International Indian Graduate Students' Experiences With Academic Advising at a Public Research University in Texas

• In Event: International Studies

Abstract

A missing component in the current international student literature is how international Indian graduate students adjust academically and socially to a new learning environment and how academic advising influences international Indian graduate students’ academic success and social adjustment. This qualitative study addresses this gap in the literature by using Rendón’s (1994) validation theory and by drawing upon 11 students’ lived experiences at a four-year public research university in the state of Texas. The results revealed that international Indian graduate students’ understanding and perceptions of academic advising were different from their lived experiences and highlight the role of an academic advisor in students’ adjustment process as well as the importance of an academic advisor in making informed decisions related to academics.

Authors

• Vandana Nandakumar, The University of Texas - Arlington

• Yi Leaf Zhang, University of Texas at Arlington