Internationals gain world of U.S. experience

Thursday, January 21, 1999

Internationals gain world of U.S. experience

STUDENTS: Foreign students get job training, finance information
while enjoying life at UCLA

By Andy Shah

Daily Bruin Staff

When Rebecca So was in Hong Kong, she thought living in Los
Angeles would be one big party.

But when she arrived here in 1997, those images were quickly
erased.

"It’s kind of boring here," she said. "I thought L.A. would be
more exciting."

So, a fourth-year business economics student, is part of a group
of international students that chose to pursue their degrees at
UCLA instead of in their home countries.

The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) on
Monday kicked off this quarter’s series of programs designed to
help international students adjust to America. Topics of the
workshops range from immigration to financial aid to English
instruction.

Most of these students are from the People’s Republic of China,
Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, Japan and India.

Lawrence Gower, the director of OISS, said the majority foreign
students are successful here.

"Most are really terrific students who are functioning well at
UCLA, despite the fact that English is not their first language …
and their relatives are thousands of miles away," he said.

Many international students come to UCLA to receive a
prestigious education, said Jean Hotta, an OISS counselor.

"They want to be more marketable once they return home and apply
for jobs," she said.

Catalin Filip, a doctoral candidate in electrical engineering
from Romania, said coming to UCLA allowed him to receive a better
education than he would have received in his home country.

"I took classes from very good professors," he said. "I
appreciate very much the diversity and richness one can find in the
UCLA library."

After gaining admission to UCLA, foreign students must apply for
a student visa. Most of them are graduate students.

Filip said his first year in the United States wasn’t a great
experience.

"I was working all the time and did not get to see places or get
involved in social activities," he said.

Mariana Corzo, program director for OISS, said that the center
holds workshops to help students get used to the nuances of
American culture, as well as to improve their English language
skills.

"Most of them know English well, but some want to improve their
conversational English," she said.

Corzo said that European students tend to adjust fairly quickly
to the United States because the cultures are relatively similar.
But, she said students from Asia often have a harder time
acclimating themselves here.

"The cultures are so different," she said. "Also, Asian and
Latin American cultures tend to be more family-oriented, so
sometimes they feel very homesick."

OISS also helps students with personal needs.

"We help them get their social security cards and find housing,
and we even take them to Target to get linens," Corzo said.

Hotta said that many international students grapple with
financial problems.

Tuition and fees total $4,480 per quarter for undergraduate
students and $4,650 per quarter for graduate students.

Corzo said some students do not have a problem paying tuition
and fees because they were granted scholarships from their home
country’s governments, or they come from wealthy families. But
others struggle to keep up on their bills.

"I had to borrow from friends, get help from the bank and take
out emergency loans," So said. "It was difficult."

Because of their immigrant status, international students cannot
work outside of UCLA while they are here. But their visa allows
them to work in the United States for one year as practical
training after they graduate.

Ariane Compagnone, a first-year graduate student in animation
from France, said she was angry that her student visa wouldn’t
allow her to work outside of UCLA.

"We’re allowed to pay $20,000 for tuition, but we can’t earn
money from work," she said.

Compagnone said she could only apply for a job that was offered
through one of her classes.

If she wants to work after she graduates, she will have to find
an employer willing to fill out an H-1 visa form.

"That takes thousands of dollars to do, so it’s really hard to
get a job if you don’t know anybody personally," she said.

After they graduate, many international students go back to
their home countries and say that their experiences at UCLA taught
them a lot about America.

"It was a pleasure to talk with (American students), to see how
they think, how they live and what is their culture," Filip
said.

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