An Honest Account of the International Student Experience: Challenges and Realities

York University's School of Continuing Studies perfectly represents the problems with international studies not just in Canada but all around the world. Privatizing education in the West has created an enormous market for international students from India, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the Middle East. These international students pack their whole lives in two bags and, with a heart full of dreams, move halfway across the world to chase the Hollywood dream that has been portrayed since the onset of globalization.

But the fact of the matter is this system was designed by the same West that claimed that "It was White Man's Burden to civilize the East."

The same West handed out the Theory of Development as a bible for developing countries, which turned out to be a white lie about debt traps and political influences.

The School of Continuing Studies is a perfect example of how this ideology is portrayed in international schools today. It also demonstrates the contrasting difference between how international colleges are marketed to students and what happens after you land thousands of kilometres from home.

The School of Continuing Studies is separate from York University but is affiliated with it, which means most of the University's facilities are inaccessible to students. Students are also prohibited from participating in any of the University's social activities or clubs.

Although the school is legally allowed to charge three times the domestic fees, this does not allow the student to participate in social activities and network for future job prospects, which is wrong with international studies.

When the realization hits that jobs are not secured online but through social networking, it will be too late, and the open jobs will be gone. Even if you are actively seeking and networking, the problem of how to approach professionally takes time to cultivate. By the time you grasp cultural conventions, there won't be any time. This puts most international students in a position where they are forced to take part-time jobs to pay their bills.

Sooner or later, this part-time job will turn from 12 to 25 hours, then 45 a week, because the bills will continue. The sweet sound of the paycheck hitting your bank account overshadows the reality that this is not what you were here to do. Months turn to years, and then, like a bombshell, reality creeps up when you realize it's a part-time job, not a career. But that sweet sound of the paycheck hitting your bank account is too loud to accept that this is not what was intended. Weeks turn to months, month turns to years, and now, five years later, you are a manager at a gas station with a master's degree. Unfortunately, This is the sad story of international students in Canada and worldwide.

The fact of the matter is the saturation point of the job market in the West has been breached. Suppose domestic students in these countries fail to secure a job after graduation. How could we expect someone who has just landed in the country within a year to get a job in humanities and business?

It's unjust that governments often blame international students for economic woes when, in reality, these students contribute significantly to the economy. Their financial contributions are a crucial buffer against potential economic crises, such as another in 2008. This blame game needs to stop.

The government blames the international students for the saturated job market. But, won't stop colleges and universities from falsely advertising the course, which has limited to zero employment opportunities.

Challenges of International Students and the reality

The life of an international student is hard. No one tells you before you leave that you are responsible for yourself as soon as you board that flight from home. You will be the one who will have to pay the rent and bills and study at the same time. It sounds easy, but remember that you are in a different country, you have no cultural context, no idea how to approach people, and no idea how to do a part-time job.

But, like any rational person, you try it despite being miserable. You miss your family. You miss your friends. You miss your city.

But like any lousy movie tickets we buy, we are psychologically forced to sit and watch it. Even though it's a horrible horror movie, your mind forces you to sit down and watch the dreadful characters scream out slurs because we need to get our money's worth.

Years pass by, and you graduate and get a work visa. You jingle around bills, rent, and your social life. You are working a job that pays you minimal and treats you like the last scum of the earth, but a man must pay his bills. This eventually leads to anxiety, depression, and even psychosis. You start to believe that you are the one responsible for the sorry state of the world. But you don't go to therapy because the second payment for your phone is more important than your mental health.

You become someone that you know will hated by your own younger self, but you are too deep in the game now. You can't relate to your friends back home and barely can relate to the local culture. This identity crisis slowly takes over. The thought that you are alien to your homeland eats you. When you try to accept the culture of this country, you are reminded that you will be the same person who landed 20 years ago—AN IMMIGRANT. The box you are in makes you do things you can barely comprehend. But remember, it's not your fault; it's the same West that puts the African-Americans in a box and treats them in a way that only accepts them when they act within the constraints of that box, to lock them up in cages.

My experiences in the West in the last decade as an international student in different countries have taught me one thing. These colleges, or more the West, do not want immigration; they only wish for the money that comes from immigration. They will open the doors when you pay them, but only the ones that keep you behind your local fellow students. You won't have access to the services that prompt employability. Only the services that have a cover charge attached to their names.

Despite the challenges, the international student experience is not all grim. It's a time of personal growth and self-discovery. If given the chance, many international students would choose this path again, as it's not just about studying but about finding oneself in a new and challenging environment.

Find what you like, try three different things, and fail, but remember to have the courage to learn the fourth.

Remember, it's OK to fail but not OK to give up.

The road ahead

Unfortunately, life isn't a bed of roses. It's flawed, even absurd, but unfortunately, that's life. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

International study is about something other than sitting in class. It's about exploring and learning new skills. Everyone does not necessarily have to do a 9-to-5 office job. Learn a trade, and make it a career if it makes you happy.

Remember, that kid could barely comprehend the path you were set on from childhood. You were an 18-year-old kid who knew nothing. This is the opportunity to explore what you enjoy and what makes you happy, not your parents, relatives, or even society.

But remember to keep your head high. If you are unhappy, talk to your friends and family. There is no shame in asking for help. If something makes you miserable, you don't have to do it.

Your experience here will prepare you for the worst-case scenarios. Your time spent abroad might not change your intellectual abilities, but it will prepare you for the future.

If it's not happy, it's not the ending!