Read “Universities in the U.S. Should Offer Their Chinese Students More Cultural Assistance”.

Shi Jiannan’s essay comes out of the Spring 2018 first-year writing seminar, Writing as Inquiry. The theme for the course was “Language, Literacy, and Higher Education,” and it asked students to critically reflect on their educational and language acquisition experiences. Jiannan’s essay is a response to the final assignment prompt, which called on students to build a well-reasoned and thoroughly researched argument about a topic related to higher education.

Jiannan’s essay sheds light on how globalisation has led to radical shifts in higher education landscapes across the globe. Focusing the United States, which is home to the largest number of international students, Jiannan draws our attention to the unique acculturational challenges faced by Chinese students who choose to study in the United States. Going further, Jiannan calls on American universities to see their international students as critical assets and to assist them by offering acculturational support to facilitate their personal, professional, and academic success.

—Joshua Paiz

Teaching Assistant Professor at George Washington University

Former Lecturer in the Writing Program