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Who Goes Where and Why: An Overview and Analysis of Global

Educational Mobility.Caroline Macready and Clive Tucker (2011). New York:IIE and AIFS Foundation. ISBN-13: 978-0-87206-342-6, $39.95, pp. 154

Reviewed by Krishna Bista,Arkansas State University (USA)

The number of international studentsand scholars studying and working ina culture beyond their own has signif-icantly increased in past few years.The mobility of students and scholarsbring a diverse and global education-al exchange of cultures, ideas, and

technological innovations to the culture of colleges anduniversities. In this context, Who Goes Where and Why,written by Caroline Macready and Clive Tucker (2011),is a significant contribution to the field of internationalstudent mobility and study abroad. In this book, theauthors analyze the trends of students on why and howthey study overseas, and how the national policies ofhosting and sending countries affect the decisions ofthose mobile students. The authors also describe theExchange Visitor Program in the United States by ana-lyzing the 2010 data from the U.S. Department of State’sBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The book is organized into two parts. The first partincludes five chapters on global educational mobilityand the second part deals with international studentmobility in the United States. Chapter 1 describes thephysical flows of internationally mobile students acrossnational borders. Based on the Open Doors data, thischapter answers the question “Why is student mobilityimportant?” from the perspectives of students, hostinginstitutions and national governments. Chapter 2reviews international mobility at the tertiary level in theUnited States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Franceand other several countries where students pursue high-er education. This chapter also includes recent trends inorigins and destinations of international students in Asia,North America, Europe, Arab States, and Africa.

Chapter 3 presents information on global studentmobility in non-tertiary education i.e. mobility at uppersecondary school level, post-secondary school level, andmobility of teachers, staff, and scholars in non-tertiaryeducation into the United States, the United Kingdom,Australia and other non-European countries. Chapter 4examines “push factors,” “anti-push factors,” and “pullfactors” to understand why students move and how theychoose oversea destinations. The authors mention threepush factors in student mobility. First, students do notfind the quality program at home country. Second,young students wish to study “to broaden cultural andintellectual horizons and improve job prospects” (p. 42).Third, students and scholars choose study abroad toposition themselves for the next stage of education orwork. Similarly, challenges that students face such asfinancial impediments or visa difficulties are taken asanti-push factors. For majority of students, pull factorsare associated with their study abroad elements such asquality of study and work opportunities, affordable cost,internationally recognized qualifications, helpful visaarrangements and so forth.

Chapter 5 looks at the impact of national policies of15 of the top destination and sending countries, and howthese policies impact college students’ decisions onwhere to study. The featured 15 countries are from Asia(China, India and Japan), Europe (UK, France,Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden), Oceania(Australia and New Zealand) and Africa (South Africa).The authors mention the U.S. internationalization poli-cies, as an instance of a helpful policy to host the high-est numbers international students in the United States.They write, “Overseas students are encouraged to cometo the U.S. by EducationUSA, a global network ofAdvisors supported by the U.S. Department of State’sBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs” (p. 57).Based on the study of Bhandari, Belyavina andGutierrez (2011), this chapter presents the nationalpolicies in the selected fifteen countries as “helpful”and “unhelpful” policies. Helpful or unhelp policieswere examined on the basis of inbound/outbound stu-dent mobility, provided practical information, financialsupports, alumni networks, and international

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collaborative education ventures.In part two, the authors present a country study in

which they choose and observe inward educationalmobility in the United States. In the first section, theauthors outline the U.S. visa systems (student visa, F-1; exchange student visa, J-1 or vocational training stu-dent visa, M-1) for international students who are doc-umented as alien non-resident (without a U.S. passportor a permanent resident card). The second sectionreports total international students in American col-leges and universities, their study levels and field ofstudies, and the top 20 sending countries by year andstudy level. The authors bring most of statistics anddata for this section from the Open Doors 2010 inwhich China, India and South Korea are the leadingcountries for sending students to the United States. Thefinal section deals with 15 types of the ExchangeVisitor Programs into several scheme groups: Au Pairs,Camp Counselors, Summer Work/Travelers,Secondary School Students, College and UniversityStudents, Professors and Teachers, Research Scholars,Short-term Scholars, Trainees, and Interns.

