Independence
Independence is one of the most important things in the challenge characteristic that international students should know of when they are planning to attend a U.S college. Independence which is known as a good and necessary personality in American life impregnate in their thinking. Not only adults but also the children in America are independent in work, thinking, and making decisions -- therefore, they are very confident at work and in school. However, many international students, especially Asian who are not accustomed to independent life have more difficulties in learning in colleges. I surveyed six people who are Vietnamese, Hong Kong, and Cambodia international students, two Asian American students to make this characteristic clear. All Vietnamese and Cambodian students agreed that independence is necessary in classes here. They said they seemed tired and stressed with everything that they had to struggle with by themselves. On the other hand, Asian Americans believed that: 'Independence is natural and normal characteristic that everybody should have.' According to my Cambodian friend I surveyed: 'I always often ask my classmates for help about ideas whenever the professor requires me to have a presentation in the communication class.' Clearly, learning to think independently would be a difficult adjustment for international students.
Even though international students do graduate in U.S, they have to challenge everything in the U.S colleges. They train themselves to have an independent characteristic in U.S college environment. Their goals are to get a degree in the U.S -- therefore, if they do not challenge themselves in their studies, they must leave school to return to their countries. For instance, in the 'Creativity in the Classroom,' Ernest L. Boyer emphasizes Mortimer Adler's idea that 'all genuine learning is active, not passive. It involves the use of the mind, not just the memory. It is a process of...