Transition of International Student-Athletes

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Transitioning can be a tough process in life. It can be a positive or negative experience depending on the individual and the environment in which they find themselves. As a student, transitioning from stage to stage could be a long process but fortunately there are professors and counselors to help. Adding athletics to a student schedule is really tough, especially trying to balance both roles, each having its own impact on the student. Foreign student-athletes pass through a lot while transitioning; they have to deal with trust issues, depression, diet fluctuation, insomnia, as well as different coaches, cultures, beliefs, customs, norms, attitudes, behaviors and sometime language.

This transition phase can be tough, as nearly all students can attest.  For international students coming from overseas, the adjustment to life as a college student –and student athlete- in the United States can be a daunting one. Many arrive on campus under similar circumstances; with excitement for a new challenge but unsure of how to adapt.1 This process is known as Acculturation. The acculturation process uniquely affects international student-athletes as they are challenged by the demands of academic excellence, athletic performance, and social acceptance. As they navigate through the individual and cultural differences, international student-athletes are psychologically and psychosocially affected by acculturative stress. Acculturative stress is the response to stressors that occur as a result of movement from one country to another.2   

Acculturation processes are experienced Differently depending on the acculturating group and individual.

1SELBE, N. (2013, November 5). Foreign athletes face unique challenges | Daily Trojan. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://tiny.cc/rn822x

2Richards, V. (2014, April 1). International Student Athlete: An Acculturation. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://tiny.cc/9ba32x