiene standards, make sure you listen when your flatmates ask you to do something because they find the way you do it now unhygienic. International students get badly stereotyped with this, but there's definitely some truth in it when some people leave meat uncovered, loos unflushed etc.
I definitely get what you mean. To be honest, I don't see the point in hanging out with the same kinds of people I would hang out with back home because if that's what I wanted, I wouldn't have come here in the first place. I get that a lot of them do feel home-sick and the sight of a familiar face always helps, but speaking as someone who has experienced living with the "Chinese phantom", I can agree that it can be a little intimidating to live with a bunch of people who speak and cook and act in a way completely foreign to you.
also I sincerely hope I don't have any of the hygiene problems you mentioned because god, how embarrassing would that be!
The other source of resentment can I think be to do with money. Many of the East Asian students are loaded (which you have to be to be able to afford to do the UK study thing) and after a while of seeing the ridiculously expensive brands on the bus it gets a bit old (especially when worn by people who don't understand that, for example, the label on the outside cuff of a man's coat is meant to be removed so we don't all know it cost £800) and you can understand a bit of envy from students who are struggling to get by
Ah well, I think i'm going to be one of those perpetually broke international students so no need to worry about that
Another minor thing can be a differences of opinion. There was a girl from Belarus in one of my seminar groups last year who went on a massive rant about how Russia was misunderstood by the West and that the overt displays of force we see (eg Pussy Riot) are staged by western journalists. I was stunned that she'd been here for two years studying a politics degree and hadn't absorbed any of our propaganda!
this is really interesting actually, because while I am not studying politics or part of anything political, I do have a healthy interest in it and i suppose some of my views might be quite strong. but don't you think such differences in opinion would happen even between people of the same nationality?
Considering your example, I would think even two russians would have differing viewpoints when it comes to putin and his policies as would two brits I assume.
don't let your entire friendship group be based around where you come from, because if you do, what was the point of coming all this way?
Amen to that.
I have to say the fact that you're asking the question suggests you're self aware enough for it to be okay
I think this has less to do with me being self-aware and more the fact that I am a born worriywart and can't help but overthink everything. :P
(edited 9 years ago)
My only issue with internationals (in my experience) is they seem reluctant to socialise with anyone other than their own nationalities 
You don't have to have a 1 hour long conversation but just a simple hello and a smile would be nice but from your comments I'm sure you like to talk to other students
Posted from TSR Mobile
You don't have to have a 1 hour long conversation but just a simple hello and a smile would be nice but from your comments I'm sure you like to talk to other students
Posted from TSR Mobile
it doesn't even matter if you are an international student...because here in the uk black people tend to talk to black people more, white people talk to white people more, and indian people talk to indian people more...just in general, its hard to integrate into english society as most english people would prefer non english people to assimilate instead
The only issue I've ever come across with international students are the ones that refuse to speak english and only speak to people who speak the same language as them. What is the point in studying in english if you're not going to use it?
A friend of mine was put into halls with 4 international students all from different countries and she hated it because no one wanted to integrate. She said they all just stuck with people from the same country as them and ended up making her feel like the minority and left out. She stayed in her room a lot.
A friend of mine was put into halls with 4 international students all from different countries and she hated it because no one wanted to integrate. She said they all just stuck with people from the same country as them and ended up making her feel like the minority and left out. She stayed in her room a lot.
Original post by CJKay
Generally when you have to share cultures in a single household things can get very nasty, not least when they refuse to integrate.
I agree, but the level of integration required also depends, and isn't always possible at times.
For example, this summer I traveled to the Philippines for a social work internship, and one of the people I was living with was an Indonesian Muslim girl who genuinely could not live in a house that had alcohol/non-halal meat in it and would wake up at all sorts of odd hours to do her prayers. Now, this was quite a downer for the rest us because the other houses had parties every other day and we couldn't. But, I don't think anybody got mad or made her feel awkward for it. We simply learnt to accommodate by eating out and having drinks elsewhere and she still remained close friends with everybody else.
