International Students in a University Dorm Environment

People underestimate the impact of on-campus living on students. Living in dormitories promotes the interaction between students, involvement in campus activities, easy access to school’s resources and amenities, etc. However, most students prefer to live off campus, because dormitories lack pleasant ambiance, convenience and comfort. International students especially suffer from housing dilemma.When international students face the problem of finding housing in the United States, they rarely choose living on campus. Dormitories tend to be unwelcoming and poorly designed. International students prefer living off campus, which excludes them from college experience. For international students, adaption becomes harder as they must acclimate to not only a new home, but also a different country and culture. International students can better integrate into their new academic and social community if their on-campus residences ameliorate their natural sense of isolation from their places of origin.A thoughtfully crafted interior design can provide ease for those who face the challenge of homesickness. For example, a residence hall that contains a multi-purpose room, decorated with international motifs and colors, can engage the international student. Furthermore, a kitchen could provide a matrix for an activities committee to create a series of events such as: mixers, potluck dinners, music exchanges. As such, these examples can mitigate the natural feelings of separation, which foreign students tend to experience. Changes in interior design can provide a better living experience on college campus; therefore, international students will become more attracted towards on-campus living.

Author

• Algahtani, Sharifa Rabee

Language

• en

Keyword

• dorm
• students
• interior
• home
• international
• design

Date created

• 2015

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Corcoran School of Arts and Design

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Mckenna, Emily B

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/79407x32b