Macready and Tucker provide a global picture ofwhy and how students are attracted to several overseasdestinations for higher study in various parts of theworld. With illustrations, tables, figures and chartsfrom the latest data on international students, this bookis a helpful resource material for international students,scholars, faculty, staff members and researchers of stu-dent mobility.

ReferencesBhandari, R., Belyavina, R., & Gutierrez, R. (2011).

Student mobility and the internationalization of higher education: National policies and strategies from six world regions—A Project Atlas ® report. New York, NY: Institute of International Education.

Chow, P., & Bhandari, R. (2010). Open Doors 2010: Report on international educational exchange. New York, NY: Institute of International Education.

___________________________About the Reviewer:Krishna Bista is founder of Journal of InternationalStudents. He works at the Center for Excellence inEducation, Arkansas State University. His interests areglobal and comparative education, learning styles,international student affairs, and English as a SecondLangauge. E-mail: Krishna.Bista@gmail.com.

Second Language Learning: CulturalAdaptation Processes in International

Graduate Students in U.S. Universities.Virginia Gonzalez (2004), University Press ofAmerica ISBN-13: 978-0761827900, $ 42.99

Reviewed by Mariella Espinoza Herold, Northern Arizona University (USA)

The impact of globalization, therapid technical advancements, andthe access to educational opportu-nities have attracted large numbersof bright international students to

study in the United States. Graduate and undergraduateinternational students as well as foreign-born facultyare now visible in American higher education institu-tions.

American educators and administrators in highereducation are working toward strengthening and inter-nationalizing their curricula, becoming leading educa-tional knowledge networks, and developing peopleable to think and work on a global basis. Internationalstudents and foreign-born scholars enrich learningcommunities at the national and international levels,and bring new perspectives on globally shared prob-lems in addition to experiencing being a financial gainfor America institutions.

Many first time international students encountertremendous challenges to adjust to a new society, andto effectively socialize and to succeed academicallyinto the culture of American universities. In this con-text, Gonzalez’s book Second Language Learning:Cultural Adaptation Processes in InternationalGraduate Students in U.S. Universities, insightfullyexamines this problem. As a former international stu-dent herself, who had to adapt to a new culture and lan-guage, Gonzalez brings an authentic insider perspec-tive to describe what constitutes a successful adapta-tion to the American college culture.

Grounded in psychology frameworks and employ-ing utilizing both qualitative and survey data of inter-national students’ experiences, Gonzalez powerfullyargues against reductionist college admission criteria,which solely relies on standardized scores to measurestudents’ linguistic and cultural “readiness” and back-ground experiences.

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Chapter 2 deals with several social and culturalfactors (language, adjustment) affecting the culturaladaptation of international students. As a former inter-national graduate student myself and later, as aninstructor of international graduate students at theUniversity of Arizona’s Center for English as a SecondLanguage, I can identify and agree with the thoroughreview of existing literature in the field. Chapter 3deals with the adoption of English as a second lan-guage of international students in an academic envi-ronment. Chapter 5 presents a study showing the effectof personality and identity factors on the adaptationprocess of international graduate students to theAmerican college culture.

Test scores alone (as the Test of English as aForeign Language–TOEFL, or the Graduate RecordExamination–GRE) do very little to predict graduateinternational students’ cultural adaptation to a newsociety and language, and by no means are an accuratepredictor of academic success. Based on interviewswith international student participants, the sojourns'difficulties in academic performance and social adapta-tion to the university culture seem to lie in the externallocus of control variables. That is the environment orcontextual factors, such as the interpersonal relationsand social interactions between students and Americancollege professors or advisors, and foremost their lackof familiarity with bureaucratic paperwork and admin-istrative procedures, with academic expectations, andwith an academic cultural system which seems toemphasize production, individual competition, andspeed in accomplishing tasks and products. All thesecontextual factors, stemming from social and culturalcontexts, negatively affect international students’ aca-demic achievement in the American universities.

