By Chang Liu | Focus/Design Editor
Adjusting to a new environment can be challenging while balancing life and school. International students at Baylor can find support through the International Students Academic Support and the Global Gateway Program.
The ISAS office is dedicated to helping students succeed in their classes, lecturer Debra Wainscott, who works with ISAS, said
“Sometimes, it is helping find resources,” Wainscott said. “I cannot help the biology class, but I can make sure they know all the other biology resources they can find. Sometimes, students may need extra help about study skills, like making a time schedule, making a schedule for a week [or] how to use the textbook or Canvas materials.”
Wainscott said they send emails to international students and work alongside professors. Students also can make an appointment to meet with ISAS on Navigate or find them on the International Students Academic Support website.
The Global Gateway Program offers two courses to help international students perfect their English skills. These courses are GBL 1331, “Listening and Speaking” and GBL 1333, “Reading and Writing.” GGP Associate Director, Meredith Moore said these classes help students whose high school English scores were not so high.
“When you’re applying at the admissions level from high school to Baylor, sometimes we have students whose [Test of English as a Foreign Language], [International English Language Testing System] or Duolingo score is a little lower than direct admission,” Moore said. “Do they stay in their home country and study English for another year, or do they come do a couple of semesters of English immersion that is being surrounded, living the university life, doing all the activities, but also making that bridge to completely fluent college level English?”
There is a third class for international students, called GBL 1205, “Transition to U.S. University,” according to Moore. It’s a two credit, full-semester class that functions like orientation.
“Students get all of those extended orientation concepts like how to do research at the library, how to use the Health Center, how to do all the things you need to do, plus study skills and strategies for organizing your schedule,” Moore said.
Aside from taking necessary classes, Wainscott said that international students should try to ask for help before they need it.
“Students may feel like I have to do it on my own, I need to solve it by myself, instead of asking for help,” Wainscott said. “Sometimes professors may not realize that you are shy to ask for help, and my advice for new students is [to] give yourself patience…”
