In Fall 2013, Rackham set out to learn more about the international student experience at U-M, particularly for new students. To this end, we held focus groups with current international students. Students shared a wealth of information with us during these group discussions. What was most striking was the need for practical and pragmatic advice for transitioning to campus.
To address this need, we held a live student-to-student discussion for incoming international students this June. We invited new students to watch the live broadcast and send in questions prior to or during the discussion. The panel featured current international students and covered a range of topics of interest to new students. Covering topics from housing to transportation to student organizations to connecting to your peers, students shared their experiences and U-M staff gave sound advice.
Kate Zheng from U-M's International Center participated in the session as well, and contributed greatly to the discussion. The video and a summary of the discussion areas with links to particular resources was posted on the Rackham website. The video of the discussion is now a living resource for current and future international students to view. So far, the video has had more than 300 views and we hope to see the number to continue to grow.
Please read the blog post for more information or watch the recording on YouTube.