As the findings of the survey research study, pre-sented in Chapter 5, show for American colleges tomeet the genuine needs of international students, theymust provide a well-rounded support program to ini-tialize and mentor graduate international students tobecome familiar with the American college culture,and the general American society culture, and universi-ty norms and regulations. Most important, Americancolleges must provide support resources for interna-tional graduate students to develop strategies tobecome familiar with the American cultural values andbeliefs. The keys to improve educational programs andincrease academic performance for all internationalgraduate students in American universities are notfound in test scores, but in the knowledge that can onlybe gleaned from students’ personal and cultural per-

spectives as those shared in this book.In short, Gonzalez (2004) masterfully demon-

strates the fact that knowledge of the English languageper se is not the only predictor of academic success forinternational graduate students studying in the UnitedStates. Instead, ability to adapt to the social and aca-demic American college culture is a key for interna-tional students to develop academic and social Englishlanguage proficiency leading to academic achieve-ment. Her book offers a compelling argument support-ing this key point, through the use of statistical and richdescriptive data, which is supported by a very completeand critical literature review. Together the chapters ofGonzalez’s book highlight wide gaps for the case ofgraduate international students between American col-lege admission procedures and the requirements andcultural expectations present in academic programs ofstudies. These gaps negatively impact internationalgraduate students’ academic achievement becausethere is no support for them to develop linguistic andcultural adaptation. In summary, this publicationserves as a source of opportunities to create better andmore attractive programs in the American universitiesfor graduate international students that will be increas-ingly intertwined with the global village._____________________________About the Reviewer:Dr. Espinoza-Herold is a faculty at Northern ArizonaUniversity. She has participated in teacher profession-al development projects and initiatives in the areas ofeffective schooling for culturally-diverse student popu-lations. She has also served as faculty at the Universityof Arizona. She was the recipient of two Fulbrightawards and a Sasakawi award. Her awards and fel-lowship allowed her to observe educational systems inJapan, China, Europe and Latin America.

126Journal of International Students

International Students in AmericanColleges and Universities: A History.

Bevis, T. B. & Lucas, C. J. (2007). New York, NY:Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN-13: 978-0-230-60011-9.279 pp., $86.63.

Reviewed by Ling Gao LeBeau, IndianaUniversity at Bloomington (USA).

International Students in AmericanColleges and Universities: A Historyprovides a comprehensive historical

overview of international student exchange in the U.S.The purpose of this book is to trace the history of inter-national students in institutions of American highereducation by enumerating why and how internationalstudents have studied in the U.S. since the 18th centu-ry. It also provides an overview of international stu-dents’ impact on American higher education and socie-ty. International educators will not only obtain histori-cal knowledge of international students but alsobecome enlightened about the field of internationaliza-tion.

Written in a chronological order, the book opens upwith a brief overview of how students have travelled toforeign regions primarily in Europe, such as ancientGreece, to learn in premodern times. In subsequentchapters, Bevis and Lucas trace the emergence of inter-national students and describe how and why interna-tional students came to the U.S. Through data collect-ed from historical primary sources, they analyze issuespertaining to population change, such as immigrationpolicy, global competition, and political movements inforeign countries, among other factors.

The book focuses on reasons to support interna-tional students that started in the early 1900s. Today,supporting international students remains an importantworking area for student service professionals figuringout the best ways to facilitate cultural adjustment andEnglish language training, among other dilemmas. Thebook also describes two essential organizations bornduring international students’ proliferation in the early1900s: the Institute of International Education (IIE)and the National Association of Foreign StudentAdvisers (NAFSA, now called the NationalAssociation of International Educators).