As a person who has virtually no food/alcohol restrictions, I don't think I will be having any sort of a problem, but I can completely understand it when others do and personally, it wouldn't stop me from making friends with them. But again, I can't speak for everybody.
Original post by mitalip
I was just looking through the accommodation pages for my university, and a surprising number of people have extremely negative things to say about living with an international student. This was quite a shock for me, an international student myself, and now I'm getting really apprehensive about going to uni after seeing loads of comments from people who are actively trying to avoid living with the "internationals"?
I'm curious about where such negativity stems from anyway? And as an international starting in September, I'd like to know if there is anything I can do about it to maybe change their impressions?
No trolling please, and if I have offended anyone, apologies in advance!
I'm curious about where such negativity stems from anyway? And as an international starting in September, I'd like to know if there is anything I can do about it to maybe change their impressions?
No trolling please, and if I have offended anyone, apologies in advance!
It's not an 'ew internationals' thing, it's more a culture divide thing. Or in some cases it's a case of internationals being withdrawn/insular.
For example, in my first year at uni I ended up in a flat in halls with a load of Chinese students. They never came out of their rooms, and when they did it was to either go out or to have their Chinese friends round for dinner. Once, I walked into the kitchen to make food while they had friends round, and the loud chattering in Chinese immediately fell to silence. I made my food and left, and as I left the room they laughed and continued their chattering.
Had I not been lucky enough to have friends outside halls when I started, this could have massively impacted my early uni experience. So don't worry - if you make efforts to make friends with people, they're not going to ostracise you just because you're an international. The very fact that you're worried about the perception of home students suggests to me that you will be fine.
Original post by GoingToBurst
The only issue I've ever come across with international students are the ones that refuse to speak english and only speak to people who speak the same language as them. What is the point in studying in english if you're not going to use it?
A friend of mine was put into halls with 4 international students all from different countries and she hated it because no one wanted to integrate. She said they all just stuck with people from the same country as them and ended up making her feel like the minority and left out. She stayed in her room a lot.
A friend of mine was put into halls with 4 international students all from different countries and she hated it because no one wanted to integrate. She said they all just stuck with people from the same country as them and ended up making her feel like the minority and left out. She stayed in her room a lot.
Tbh, I've stayed outside my country for so long I don't think I'm very fluent in my native language anyway :P
Aw, it sucks for your friend. That scenario is literally my worst nightmare when it comes to uni life and I really hope she managed to make friends elsewhere.
Original post by mitalip
Tbh, I've stayed outside my country for so long I don't think I'm very fluent in my native language anyway :P
Aw, it sucks for your friend. That scenario is literally my worst nightmare when it comes to uni life and I really hope she managed to make friends elsewhere.
Aw, it sucks for your friend. That scenario is literally my worst nightmare when it comes to uni life and I really hope she managed to make friends elsewhere.
Hahaha that's like the team leader at my work, I was trying to get him to teach me things in his native language and he kept forgetting various words. It was strange, but I guess like anything, if you don't use it you lose it!
Yeah she ended up making a big group of friends eventually. It just sucked because she, like many new students, expected to be best friends with her flatmates and it couldn't have been further from her expectations.
For example, in my first year at uni I ended up in a flat in halls with a load of Chinese students. They never came out of their rooms, and when they did it was to either go out or to have their Chinese friends round for dinner. Once, I walked into the kitchen to make food while they had friends round, and the loud chattering in Chinese immediately fell to silence. I made my food and left, and as I left the room they laughed and continued their chattering.
The same thing happened to me one time when I was rooming with a bunch of vietnamese girls and it was awkward as hell. I kept wondering if it was my fault the first couple of times, but in the end just gave up and decided to change my rooms.
.
So don't worry - if you make efforts to make friends with people, they're not going to ostracize you just because you're an international.
That is exactly what I was worried about and thanks for touching on that. This whole thread has been really useful in easing my mind.
The very fact that you're worried about the perception of home students suggests to me that you will be fine.
That's the second time someone's said that, and thanks!
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