Chinese undergraduate students' experience studying in the U.S.

This research explored the experiences of Chinese undergraduate students studying in the United States. With the recent soaring number of Chinese undergraduate students at U.S. campuses as well as a lack of previous research on this population, it is important to understand this group of students and their experiences of studying in the U.S. at the current time period. The key research questions were: (a) What are the students' motivations for studying in undergraduate programs in the U.S.? (b) What are their academic, social, and cultural experiences studying in the U.S.? and (c) What are the students' recommendations for the hosting institutions? Using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 Chinese undergraduate students at a Midwestern research university. The findings are summarized within themes that emerged from the data, including students' motivations for coming to study in American undergraduate programs, their academic impressions and perceived differences, the challenges and frustrations they encountered, the changes they experienced, as well as their recommendations for the hosting institutions. Future research is also discussed