World War I and World War II, the GreatDepression, the Cold War, and their aftermath are theprimary world events that Bevis and Lucas describe in

the book as being related to the development of inter-national student exchange. Bevis and Lucas acknowl-edge the critical role that immigration regulationsplayed for visiting and international students and schol-ars. Their illuminating account begins with the ChineseExclusion Act of 1882 and continues with theMcCarran-Walter Act of 1952, which profoundlyaffected student migration to the U.S. The McCarran-Walter Act made international students’ visa processingmore complex and presented more challenges. In thelate 1950s, as immigration regulation eased, academicinstitutions planned to expand international studentenrollment.

Bevis and Lucas also highlight the growing abilityof community colleges to attract foreign students in the1980s. By the end of 20th century, the international stu-dent enrollment percentage was the highest in commu-nity colleges, compared to other institutions.

The final section of this book concludes thatincreasing global competition in the late 20th centuryhas promoted the internationalization of Americanhigher education. Increasing U.S. visa restrictions anda less welcoming attitude towards non-Americansdrove international students to study in English-speak-ing countries other than the U.S. The 9/11 attacks alsoled to more restricted visa issuance policies and ulti-mately precipitated a temporary decline in internation-al student enrollment.

In its epilogue, the book presents Harvard econom-ics professor George J. Borjas and NAFSA internation-al educators’ debate about the rationale for supportinginternational students. Borjas questions whether such alarge-scale foreign program is in the best interests ofthe U.S. because of what it costs the U.S.. Meanwhile,NAFSA calls for an elevation of international educa-tion as a national priority to attract the world’s talentsin order to restore U.S. competiveness. This topic iscurrently lively in the field of campus internationaliza-tion.

The epilogue presents perspectives from NAFSAand Borjas in a balanced and impartial way. Since itsestablishment, NAFSA has been the leading advocatefor raising awareness about the importance of U.S.international competence in attracting more interna-tional scholars. Borjas criticizes the little control thatthe Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) hashad over the number and type of students who arebeing admitted (the INS has since developed a tremen-dously improved electronic tracking system); he com-pares a student visa to a ticket to the U.S. Borjasargues that there is little evidence to support the claim

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that international students employed in research labsand classrooms have quickened the pace of scientificdiscoveries and assisted with scientific teaching. Heretorts the claim that international students’ tuition hascontributed to the U.S. economy with figures showingthat the U.S. actually subsidizes international students’education with taxpayers’ money. Most importantly,Borjas blames the INS for advancing national securityproblems by allowing an influx of international stu-dents. As the authors have declared earlier in the book,the book does not comment on the significance of thesubject. It only showcases the arguments from bothsides.

This book covers a hyperbolic gap in the field ofinternational education research with respect to inter-national student exchange. As Bevis and Lucas indicatein the preface, this study “certainly seems long over-due” (p.xiii) given that no book-length works over thepast 37 years have been generated about internationalstudents in American colleges and universities, despitetheir rapidly growing number, the economic contribu-tion of their tuition and expenses, and the impacts theyhave made to scientific development of the U.S. Forprofessionals who work with international students,this is definitely a must-read.

In its attempt to review the history of internationalstudents, the book touches lightly on the majority ofother aspects about international students’ experiences,including immigration regulations, financial grants,government policies related to student exchange, stu-dent recruitment initiatives, programs designed andadministered on campus for newly arrived students,students’ adjustment to American culture and academ-ic environment, English language training, and therecent controversy over international students’ veryexistence. Although it does not illuminate all theseissues in extensive detail, it generates a comprehensiveblueprint of the field. This book does not try to analyzeinternational students’ general significance in U.S.higher education and society and only provides a nar-rative and historical review.

The strength of this book is its collection of inter-national student enrollment census information from areliable source, IIE Open Doors, from a variety of piv-otal historical periods in order to indicate changes ininternational students’ enrollment. The statistics andquantitative data presented from the late 19th and early20th centuries are especially valuable. Although thebook does not advance a large number of profound the-ories, it brings comprehensive analysis to bear on his-torical and current international policies and programs.

