By: Cindy Ou, York University
Honestly speaking, it never occurred to me that I need to get involved in York International (our International Student Services office) until I actually did. I am an international student from China who first landed in Canada a year ago. I remembered it was at the 2014 Student Center conference where I first met with international student advisors. I was so “proud” and naive to tell one of the student advisors that “I don’t need advising services because I can adjust myself to the Canadian culture very well”. He had a look of shock, and then he gave me an unforgettable answer, “then you can become a mentor to the other international students who need help.” I was speechless at that moment because I thought he was damn right. I guess this is the reason why I signed up to become a peer supporter yesterday when I got to know the peer program at York International. Indeed, in this winter semester, I am beginning to get involved in the York International and I cannot feel more alive. Here are a few reasons why student services are important for us as international students, and I will elaborate my points with personal experiences. I hope you find them useful.
1) We need somewhere to belong. As is said by my student advisor, “York University is a city within city”. Therefore, it is easy for international students to feel lost or rootless when they first came to York University. York International is like a nest/home for international students, providing significant emotional supports. I remembered, during my first semester at York University, which happened to be a freezing cold winter, I felt so lonely and helpless that I only spent time with books in the library or my single room. It was not until I started questioning my purpose of coming to Canada (which is to experience different cultures and learn the language), I literally had to force myself to go out to more events, such as the 2014 Student Center conference. Yesterday, I went to the “coffee hour with student advisor” event organized by York International, and was having an amazing time with a number of extrovert international students from various cultural backgrounds. I hate to admit that I really wished I had gotten involved earlier.
2) Student advising: The door to other doors. Student advising is also a useful “yellowpage” for new international students. Acting like a piece of blank paper, new international students usually have no knowledge on the student services that they can enjoy. In my case, I remembered spending numerous hours talking to peers and doing research online to finally figure out the functions of different “centers” on the campus. Now I realize you may just book a half an hour appointment with the international student advisor and problems can be solved in a more efficient way. In addition, York International organizes a lot of workshops or events in cooperation with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the York career center to provide information regarding immigration and job seeking in Canada.
3) International Student Peer Program: A sharing and learning platform. As the only international student from China in my department, I always felt lonely-as I thought no one could actually understand what I went through. Now, I am already a second year student and am delighted to share my experiences with those new international students from China. Unfortunately, I am still the only Chinese in my department. I am happy to learn about the International Student Peer Program at York International, which gives me an opportunity to get to know peers from China and other places as well. Having a mentor with the same cultural background is important as you will have a clearer sense of how to position yourself in a multicultural society. If I have been able to see further, it was only because I stood on the shoulders of my predecessors.
However, it is equally essential to have mentors from the local culture. If friends from your same culture could bring with you emotional supports, domestic friends will help you better integrate into the Canadian society. As international students from non-Canadian culture, it is normal for us to encounter cultural shocks or even language barriers, and thus more communications with domestic students is very beneficial. I think this is also where the International Student Peer Program can further advance itself.
4) International student advisor: A good listener. Sometimes, we simply need someone to talk to. I mentioned above that I was suffering loneliness and helplessness at the first semester, to the extent that I even tried to contact psychologists for help. Indeed, international student advisors play the role of good listeners. I regret that my advisor and I could not meet each other earlier.
If you are a new international student, don’t hesitate to go to the international student center at your institution. It is also never too late for upper year students to get involved as you can become an amazing peer supporter for the new students. Last, I do encourage domestic students to join the international student community as you will have a lot to share and learn.
For information about York International at York University (Toronto), please visit: http://yorkinternational.yorku.ca/
For International Student Peer Program offered by York International, please visit: http://yorkinternational.yorku.ca/international-student-support/peerprogram/