When Hyeji Son arrived on campus, the South Korea native found herself lost when trying to find her classes and struggled with making friends aside from her fellow Koreans. According to a recent study, Son is not alone in having difficulty transitioning to campus life.

The University is considering changes to the way it welcomes first-time international students after the International Student Barometer survey reported that foreign students are having trouble adjusting to life on campus.

Julie Misa, director of International Student and Scholar Services, said her office is looking to change its orientation program after the University ranked 16th out of 21 United States universities surveyed regarding the arrival experience of international students on campus.

Currently, international students are welcomed on campus through an “optional but highly recommended” program sponsored by ISSS. In the spring 2013 program, students learned about the services offered to them by campus programs, including the McKinley Health Center and the Career Center. Residence halls, academic units and registered student organizations also contribute to the welcome experience, according to Misa.

But the first organization that international students interact with is ISSS, which is responsible for much of the immigration documentation that must be completed by  international students.

One type of program offered to help students adjust is international student luncheons. Son said she attended one luncheon her freshman year, but low attendance and a “loose” atmosphere turned her away from the events.

The University ranked second-to-last in the welcome experience, which included getting picked up at the airport, rail station or bus station. Misa said 2012 was the first year where the University had someone stationed at Willard Airport to help students with their initial arrival to Champaign-Urbana.

Misa said it’s too early to tell which changes international students can expect in next year’s orientation program.

“Part of what we’ll be able to look into in the big data set that we’ve been given is the actual new students’ response to the questions that are specific to arrival,” Misa said. “So we need to really dig down into that and see what we might be able to do to make the orientation better for students.”

Son said her most difficult transition was on the academic side of campus. “Welcoming was fine at my dorm, but school-wise and department-wise I didn’t get any significant welcoming,” she said.

International students ranked the University last in the U.S. in class size. Son, an economics major, said she had difficulty with 100-level, introduction courses that have more than 700 students, as well as 400-level courses that don’t have teaching assistants.

Son also said she has noticed limited interaction between international students and American students, which was also noted by the survey. The University ranked second-to-last in the U.S. in international students making friends with those from the host country.

“There is a very small portion of people who hang out regardless of races,” Son said. “Speaking of my friends, they don’t feel invited. We, as international students, always feel like we are minority, and the people get really intimidated.”

Misa said the University has noted the low integration.“It looks like there could be some potential for creating a little more interactions for students, especially with students from other countries than the United States and generally making them feel welcome when they’re first arriving here.”

How the survey was conducted

The International Student Barometer Survey was conducted at 161 institutions across the world, including 21 in the United States and six Big Ten schools. The survey asked international students about all aspects of life on campus, including life, learning, arrival and support. The survey had both objective and subjective questions.

In this first year of the three-year survey at the University, 40 percent of international students participated.

Pamela Barrett, director of client relations at The International Graduate Insight Group (i-graduate), the company that conducted the survey, explained how many schools use the results.

“Generally, universities participate in the ISB to see where and how they can improve the experience of their international students,” she said. “ISB partner institutions use the survey to decide how best and where to allocate resources, as well as understanding where there are areas within the institution where things can be improved, and where there are examples of great service that can be recognized.”

“It’s a benchmarking survey,” Misa said. “But it also gives information about the institution. It is standard questions, but we are able to customize the questions so they make sense for the University of Illinois.”

Misa said ISSS is working to completely digest the information found in the survey and then make adjustments to help international students’ life on campus.

“Now, it’s important for us to really not just say we’ve done a survey and set it aside,” she said. “We need to see what’s out there and see what kind of changes we can try to have based on the survey results.”

Johnathan can be reached at hetting2@dailyillini.com.