Its focus is on international educators engaged inresearch about campus internationalization.Practitioners who are looking for ways to revamp inter-national education models within their institutions nowhave access to a more thorough understanding of theirhistory and can reflect on what they have done.However, the book does contain a few minor flaws. Forexample, the format of foreign nationals’ names is notconsistent through the book. A couple of historicalevents from foreign countries also are not clearly stat-ed. For example, Bevis and Lucas write that “Chinawas defeated by Japan in 1895” (p. 63), without offer-ing any clear context to help readers understand thatpiece of history. In addition, a chart on page 197 abouttypes of student visas presents incomplete and mis-leading information on the J-1 visa type. The authorsprimarily use “foreign students” to designate studentsfrom other countries who pursue higher education inthe U.S. on a student visa. Although they clearly statewhy they use this term at the beginning, it soundsunpleasant and biased compared to that used in themainstream: international student.

Overall, this book is beneficial and informative forprofessionals in the field of international higher educa-tion, specifically those who work with internationalstudents. It will allow those professionals to review thehistory of their field, reflect on their work practices,and have a deeper understanding of current policiesand programs related to international students._____________________About the Reviewer:Ling Gao LeBeau is a doctoral student in HigherEducation at Indiana University. LeBeau’s researchareas include: campus internationalization; curricu-lum internationalization; foreign language teacherdevelopment; foreign language learner engagement;international faculty development. E-mail:llebeau@indiana.edu

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Higher Education and International StudentMobility in the Global Knowledge Economy. Gürüz, Kemal (2008). Albany, State University of NewYork: SUNY Press.

Reviewed by Darla Fletcher, Arkansas State University (USA)

In the context of internationalizationand globalization of higher educa-tion, Kemal Gürüz’s book, HigherEducation and International StudentMobility in the Global KnowledgeEconomy, explores contributions

made by international students and scholars in highereducation from a historical perspective. A native ofTurkey, Gürüz studied and worked for a while atHarvard University and the State University of NewYork in the United States. He presents the internation-al mobility of students and scholars with in-depth his-torical, cultural and socio-economical perspectives.Gürüz highlights global knowledge economy, institu-tional patterns of higher education, enrollments, gover-nance, and recent changes in higher education of sev-eral countries in this book.

The book is designed into six chapters. Chapter 1defines “global knowledge economy” as academicmobility in higher education. He presents historicallythe role of capitalism in global knowledge economy asit drives “virtuous cycle of innovation, reward, andreinvestment” (12). Similarly, “international studentmobility” refers to students studying in a foreign coun-try in which Gürüz focuses on social, cultural, andpolitical perspectives these students bring with in inter-nationalization of higher education.

In Chapter 2, Gürüz analyzes educational attain-ment of emigrants and value of education historicallywith data on enrollment and demand in higher educa-tion from various countries. Chapter 3 concerns withhow globalization has affected finance, administrationand governance of both public and private universitiesacross the globe. Chapter 4 shows compares and con-trasts technology-driven non-profit, for-profit, privateand public higher education. Gürüz presents a detailedhistory of open universities established in the UK, theUSA, India, Cyprus, Thailand, and in other variousparts of the world and profit they make over the years.

Chapter 5 presents the globalization and internal-ization of higher education in the Greco-Roman andMuslim worlds, in the medieval times, and in the nine-teenth and twentieth centuries. This chapter also dealswith the recently emerged rationales of the modern

American universities that are driving the internationalhigher education in the US and across the globe. Theauthor also mentions the Bologna process, a commit-ment by ministers responsible for higher educationfrom European countries. History of European HigherEducation Area (EHEA) and the Bologna Process arepresented as a transformation of the global knowledgeeconomy in Europe.

