In an era of increasing globalization coupled with Dartmouth's commitment to fostering outstanding global citizens, international students serve as unique liaisons between their respective cultures and the Dartmouth community. Comprising 8 percent of the undergraduate student body and hailing from 54 different countries within the Class of 2015 alone, international students bring their national flags, cultural costumes and a global perspective that enriches Dartmouth's campus.
Upon first arriving on campus, most international students are shielded from constraining language barriers and initial culture shock by an extensive network of international upper-class mentors, student groups, administrators and the International Student Program in the Office of Pluralism and Leadership. The international student orientation program and the International Student Association also serve as valuable information resources and safety nets for incoming freshman.
These same resources create a community for international students that can be both supportive and isolating, according to students interviewed by The Mirror. Most international students become involved in ISA and other international student programs with varying commitment levels, but those who are involved usually make ISA their primary community on campus, Co-Director of the ISA Richard Asala '13 said.
Asala, who was born and raised in Ghana, attended United World College in New Mexico. Leaving a "utopian world where diversity was very well-accepted," Asala wanted to create a similarly accepting and comforting environment at Dartmouth through his leadership in the ISA.
"Our main purpose is to foster a community of international kids here and also mesh them well with the broader Dartmouth campus," Asala said.
Guilherme Lambert Gomes Ferraz '14, who hails from Brazil and also attended UWC, said that although he is only marginally involved in ISA, he has integrated well into his new home at Dartmouth and the United States.
"I think one problem, not only international students but any ethnic minority faces, is the problem of self-segregation and insularity," Ferraz said. "It's good to have unity, but I think also it's important to be independent."
Although he lives in McCulloch International Housing with an American roommate, Ferraz said he views the international residence hall as yet another self-segregating mechanism for international students.
Janine Leger '15, who described her move from South Africa to the United States to attend Dartmouth as a transition from one westernized society to another, said international students need to strive to assimilate to rather than remain divorced from the rest of the student population as many international groups and housing options might encourage.
"I think that's separating yourself too much," Leger said. "I think when you are in the Dartmouth community and when you are in America, you have to integrate."
Asala, however, pointed out that such separation is often the result of international students being more easily able to connect with each other.
"Internationals have so many things to think about legally being here that other people don't," Asala said. "There is more consideration for being independent here. It takes the burden off you because you hang out with somebody who probably has the same considerations you have."
Not all international students choose to come to Dartmouth for the full four years, however. As an international student from the University of Edinburgh studying religion at Dartmouth for the Winter term, Josef Linnhoff '13 has had the experiencing of attending college both in the United States and the United Kingdom. Linnhoff said that compared to the University of Edinburgh, there exists a more noticeable level of social stratification at Dartmouth.
"[Dartmouth] is such a small society in the middle of nowhere, so there's going to be stratification: social, economic, what is considered cool, not cool," Linnhoff said. "For the first week I was here, everything was on a level footing for me. I was not tainted by certain social niches or taboos. As time goes on, the more Americans I meet, the more Dartmouth students I meet, I start hearing things about the social hierarchies here."
One of the biggest considerations for international students is deciding their employment plans after graduation, which are made more difficult because of visa limitations. Due to the constraints of student visas and the long procedures of obtaining work visas, international students are forced to make post-college decisions as early as their junior years.
Another factor shaping the close-knit international community is the inability of many students to return home for vacations throughout the year.
While most American students return home to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, many international students remain in Hanover for the duration of the holidays.
"The campus is empty, there is nothing to do [and] every dining facility is closed, so we have to rely on each other a lot for eating, entertainment," Ferraz said. "I think a lot of the solidarity among international students are built during those critical moments."
Stephen Silver, director of International Student Programs in the Office of Pluralism and Leadership, said international students at Dartmouth seek "like company and similar ideas" while also developing "lots of inroads in United States population."
"I believe that achieving some balance between spending time with fellow international students and U.S. peers is probably the healthiest way to experience Dartmouth," he said.
Leger said that although she integrated easily into the Dartmouth community, she wants Dartmouth students to learn about her home country of South Africa. She added that her experiences in South Africa and around the world have afforded her unique perspective both in the classroom and in the Dartmouth community.
"I have quite a huge perspective, knowing what it's like living in a third-world country, now living in a first-world country and also living almost in a first-world context within a third-world country," she said. "I think I am a lot more humble because of circumstances, and I've got a better understanding of what it's like not to have something because I see it around me very often."
To integrate into more mainstream Dartmouth culture, some international students choose to join a sports team.
"Most international students come here and they crash against a new culture, a new language, new people, new everything," Andres Isaza '15, a member of the men's tennis team who originally comes from Colombia, said. "I had something that's helped me get into this society, and that was my team."
Isaza, Leger who plays field hockey for the Big Green and Ferraz, a former member of the rowing team, each said they benefitted from the support system with which their respective sports teams have provided them.
"When you just arrive as a freshman in the school, everyone wants to fit in immediately in some place or niche," Ferraz said. "I feel being on a team gave me that."
The growing admissions rate of international students to Dartmouth has also made them a more visible presence on campus, Silver said.
"That's given us a core of students with direct global experience who can help impact, in subtle or not so subtle ways, the classroom environment, the social environment [and] the extracurricular involvement," he said.
He added that because Dartmouth is a uniquely welcoming community, international students often more easily find a sense of security here.
"I think that's the Dartmouth culture which makes people feel a part of it," he said. "Making friends here is easy, knowing people here is very easy. I think a lot of factors make this campus feel inclusive, rather than exclusive."
