International Stress to Success: A Transitional Guide to Thrive In and Out of the Classroom Introduction

While universities are implementing programs to support international students’ transitions to college in the U.S., few American universities provide extended orientation programs to offer explicit guidance on expected academic, professional, and cultural practices. Drawing from a review of literature demonstrating the challenges for international students studying in the U.S., the authors describe the creation, from start to finish, of a comprehensive onboarding program for international students. Details of the design process, including obtaining resources and curriculum approvals, creating goals and objectives for each of the seminar courses, as well as identifying challenges and lessons learned, are presented.