Chapter 6 deals with “international student mobili-ty” in global context including major host countriesand origins of foreign students. Using data from theGlobal Education Digest and The Atlas of StudentMobility, figures and tables are illustrated to presentnumber of foreign students’ enrollment and top hostcountries in the world. Gürüz presents individual coun-try reports of international students studying in the US,the UK, Germany, France as well as other parts of Asiaand the Middle East. At the end of this chapter, theauthor also reports the advantages and disadvantages ofbrain drain and skilled immigration and its impact onglobal economy and education.

One of the strength of this book is that it capturesthe historical essence of international academic mobil-ity that contributes to the development of science andtechnology and innovation in teaching and learning.Mobile students and scholars bring cultures, languages,curricula, organizations and traditions with them whenthey choose overseas for higher education. In this con-text of cross border education, Gürüz’s book adds avalue in global and comparative educational domain.This book also puts a pre-caution on challenges andrisks in a long run when students after studying do notreturn home country. Many institutions of higher edu-cation throughout the world have been attracting stu-dents for study abroad and this book visualize the gapbetween “knowledge-producing countries” and“knowledge-seeking students.”

The weakness of this book is that it fails to capturethe current demand of the international student mobili-ty. From the historical perspectives on internationaliza-tion and globalization, this book includes several olddata and figures on international students and enroll-ment trends. Overall, this book contributes to the histo-ry of international student mobility from an interna-tional comparative perspective. ___________________________About the Reviewer:Darla Fletcher earned her doctorate in educationalleadership from Arkansas State University. Her inter-ests are in issues and concerns of international stu-dents, technical writing and higher education.

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Between Speaking and Silence: A Study of Quiet Students.

Mary M. Reda. New York: SUNY Press, 2009.Reviewed by Charlotte Foster, Western Missouri State University

Through a precise analysis of writtenreflections and interviews, Mary M.Reda examines perceptions of speak-ing and silent students in her bookBetween Speaking and Silence. Using

her first-year composition class for observation, sheexplores major elements of students’ decisions to speakor be silent frequently depend on teachers, classroomrelationships, and students’ senses of identity.

Reda has organized the book into seven chap-ters. Chapter 1 presents contexts, participants, dataanalysis, and brief introductions for each chapter.Chapters 2 and 3 track the history of silence in the exist-ing body of literature from various perspectives. Shedefines the contexts of silence with monologues andnarratives as “the power of speech” (p. 26), and shenotes the relationship of “the power of speech” betweenstudent and teacher in the context of the classroom. Sheacknowledges that those students not being able tospeak in the class are highly affected by particular con-texts of class, race, and culture. Reda believes that anx-iety about student silence in any professional situationis also controlled by “difficult classroom situations andthe unjust power relations”(p. 48) between teachers andstudents. Chapter 4 offers context for a study that tookplace at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst,and includes profiles of five participants (American andnon-Americans). Through individual case studies-- ofwritten reflections of five students and her own journalsfrom the first-year composition classes, Reda examinesthe relationship between speaking and silence in theclassroom.

Chapter 5 illustrates teachers’ perspectives onprofessionalism, and examines how teachers shouldengage students in discussions with regard to student-teacher relationships. Perceptions of students whochoose whether to speak or to be silent in the classdepend upon the student-teacher relationship and class-room pedagogy, according to Reda. Chapter 6 exploresa critical reading of silent students through the lenses of“identity” and “community.” Identity refers to the typesof students “seeing themselves” as naturally shy, quiet,or with confidence (or lack of it) in the classroom.Community refers to “hearing responses” from other

students so that those students who are shy or have lowself-esteem can speak up in discussions. Reda bridgesthe gap between silent and speaking students throughthe concepts of identity and community. She alsobelieves that “Silent cannot—and should not—simplybe equated with not knowing” (p. 127).

