Spring Break
San Jose appeals to many exchange students
Marsea Nelson
Daily Staff Writer
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Yet, about 1,400 exchange students are currently studying at San Jose State University, said Louis Gecenok, an adviser for the International Programs and Services Office.
Leann Cherkasky-Makhni, the director of the International House, said that over the years, students who have lived in the house have come from 95 different countries.
"A lot of students come here because this is Silicon Valley. Some students come here because they have family," Cherkasky-Makhni said. "Then there's word of mouth."
Gecenok said SJSU's Engineering department is a big draw for many international students.
"Our Engineering school is very highly rated and they have access to internships in all of the leading companies in the industry," Gecenok said. "There are top-rated schools in other parts of the country where there is no proximity to the industry that parallels the student's studies and, for that reason, those students, in a sense, really miss out on something."
Robert Self-Pierson, an international student from England, however, said he did not know that San Jose was in Silicon Valley until after he applied.
"I had friends who'd come over and done the exchange from back home," Self-Pierson said. "They'd come from California and they said how nice it was."
Self-Pierson said he looked up the exchange universities that were offered at his school and San Jose was the only one in California.
"I looked (SJSU) up on the Internet and it all looked very good," Self-Pierson said. "The courses looked interesting, (there would be) sunshine, so I applied." Self-Pierson said.
Thorsten Papkalla, a communication junior from Germany, said his first-choice university was San Diego State University but that international students had stopped being accepted because the program was too full.
"The one thing I read when I was applying (to SJSU) was that it was a commuter school. I didn't imagine that it being a commuter school would really have such an impact on downtown," Papkalla said. "It's just not very busy."
Sima Parikh, a freshman majoring in business, came to San Jose after living in Egypt although she is originally from India. She came to SJSU because her brother attends here and her parents wanted her to be close to family. She said the business program was also appealing.
"After Engineering, the second best thing to do (at SJSU) is business," Parikh said. "And California has nice weather."
Parikh said she likes the "walkability" of downtown San Jose.
"Wherever I lived (before), I had a driver to drive me everywhere. I wouldn't really walk," she said.
Parikh, Self-Pierson and Papkalla said they were surprised by the diversity of San Jose.
Alan Wolfe, a senior majoring in political science and German, has lived in the International House for three semesters and has interacted with many of the international students.
"The problem is, they don't always get a glimpse of an average American city," Wolfe said. "San Jose's not a normal American city."
Cherkasky-Makhni has observed during her 14 years working at the International House that culture shock can be worse for students who come from cultures similar to the United States than for those who come from cultures that are vastly different.
"A lot of them watch American television, and so they feel that they already know America," Cherkasky-Makhni said. "People who come from an extremely different culture expect the change."
Self-Pierson said he was surprised by some of the laws, because America is known for liberty and freedom.
"I find (the United States) more repressive than back home in certain aspects," Self-Pierson said.
He cited jaywalking as an example.
"(In England), you're trusted to be able to cross the road using your own knowledge of cars and whether they'll kill you or not," he said.
Self-Pierson said he is enjoying his classes at SJSU.
"I like them and I think I'm learning a lot from them," he said.
Gecenok said that some students he encounters at the international office have a more difficult time adjusting to the academic differences.
"The way you learn in some countries is to memorize things and that's the major focus," Gecenok said. "And the atmosphere in the classroom often is very different. Allowing students to disagree with what the professor is saying is unheard of in many countries."
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