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news
CSULB
attracts overseas students
By Ako Sakurai
On-line Forty-Niner
The Californian
sun and good educational institutions have attracted many
international students to come and study in the state of California.
Cal State Long Beach is no exception.
For the 2000-2001 school year, CSULB ranked 5th in the nation
for the number of international students among other graduate
degree granting institutions, according to "Open Door
Report," an annual survey publication that studies international
programs.
The publication is sponsored by the Institution of International
Education, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and
Admission Officers and National Association of Foreign Student
Affairs.
"We are very pleased to have international students on
campus," said Paul Lewis, director of the Center for
International Education. "It is not only students who
benefit [by having many international students on campus]
but the campus climate. They add different cultural points
of view."
Excellent academic programs and good services at CSULB attract
international students.
Many international students, as well as students around the
nation, are also attracted to CSULB and other Southern California
schools due to the location, Lewis said.
"California is the leading state of destination of international
students," said Lewis.
According to "Open Door Report," about 75,000 international
students are studying in the state of California.
Los Angeles County has about 25,000 international students,
making it the top county in the nation in terms of number
of students from other countries.
CSULB had 1,457 international students in the fall 2000 semester,
for a total of 4.7 percent of the total student population.
"I am very satisfied with the system at CSULB,"
said Mariwan Mahmod, a computer science major from Sweden.
Mahmod cited the diversity and the lack of a crowd as his
reasons for liking CSULB.
"In many countries of the world, there are simply not
enough number of universities to accommodate students,"
Lewis said.
Joselina Sutoyo from Indonesia said that her reason for studying
at CSULB is her major -- graphic design. In her country, only
one university in the capital offers a graphic design degree.
Another minor reason international students are attracted
to Southern California is the existence of many ethnic communities
in the area, Lewis said. If students miss their language,
food or the feel of their own culture, ethnic communities
are available to make them feel comfortable.
The number of the international students studying in the United
States is increasing every year. At CSULB for the past five
years, numbers are increasing between the rate of 5 and 10
percent.
"We anticipate that this increase will continue for the
foreseeable future," Lewis said.
According to the "Open Door Report," a majority
of international students get their money from their family.
"A lot of times, people who are not familiar with international
students think that a great majority of international students
get their money from their government," Lewis satd.
However, according to the report, 67 percent of students are
supported by their family and only 4 percent of them are supported
by the government, Lewis said.
"International students are serious students," Lewis
said. "They understand that their family is paying a
lot for their tuition, and they feel a sense of responsibility
for their family and for themselves."
Also, international students are bringing in a large amount
of money to the United States and California, Lewis said.
For 2000-2001, international students brought in $1.5 billion
to California.
For the same type of institutions, City University of New
York, Baruch College ranked first in the nation, followed
by San Francisco State University, Hawaii Pacific University,
and University of Texas at El Paso.
Each year, the Institution of International Education sends
a survey form to more than 2,700 accredited U.S. institutions,
asking for statistical data of international students attending
the institution. According to IIE, they had about 92 percent
response for the year's survey.
"They get very high return. It's worth our time and effort
to fill in the survey," Lewis said.
For the 2000-2001 year, the top three majors among international
students nationwide were business and management, engineering,
and mathematics and computer sciences. The top three leading
nations of origin nationwide are China,10.9 percent, India,
10 percent, and Japan ,8.5 percent.
"The United States also has a popular culture that students
from many countries are attracted to," Lewis said. "Students
want to come to the United States because it's the United
States."
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