InterVarsity's StudentSoul.org

Some of the most important and controversial people on the planet went to school in the U.S. Some fell in love with Jesus Christ through the welcoming care of believers on campus. Some never received that care. Be part of the solution.

I Was a Stranger

“I picked up my baggage and started in the direction most people were heading. I had expected someone from the college to meet me. But how could I identify the student even if I saw him? That uncertainty, plus the strange faces of people all around me, almost drove me crazy.” This quote is a common sentiment among arriving international students. “I Was a Stranger” is by a Kenyan who had a good initial experience in arriving for college here in the U.S. It’s a good read that will help you want to include plans for greeting international students as you meet people in the fall.

Building a Friendship with an International Student

After you’ve met an international student and have had an initial conversation, how do you go further? What can you do to help them get settled in and feel comfortable? This article contains simple, practical suggestions to help take your initial contact further into a friendship. There are several sections that cover topics such as “The First Contact,” “Beginning Friendship through Conversation,” “Some Suggestions for an Initial Conversation,” “Building Contacts into Friendships” and “Keeping the Friendship Growing.” If you’re looking for a practical guide to meeting and getting to know a student from another country, this is a good one to digest.

Your Cross-Cultural Journey (MS Word document download)

“Your cross-cultural experience is essentially confronting and making sense of what is different around you.” What transitions do international students face as they embark on their university experience here in the U.S.? This is a Word file of a talk delivered to international students by Lisa Espineli Chinn, InterVarsity’s Director of International Student Ministries. There is a very helpful diagram that shows the stages that international students go through, charting the highs and lows of satisfaction over time spent in their new host culture. This is probably tranferrable to American students who study abroad. While Lisa Espineli Chinn’s talk is directed toward international students, it’s also a good prep for North Americans as they learn to welcome internationals.