COVID-19 and lack of communication amplify struggles that come with being a first-year international student
Being an international college student comes with enough obstacles as it is— the mountain of paperwork that needs to be filled out, the complicated regulations that need to be navigated, the unfamiliarity and anxiety that comes with living in an entirely different country, just to name a few.
These hurdles only escalated with the rise of a global pandemic, which in turn created an atmosphere of uncertainty in regards to the reopening of college campuses in the fall. Subsequent attempts by the government to prevent international students from staying in the U.S. if their college campuses went virtual only intensified these anxieties, and despite the fact that Colby did reopen, Colby international students have not been immune to all the COVID-19 complications, particularly first-years.
One of the hallmarks of dorm life for many incoming college students is living without their family for the first tiem, a simultaneously terrifying yet pivotal life experience. To do so in an entirely different country only adds to this trepidation, which is why, traditionally, international students receive additional support from administration— they attend several meetings with the Dean of the College and Director of International Student Programming for help with obtaining a visa and completing other necessary paperwork.
But some of this anticipated support fell apart due to the COVID-19 restrictions, such as orientation. This, on top of the fact that many international students ended up coming days or even weeks after the semester started, only added to the confusion and struggle of settling in to campus.
One international first-year who asked to remain anonymous says,
“Probably not all international students had this struggle, but lots of first-years got lost… we had a really short orientation then we just went to class, and then COOT was cancelled,” one international first-year who asked to remain anonymous said. “Originally we were supposed to have an international orientation right before the domestic students arrived, but we didn’t have that this year … basically we kind of just met other international students I think yesterday [Friday] because we had an international club meeting and then we just invited people to come together.”
Additional problems also arose with housing and health insurance waivers.
“I [was originally] placed in [name redacted] and then they moved me to another dorm at the very last minute, just right before I arrived. I had already bonded with my original roommate, and then I had to move without any idea of what was going on,” the same student said. “I was pretty sure that I could have come [to campus] on time because I had everything— I had my documents, but they said, ‘Oh you’re traveling from an international location so we’re unsure of whether you can be here on time.’ I asked for sub-free but I ended up at [name redacted], which is not sub - free. I mean in the end, I am now in sub-free because I asked Campus Life, but it was just very complicated and I think it’s kind of unfair to international students. We kind of know about things very last minute. I mean this is not my first time living from home but [it is for] lots of my friends who are from international communities. It’s their first time living from home and Colby’s logistics has not done a really good job to support us, physically or mentally.”
As for the waiving of health insurance, a lack of clarity and communication from the Financial Aid Office (and administration as a whole) seemed to be the main issue. “I had never heard about health insurance subsidies until an upperclassmen was like ‘Oh you can actually apply for one’ but [until then] no one actually told me that I could apply for one,” the student continued. “I remember that when I appealed my financial aid package in April, the financial aid lady told me that this was the final arrangement, even after I had already reached out about my concerns with everything happening. But then, probably around two weeks ago, they said ‘We can give you an extra subsidy.’ So the health insurance at Colby is $1,980 a year and I got about $980— I mean, it’s a pretty decent amount but what I heard was that some Questbridge scholars actually got 100% of their health insurance waived… and when I asked other upperclassmen, they said that in the past Colby has waived them [health insurance]. But this year when I asked the Student Financial Services again, they told me they have a fixed amount and that they have to allocate the subsidies to huge numbers of people.”
Of course, one student’s experience is not representative of everyone in the international community, even amongst other first-years. Yet their story serves as a reminder of how COVID-19 most impacts the marginalized on campus— for most, the biggest hassle with coronavirus are the health guidelines, but for others it encapsulates the entire campus experience.
For a school that constantly emphasizes the importance of community, perhaps it should begin with ensuring international students are able to transition smoothly despite the extenuating circumstances. It is already difficult enough for international first-years to integrate themselves into a new environment, and this struggle has only been magnified by COVID-19. The launch of the OneColby campaign, according to anonymous, showcases the irony of the situation.
“The OneColby campaign — Colby spent lots of money on advertising themselves, on Instagram you can see all the things they did, like the slogan has changed and the banners have been changed. But why don’t they use that money to help us [international students] for the health insurance subsidy? Because lots of people struggle with that. I don’t feel like people will get a good experience just based on one slogan. If you want to build a better sense of community, you don’t do it through a slogan.”
~ Hae Jung Kim `24
