Despite being a small school, diversity at Cabrini College has never been much of an issue. According to the college’s website, there are 1,600 undergraduate students on-campus, many of whom come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. These students represent different genders, races, religions and some are even international students.
Wait, international students? At Cabrini?
If you haven’t encountered any international students at Cabrini then you are probably not alone. On its website, the International Student Exchange and Study Abroad Resource Center lists the number of international students at Cabrini College at 23.
If you combine undergraduate and graduate students, those 23 international students make up fewer than 1 percent of the student population.
Another way to look at this is through class size. While Cabrini’s average class size is 17 students, it is not out of the ordinary to see classes with up to 25 students in them. Imagine walking past a full classroom in Founder’s Hall, knowing that inside was the entire international student population – what would you think?
The bigger question to ponder is quite simple: how would the addition of international students enrich the campus of Cabrini College?
In my opinion, there is no one solid answer to this question, but there are certainly a number of possibilities to ponder.
Cabrini College may not have the name recognition that other colleges boast, but they still put a lot of effort into bringing international students to the city of Radnor.
In addition to the detailed application process for international students, information about the college’s International Club, run through the Student Diversity Initiatives office, can be found on Cabrini’s website. The International Club allows the international community to gather as a whole and discuss their interests and backgrounds.
I think that the enrollment for international students could potentially increase if changes were made to the current study abroad program. Once a student begins the second semester of their freshman year, the opportunity to study abroad is available, regardless of major. Time for studying abroad can range from eight to 10 days all the way up to a year.
Now, imagine if the word “exchange” was added to the study abroad program. If 10 Cabrini students opt to study abroad for one semester, then there are 10 less students living on-campus. While those students learn about the lifestyles and cultures of other countries in a foreign setting, there are no new international students learning in our classrooms or studying in our library during that time period.
Students who study overseas in countries like England, Greece and Italy are learning about the cultures of those countries and relaying what they learned to their peers upon their return back to America. What if an international exchange student was doing that all along during one’s trip overseas?
The benefits of having a larger international student population at Cabrini would be tremendous, regardless of whether that student is here short-term or to receive a four-year degree. Meeting someone who lives a different life, has different hobbies and speaks a different language can go far in terms of better understanding life outside of our country.
More international students would also mean an increase in diversity. People from different ethnic backgrounds adapting to a new lifestyle in a new country. College students could be roommates with an international student rather than simply meeting them during a trip abroad.
As much as we learn in the classroom at Cabrini, we could learn so much more just by having a larger presence of international students on campus.
Despite being a small school, diversity at Cabrini College has never been much of an issue. According to the college’s website, there are 1,600 undergraduate students on-campus, many of whom come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. These students represent different genders, races, religions and some are even international students.Wait, international students? At Cabrini?If you haven’t encountered any international students at Cabrini then you are probably not alone. On its website, the International Student Exchange and Study Abroad Resource Center lists the number of international students at Cabrini College at 23.If you combine undergraduate and graduate students, those 23 international students make up fewer than 1 percent of the student population.Another way to look at this is through class size. While Cabrini’s average class size is 17 students, it is not out of the ordinary to see classes with up to 25 students in them. Imagine walking past a full classroom in Founder’s Hall, knowing that inside was the entire international student population – what would you think?The bigger question to ponder is quite simple: how would the addition of international students enrich the campus of Cabrini College?In my opinion, there is no one solid answer to this question, but there are certainly a number of possibilities to ponder.Cabrini College may not have the name recognition that other colleges boast, but they still put a lot of effort into bringing international students to the city of Radnor.In addition to the detailed application process for international students, information about the college’s International Club, run through the Student Diversity Initiatives office, can be found on Cabrini’s website. The International Club allows the international community to gather as a whole and discuss their interests and backgrounds.I think that the enrollment for international students could potentially increase if changes were made to the current study abroad program. Once a student begins the second semester of their freshman year, the opportunity to study abroad is available, regardless of major. Time for studying abroad can range from eight to 10 days all the way up to a year.Now, imagine if the word “exchange” was added to the study abroad program. If 10 Cabrini students opt to study abroad for one semester, then there are 10 less students living on-campus. While those students learn about the lifestyles and cultures of other countries in a foreign setting, there are no new international students learning in our classrooms or studying in our library during that time period.Students who study overseas in countries like England, Greece and Italy are learning about the cultures of those countries and relaying what they learned to their peers upon their return back to America. What if an international exchange student was doing that all along during one’s trip overseas?The benefits of having a larger international student population at Cabrini would be tremendous, regardless of whether that student is here short-term or to receive a four-year degree. Meeting someone who lives a different life, has different hobbies and speaks a different language can go far in terms of better understanding life outside of our country.More international students would also mean an increase in diversity. People from different ethnic backgrounds adapting to a new lifestyle in a new country. College students could be roommates with an international student rather than simply meeting them during a trip abroad.As much as we learn in the classroom at Cabrini, we could learn so much more just by having a larger presence of international students on campus.
