International Student Orientation

In order to understand the international student experience and improve future orientation programming, international students attending the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle who attended the Fall 2015 Foundation for International Understanding Through Students (FIUTS) International Student Orientation shared their perspectives regarding their arrival process. Through a series of post orientation surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews this study attempts to understand the experiences of international students throughout their orientation program and arrival process. The research examines different aspects of a comprehensive ten day orientation program. It reveals what went well and what can be modified to better address the needs and challenges that international students face during their transition to life in the United States and to help them in their preparation to study or conduct research at a large public university. The orientation program welcomed more than 2,300 incoming freshman, exchange, transfer, graduate, and professional students as well as visiting scholars that came to the UW prior to beginning the 2015 fall quarter.