International students set record at Clarkson

POTSDAM — Clarkson University has more international students on its campus this semester than ever before.

Nearly 50 students from around the globe are studying at the university this spring; added to nearly 40 last semester, this year sets a record for international students at Clarkson.

The record is attributed mostly to an increase in partnerships between Clarkson and institutions overseas, and those partnerships becoming more established.

"We've had more and more partnerships and we're really promoting our partnerships with more students abroad," said Kathryn B. Johnson, vice president for university outreach and student affairs. "One student comes and they like it and more and more come."

Clarkson has 33 partnerships with universities in 15 countries. The partnerships bring students from around the world to Clarkson, and Clarkson students can go to the other institutions for a semester.

"They come from anywhere from Asia and Australia to parts of Europe, Mexico — lots of places," Ms. Johnson said.

In recent years, the college has expanded its programs for exchange students coming to the north country for the first time. Though the semester started a few weeks ago, the college hosted a reception earlier this month for the students to get together over pizza and meet other students and some administrators.

Through the program, incoming exchange students are assigned a "buddy," a regular Clarkson student, most of whom have studied overseas themselves. The pairs e-mail back and forth before the semester starts.

Much of the program is put together by a student, Carlos Mesquita, who studied in Hong Kong a year and a half ago and was amazed by all the orientation events the university had to help students with the transition.

"When I came back to America, I realized that we had nothing like that; it was more like you get here, we pick you up and that's it," the senior innovations and entrepreneurship major said. "I know how hard it is, being someplace where you hardly know the language and you don't know anyone."

This semester, 12 of the 15 countries with which the university partners are represented on campus.

Though many of the courses the exchange students take are similar to what they would be taking at home, they are taught differently. One student from England said she was not used to having the amount of homework at her home university as she has had to do in Potsdam.

"Here, you're graded all the time," Abigail V. Garland, 22, said. "You do a lot more class work and a lot more homework. I'm finding it hard, doing all the course work."