Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This phenomenological study aimed to understand students’ experiences in foreign universities. This study recorded their lived experiences, challenges, coping mechanisms, and insights. Moreover, it involved 14 students from Africa, Asia, and the United Arab Emirates, selected using purposive sampling. They underwent in-depth interviews and focus group discussions using validated research instruments. The findings of this study revealed that the graduate students had the following experiences: A high standard, quality education, interaction with different nationalities, personal and professional growth, alignment with academic qualifications, acquired an edge when applying for jobs, affordability and accessibility, availing of the latest technology, acquired training in leadership, competence, and confidence, value and recognition, authentic classroom environment. Regarding challenges, the themes were: language adaptation and cross-cultural communication, support networks as pillars of resilience, conflicting educational objectives, being output-oriented and deliverables-driven, strategic time orchestration across cultural contexts, proactive cultural-linguistic integration, spiritual resilience as an anchor in academic transition, high cost, homesickness and alienation, and recognition of credentials. On coping mechanisms, the themes were: hurdling the language barriers, seeking social support, realigning educational objectives to a higher level, professional pragmatism over emotional investment, coping through time management, researching their language and culture, asking for divine intervention, financial resilience through strategic resource management, navigating emotional geography, managing family separation, and credential recognition anxiety and professional identity reconciliation. As for insights, the themes were as follows: the unique curriculum of the school, the opportunity to live in and learn other countries’ cultures and history, edge in the job market, faith in God, boosted personal value in the workplace, advice for fellow students, advice for administrators. SDG # 4: Quality Education; SDG # 10: Reduced Inequalities; SDG # 17: Partnership for the Goals. Article visualizations:
Authors: Joji Castillo Abdallah, Eugenio S. Guhao Jr.
Institution: University of Mindanao
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4410877667