Embracing silence in teaching, Reda in Chapter7, concludes that silence in the classroom is not a prob-lem. Instead, Reda suggests that the notion of silence isan “internal dialogue” that is a zone between speakingand silence where students develop a form of participa-tion in the academic conversation. For this, Reda callssilence “the space of engagement.” She believes thatstudent reflections on their experiences in the classroomdepend upon a “sense of what is safe and comfortable inthe classroom” (p. 173), as well as depending upon top-ics, number of students in groups, and teachers.

Studies show that international students do notparticipate in classroom discussion largely because oftheir cultural backgrounds, lack of written and spokenEnglish, and lack of knowledge of academic require-ments and culture (Harumi, 2010). In addition to inter-national students, silence among American students orstudents in English-speaking contexts elsewhere is anormal phenomenon in the classroom and requires theattention of teachers.

One of the strengths of Reda's book, BetweenSpeaking and Silence, is that she suggests several prac-tical solutions to address the issue of silent students inclassrooms, such as creating a range of speaking situa-tions (including small groups, lower-stake real conver-sations), focusing on the development of the classroom-community, and providing more opportunities forreflective silence within classes. This book is importantreading for not only classroom teachers of first-yearcollege students, but also for parents and administrators,in order to better understand many firmly held beliefsabout quiet students in the classrooms and possible sug-gestions to address this issue in institutions of highereducation.

ReferenceHarumi, S. (2010). Classroom silence: Voices from

Japanese EFL learners. English LanguageTeaching Journal, 65(1), 1-10.

___________________About the Reviewer:Charlotte Foster earned her doctorate in Educationfrom Arkansas State University. Currently she is facultyat MWSU, and teaches multicultural education andmath education. She can be reached atcharfos67@gmail.com

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Succeeding as an international studentin the United States and Canada.Charles Lipson (2008). Chicago & London:

University of Chicago Press. ISBN-13:978-0-226-48479-2. $17.00 pp. 379Reviewed byAmrita Bhandari, InternationalFaith Theology Seminary (USA)

In Succeeding as an InternationalStudent in the United States andCanada, the author, Charles Lipson,provides an informative guide tocampus life for both undergraduate

and graduate foreign students who are interested inpursuing their studies for the first time inthe institu-tions of higher education in the United States andCanada. His intention is that this book can serve as “afriendly, informative guide, one that helps you succeedin your classes, labs, and everyday activities” (p. xvi).

The book is organized into three parts withseveral chapters that focused on one or two issues thatinternational students in the U.S. need to consider. Part1 “Moving Here,” covers the first three chapters dis-cussing how international students come to the U.S. orCanada, what they should bring with them, whichthings they will need to purchase shortly after arrival,and who they should meet just after arrival.Chapters 1 and 2 suggest a list of things that interna-tional students need to know, such as tips for preparingfor visa interviews, packing carry-on bags and regularluggage, and bringing essential college documents,health records, passports, and traveler’s checks withthem. Chapter 3 discusses the first ten things interna-tional students should do after they arrive in the U.S. orCanada, such as arranging housing, meeting with theinternational student advisor, getting college identifi-cation cards, setting up a bank account, obtainingphone service, and so on.

The next six chapters in Part 2, “Succeeding atYour University,” discuss the most important collegeissues. Improving English proficiency is the mostimportant aspect for many international students ifEnglish is not their first language. Chapters 4 and 5discuss faculty-student-staff relationships on campusand proficiency in the four essential skills of Englishlanguage—listening, reading, writing, and speakingfor academic success. Lipson writes, “Speak up, evenif you speak with an accent.” (p. 32).

Chapter 6 explains the importance of creativi-ty for students in U.S. and Canadian educational set-tings. Creativity includes expressing their own view-points in papers, class discussion, research, and learn-ing the rules of academic dishonesty. Chapter 7 dis-cusses opportunities for graduate international studentsto work as teaching assistants, research assistants, orgraduate assistants, and their responsibilities in teach-ing course sections or assisting faculty with research inthe university settings.

