Sample Essay Foreign Students: Adapt or Stay Home When students from other countries decide that they want to study in an American university, the already know that they will be facing communication problems and a different education system. The adaptation process starts at the same time that the decision to study abroad is made. However, the period of integration takes different amounts of time for different people. The shorter the time that a student needs to integrate into the American culture, the greater the rewards that he or she will obtain in his or her language skills, social events and academic activities. It is clear that the only way for foreign students to improve their English speaking abilities is by talking with native American speakers. This is the very first step in the integration process. Lots of foreign students do not speak English very often because they do not get accustomed to speaking in a different language or they can easily find people with their same language in their classes(Heikinheimo & Schute, 1986). As a result, these students keep using their native language as much as possible and in this way they cannot get the fluency in English that the integrated students develop by using English constantly. Because of their English abilities, the integrated foreign students have more opportunities to participate in social activities. In some way this is directly related to their low English proficiency. Sometimes American students can feel excluded from a group of foreigners speaking a a language other than English(Heikinheimo & Schute, 1986) and as a result, the can revert this segregation against them. On the other hand, integrated students are aware of a wide variety of social activities within the campus and they learned how to enjoy the cross-cultural interchange(Kahne, 1976). In addition, they can establish friendships with lots of Americans who like to have foreign friends. An integrated student has more tools to survive in the academic war than the isolated student. Because integrated foreign students tend to socialize with American students, and like some American students, they study just a few days before the exams, and learn advanced reading skills, such as skimming and scanning, that the isolated student cannot develop(Maxwell, 1971). Also, while integrated foreign students can enter into reading groups to divide the reading assignments, isolated students have problems communicating what they read and as a result, they have difficulties in these study groups. Similarly, they have problems taking notes and "they may view American students as highly competitive, grade oriented and superficial, and, therefore, be reluctant to ask them for help"(Maxwell, 1971, p.305). For these reasons, foreign students in American universities who are reluctant to integrate into the American system are, in some degree, segregating themselves and building barriers between them and the American society. As a result, it is more difficult for them to communicate, to achieve their goals in the American education system, and to enjoy relaxing social and cultural activities. In other words, if a foreign student does not want to integrate into the American society, it will be better for him or her to stay home.