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International becomes national

The Commuter

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

International student Mohammad Sharifpoor. Photo by Brittany Reynolds

Brittany Reynolds
The Commuter

Mohammad Sharifpoor, a student from Iran, traveled nearly 7,500 miles to attend classes at Linn-Benton Community College.

“I learned about LBCC from my brother who goes to Oregon State University. I also have a friend who is in their second year here. I chose LBCC because I plan on transferring to OSU, but coming here is cheaper to start with,” Sharifpoor said.

There are currently 26 international students attending LBCC, two of which are in the duel-enrollment program with OSU.

The students hail from Japan, South Korea, Ghana, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Libya, Egypt, Iran, England, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Canada and China.

To be admitted into LBCC, international students need to fill out a detailed application. Proficiency in English is required and the student needs to have taken a TOEFL test with a score of 500 or above, graduated from a U.S. high school, or have taken and passed the IELTS with a minimum score of 6.0 or above.

The number of international students in the United States has dropped due to an increase in security since the tragedy of 9/11. All of the students’ information is sent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. If a student or their family moves, it must be reported within 10 days.

On the plus side, international students that attend LBCC can get their general education classes completed and then transfer to other universities to earn their degree.

“In some countries, the American degree is prized,” said Christine Baker, LBCC student outreach coordinator.

Even though the United States is no longer the number one country for international students, it has not fallen far behind. It comes in at fourth place, trailing behind Britain, New Zealand and Australia.

Although there are a lot of positive aspects for international students, there are a few down sides. Tuition is increased, making the price $200 per credit instead of the $74 for domestic students. In addition, they are not eligible for financial aid, must prove they have the year’s tuition in a bank, must have insurance and must choose a major.

According to Baker, international students aren’t the only ones who benefit from studying at LBCC.

“Having international students is also good for domestic students. Interacting with them opens their eyes to different cultures. It also changes views and it’s very exciting,” Baker said.

Students are not the only people to visit LBCC. The Vocational Education Leadership Training Program, or VELT, ran by Bill Thallemer, the vice president of student services and government relations, provides workshops that will increase vocational skills for senior leaders and administrators.

The China Experience is one part of the VELT program. Through it, five of the 25 college presidents in China came to learn how to improve their college’s teaching techniques. The program has trained over 100 people per year for the last five years.

Comment

It is nice to know what countries are represented on campus through our international students. Thank you for providing this article.

— Marci Johnston · Oct 23, 09:45 AM · #

Commenting is closed for this article.