Michigan State University very bravely posted this video, featuring a candid discussion among Chinese students and American students about the challenges in forming cross-cultural relationships. It prompted a lot of discussion among our bloggers over the weekend.
One person said that they agree that it can be difficult to form close relationships because Chinese and American students don't always share the same interests (like American football). Someone else felt disheartened to hear some of the opinions from the American students, saying that it should be up to the American students just as much as the Chinese ones to open up communication and start building relationships. And a third said that schools don't always do enough to facilitate this sort of relationship-building.
This question about the relationships between American and international students is something we've discussed before on this blog, and you may have seen in a recent post that we're conducting a big survey on this topic (if you're an American or international student, please TAKE THE SURVEY), so we'll have a lot more insights to share soon.
In the meantime, watch this video and see what you think. Does it leave you feeling positive or negative about relations between American and international students? What do you think these students could or should have done to improve communication? Leave a comment and let us know!
Also:
» Read more opinions on this topic - is there such thing as a "Chinese student" or "Chinese experience," or does it vary?
» Get Qian's take on why tensions may exist on campuses that are rapidly internationalizing, and why improving the admissions process could help
One person said that they agree that it can be difficult to form close relationships because Chinese and American students don't always share the same interests (like American football). Someone else felt disheartened to hear some of the opinions from the American students, saying that it should be up to the American students just as much as the Chinese ones to open up communication and start building relationships. And a third said that schools don't always do enough to facilitate this sort of relationship-building.
This question about the relationships between American and international students is something we've discussed before on this blog, and you may have seen in a recent post that we're conducting a big survey on this topic (if you're an American or international student, please TAKE THE SURVEY), so we'll have a lot more insights to share soon.
In the meantime, watch this video and see what you think. Does it leave you feeling positive or negative about relations between American and international students? What do you think these students could or should have done to improve communication? Leave a comment and let us know!
Also:
» Read more opinions on this topic - is there such thing as a "Chinese student" or "Chinese experience," or does it vary?
» Get Qian's take on why tensions may exist on campuses that are rapidly internationalizing, and why improving the admissions process could help