Counselling International Students in a Cross-Cultural Perspective

A Core Element in Academic Quality Management

The objectives of this paper are multiple. First, in the context of the growing ambition of institutions of higher education to attract numerous and capable international students, we want to stress the need for congruence between this ambition and the personal needs of the students. Mutual benefits must be the main purpose and in favour of the latter, dynamic attention has to be spent to several cross-cultural aspects. One of these aspects is the exploration of the common and specific needs of international students in the new environment. We will describe briefly the acculturation process and the consequences of the lack of fit between the new environment and the identity, c.q. personality of the visiting students and an eventual accompanying family. This will be illustrated by applications in important life aspects, as there are the academic performances, language and communication, social support etc. Finally the important role of cross-cultural insights and adequate counselling services will be highlighted.