Chapter 8 deals with how students shouldavoid plagiarism, cheating, and improper work docu-mentation while writing research papers. Academichonesty is a major concern for everyone at the univer-sity. This section also describes the expectations of fac-ulty in a university setting. Chapter 9 describes the aca-demic culture in higher education in the U.S. andCanada, discussing topics such as informality, facultyoffice hours, faculty-student relationships, showing upon time, academic ranks and hierarchy, study groups,individual creativity, same-sex relationships, diversity,and so on. This chapter helps international studentsunderstand how to deal with new academic environ-ments.

Part 3, “Living in the United States andCanada,” includes 16 chapters. Each one deals with aspecific issue, such as how to get an identification card,set up a bank account, find a doctor, use public trans-portation, work on and off campus, learn to drive a car,and deal with problems. The last section of the bookincludes a college glossary, acronyms, nicknames, hol-idays, and clothing sizes that are mostly used in theU.S. and Canada. For example, “adjunct professor” isthe title given to those who are not regular faculty buthired to teach specific course; ABD stands for “all butdissertation.” The author also includes a table of U.S.and Canadian holidays, with brief explanations of howand when they are observed.

Succeeding as an International Student is awell-written and essential handbook of information forinternational students. Lipson provides very detailedpractical advice to help students truly immerse them-selves in their campuses and communities._____________________

About the Reviewer:Amrita Bhandari is a graduate international student atInternational Faith Theological Seminary in TeachingEnglish as a Foreign Language (M.Ed.) program. Herresearch is on English language anxiety among bilin-gual speakers in Asian countries. Her email: bhan-dari.amrita@gmail.com.

Tibetan MustangFrom the top: Buddha Amoghasiddhi, Mani Wall, Sheaves and Window, Tibetan Village, Tibetan ChortensCave Temple Prayer Flags. Source: Kenneth Parker with permission (kennethparkar.com)

Spring 2012 AuthorsAmrita BhandariCharlotte Foster

D. Mike McDanielDarla Fletcher

G. Daniel HowardJames F. ScorzelliJonathan OwenJulie J. Isaacson

Krishna BistaLing Gao LeBeau

Mariella Espinoza HeroldNoparat Tananuraksakul

Prathyusha KalavalaRichard Neeley

Ting LiYoung-Kyung Min

Zheng Zhu

Editor-in-ChiefKrishna Bista

Arkansas State University

Contact AddressJournal of International StudentsPO Box 1270 State University

AR 72467 USAE-mail: center.asu@gmail.com

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Advisory Board Amany Saleh, Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, Arkansas State UniversityDon Jones, Director of Admissions & Student Services, Belhaven University

George Foldesy, Professor of Education & Director, Center for Excellence in EducationRuss Hannah, Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance, Arkansas State University

Associate EditorsBrandy Stone, Charlotte Foster, Kerri Bennett, Pamela Shultz, Sanoya Amienyi,

Sheena Terrell, Sara McNeil, William Lange, Arkansas State University, USAShyam Thapa, Reference Manager

Copy Editors Elizabeth F. Hallmark, PhD, University of Rochester, NY, USA

Keri Dutkiewicz, PhD, Davenport University, USAMelissa Sue Mincic, PhD, innovation Research & Training, Inc, USA

Miguel Lopez, EdD, California State University, USARolf Holtz, PhD, Troy University,Troy Campus, USA

Sandria Officer, PhD, University of Toronto, ON, Canada

Reviewers Azia Asgari, University of Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Charles R. Harris, Missouri Southern State University, USAChristopher Bond, Roehampton University Business School, UK

Huei-Chen Yeh, St. John's University, TaiwanJason Hoi Yuen Chan, University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA

Lisa Kahle-Piasecki, University of Toledo, Ohio, USANilay Yildirim, Syracuse University, NY, USARui Cheng, Nazareth College, New York, USA

Reza Pishghadam, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, IranTeresa Johnson, The Ohio State University, USA

Wendy K. Tam Cho, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Printed with the Support of

The Office of International ProgramsArkansas State University

Nepalese Student Association