On the whole, American students are sympathetic to the difficulties faced by some foreign students such as in connection with the expense of living in the U.S. without a family support system close by and in connection with language and cultural barriers and prejudices they sometimes face. American students also believe that many foreign students bring a more serious work ethic to school and that they are better educated in their home countries than their American counterparts. Angela Angelov (Biology, 19) said that she believed "Most of the international students have learned all of the prerequisite courses more in depth than I did here…"According to Joe Engle (Chemistry, 21), "They bring a higher work ethic because they have traveled so far to reach their goals." Ben (Engineering, 34) echoed that observation: "Foreign students seem to appreciate the opportunity more" and also that in comparison, "American students seem lazy." Some American students also suggest that foreign students enjoy better relationships with their families than might be typical of many American students and that Americans might be able to learn something from them in that regard. According to Silvia Rotela (Pre-Dental Student, 29),
"Americans students are more social with their peers and other Americans. Foreigners are more social with...
Foreigners have a close relationship with parents unlike Americans try to be more distant and independent from their parents."
Several negative themes also emerged, such as with respect to the fact that foreigners are also sometimes guilty of prejudice and discrimination in addition to being victims of it. According to Jonathan Coulter (Economics, 19), some foreign students "only talk to their own kind"; on the other hand, he also said that foreign students "help push Americans to raise their standards." They also voiced concerns that some American companies may have a preference for foreign graduates, particularly in the technical fields.
Ultimately, however, American students expressed the view that foreign students benefit the American educational community more than they take from it and that the quality and character of the American educational experience would decrease if foreign students were excluded from American education. In that regard, the views of Joe Engle (Chemistry, 21) were representative of the American students. In response to the question about the consequences of not having foreign students in his school, he said that the effects would be "Vastly negative…all students need to work and learn in a diverse environment to attain a well-rounded education."
