The common campus experience of not being offered the classes
needed to graduate places an additional burden on international
students ““ an obstacle that could send a few of them packing
ahead of schedule.
The difficulties that a foreign learning environment entails can
be frustrating for many international students, and a few have
returned to their home countries; but most students value the
experience enough to complete the year despite any challenges they
face.
Instead of attending class to fulfill her degree requirements,
Italian exchange student Agata Matteucci is taking 12 units that
don’t count toward her degree and has a part-time internship
at High Times magazine ““ a last-minute job she got so she
could make her last quarter at UCLA worthwhile.
As a third-year communications studies student coming to study
in Los Angeles through the Education Abroad Program’s
reciprocity program, Matteucci had planned on staying at UCLA the
entire year.
But she was unable to find the classes she needed to graduate
and would have no longer qualified to remain in the program had she
not taken a full class load.
Still, the unavailability of classes in the curriculum was a
blessing in disguise for Matteucci.
Luckily, Matteucci said the magazine position she found has
opened many doors for her and she does not mind taking classes that
do not fulfill her degree requirements. The magazine job itself
would fulfill an internship requirement that is implemented through
Matteucci’s university in Italy.
“The thing that saved me is that I can do an internship to
get a degree. … It’s a good experience to be in class, but
it’s a great experience to have an internship and get field
work,” said Matteucci, who is doing Web design for the
publication and is thrilled that she may be able to get comic
strips that she draws published in the magazine.
But two of Matteucci’s friends were not as lucky and cut
their stay at UCLA short to go back to Italy.
Though Matteucci knows both were having trouble with classes, it
is unclear why they went home. But Matteucci is sure that they may
have stayed had they received counseling from the same resources
that helped her.
“I don’t know why my two friends didn’t
contact Danilo … they suggested an internship and they’re
still helping me,” she said, referring to Danilo Bonilla, EAP
international programs counselor.
The problem could be a result of either budget cuts that are
causing departments to cut back on classes offered or it could be
due to most international students’ participating in the EAP
program late in their college career, Bonilla said, explaining that
having few requirements left to fulfill, it might be difficult to
find classes that fit.
Besides an internship, students in this situation are also
advised to take independent study courses.
“Maybe they can do an independent study course and work
with a professor,” Bonilla said, but added that it is still
challenging because professors are usually busy. “It depends
a lot on the professors.”
Overall, international students are treated the same as all
students at UCLA.
“You are a drop in the ocean; teachers don’t have
the time to help out,” Matteucci said, referring to fact that
international students don’t get any special treatment.
But they do face “a couple of extra challenges,” the
main one being that different universities worldwide have different
requirements, said Bruce Hanna, EAP director of communications.
“It’s their own university that picks classes that
fit to a certain major,” Hanna said, adding that another
challenge is the fact that international students have to commit to
the program a year in advance.
Still, “they experience the same frustration that any UC
student does,” he said.
Another international student is also taking classes that may
not end up counting for his degree, but that is because the
University of Edinburgh in Scotland gives third-year history
student Oliver Hudson much flexibility.
Hudson is required to take six courses at UCLA, one of which he
can drop. Having already taken six courses, the three extra courses
Hudson is taking this quarter may not end up counting toward his
degree.
But Hudson has no complaints.
“It’s been really great,” Hudson said about
the entire experience. “As far as living in Los Angeles …
it’s nothing like I have experienced before.”
Several exchange students have adjusted well to UCLA’s
academic environment that is different from most university systems
in the world, which are less structured.
“A lot of students think the quarter system is very
challenging because it is very fast and very intense,”
Bonilla said, referring to the midterms, office hours and
discussion sessions that are usually not offered around the world.
“Most come from the semester or year-long system … the
majority of universities abroad are less structured, ours is very
structured.”
Besides the occasional challenge that academic differences may
cause, most students value their experience on the campus.
“The best indication that this is not a major problem is
that year after year, there are a great many students who apply.
… If the expectation was that students go back and say it
didn’t work out, people wouldn’t want to keep doing
it,” Hanna said.