Understanding and responding to career counseling needs of Chinese international graduate students

Abstract

Universities rely on the enrollment of international students who typically pay full tuition. Chinese international students make up the largest population of international students attending universities in the United States. At a midsize public college in the Northeast, the demand for career counseling support from international students is high, especially with Chinese international graduate students. Through a qualitative research approach of semi-structured interviews, this study seeks to understand the experience of Chinese international graduate students and how career services can adequately respond to their needs. Participants interviewed were graduate students from China studying on an F-1 visa, between the ages of 20 and 30, that did not complete an undergraduate degree in the United States. The findings of this study show that these students are struggling differently than their domestic peers and that struggle is in large part due to cultural differences. An understanding of their experience can inform how career services practitioners adapt their practice to serve the needs of a student population that is critical to keeping universities afloat. --Author's abstract