Kent State University opening its doors to foreign students, more opportunities are available for them, and nationals. Diversity is what makes America, well, America. Kent State is continuing to make strides towards diversity within its student body.

The Office of Global Education works with all International Students studying abroad and even with their advisors from their home country. They oversee everything from credit transfer and visa obtaining to student scheduling and housing.

But before even their first day of classes students must find a home. This can sometimes be difficult because only a few hundred International Students live on campus. This leaves off campus housing their only other option, and with more and more students coming to Kent State each year, overcrowding makes finding a home a very difficult task.

Then comes the course work. I spoke with Nick Vasiloff, Education Abroad Advisor for the Global Office and he stated that for some, it’s not easy to get acclimated to the American style of school, with constant course work throughout the semester, contrary to maybe a few examination periods throughout the semester they experienced in their home country.

All this of course is assuming these students speak English. If not, they are placed into ESL, or ‘English Second Language’ to obtain a strong command of the language, and then proceed with their course work.

Once students have made the transition successfully then they can go about finding their niche. To help with that process, the Office of Global Education host events throughout the year called ‘Cultural Café’s,’ in which food from two countries of choice will be provided for students. These events fodder conversation and relationship building for Internationals. The most recent Cultural Café featured food from Syria and India. November 19^th, you can find food from Tajikistan, Turkey, and Germany.

Just as the Cultural Café’s are open to non-Internationals, studying abroad is too. If you’re an American citizen with a desire to see more of the world, studying abroad could be an option for you. Study Abroad week is this upcoming week and an expo will be held on the second floor of the student center from 11:30-2:30. It’s never a bad idea to broaden your horizons.