Pathway Reflection
After I graduated from Tamkang University in Taiwan, I looked for schools in United States where I could pursue a master’s degree in sports management. I received offers from University of Minnesota and George Mason University, and I decided that George Mason University was a better choice because it was closer to a metropolitan area and had more job opportunities. If I wanted to find an internship in the future, I will have better chance with a degree from GMU. Furthermore, George Mason offered the INTO pathway program. I thought it could help me to improve my English and take my major class at the same time. I have taken two major courses and two pathway courses, and I have learned a lot through them all.
Despite the fact that international students on American campuses may experience problems that are common to U.S. students, they also face unique challenges emerging from cultural differences, language limitations, and potential prejudice and discrimination, to name a few (de Araujo, 2011). For me, I do not experience any culture shock in the US. The reason is because my country, Taiwan, is a culturally diverse place. We watch American movies, eat American foods and also tons of Americans living in Taiwan. The biggest challenge for me is probably the language which writing in English struggles me mostly. Therefore I think the best way to solve it is keep practicing and look for the assistance from writing center of school. I can go there frequently and improve my writing skills.
The classes contents in INTO pathway program is quite different as I think, I think, we will focus on improving our English such as listening ability or grammar. However, the EAP class is actually teaching us how to work on our research paper in the future. During the class we have to read lots of research papers in our field which is very hard for me. We have to learn how to use the rhetorical elements to find the key points in the article. Also we need to understand the key concepts in the articles and look for the key terms. Since my native language is not English, it’s a bit difficult to read a lot of articles in short term so it takes a while for me to adjust. Another important lessons that I obtain in this class is critical thinking. In the western education, the teachers encourage student to express their ideas even though it is not the same as the teacher’s opinion. The teachers usually bring up the questions, and students are required to give some feedback. This makes me feel weird because in my country we think teacher’s opinion is always correct, and we will not argue with. However, in the wake of trying critical thinking, I think it’s very helpful. It makes my thinking diverse and be able to gather the opinions from different people.
This semester is almost over and I will be a full time graduate student next semester. I have to take more major courses in spring semester which could be a new challenge for me. Nevertheless, with all the useful knowledge that I own in this semester, I have confidence to overcome every difficulty I may face in the future. I hope I can persist in chasing my dream and never give up.
Reference
Abrahao Andre de Araujo (2011) Adjustment Issues of International Students Enrolled in American Colleges and Universities: A Review of the Literature