The explanation behind their culturally homogenous cliques
By ANJALI IYER — amiyer@ucdavis.edu
I spent the week leading up to my first day of classes attending a series of tedious orientation activities for international students like myself. As the days went on, I began to notice a peculiar pattern amongst my fellow foreign peers: the rapid formation of monocultural cliques.
There was a palpable force of attraction between students from the same country that alienated outsiders like myself; my best efforts to start conversations with other foreign students were often met with one-word answers or uncomfortable silence. As I became increasingly familiar with the sting of exclusion, I began to wonder if the separation between American and international students was a conscious choice, or if it was the result of greater cultural implications.
After a few weeks of wallowing in my feelings of dejection, I realized that this phenomena wasn’t personal disdain towards me. I recognized that this monoculturalistic behavior among the other international students was the result of a natural human desire for comfort in an unfamiliar environment. I had the privilege of growing up in an English-speaking country surrounded by American media, and even then, moving to the United States was a huge culture shock — the addition of a language barrier would have made branching out even more challenging.
The persisting cultural divide between international and domestic students also seems exacerbated by how different countries have vastly different views of the experience of higher education. The stereotypical American “college experience” emphasizes socialising through clubs and parties in conjunction with pursuing a degree.
In my experience, an international student’s expectations of college life stems from preconceived ideas formed at home. The goal of obtaining a university education is just that: to get a degree in pursuit of a future career. Social endeavors are seen as mere distractions. When I realized I wanted more from college than simply a means to a career (as I had been taught it should be), I felt isolated: Was it too late to find my community?
After months of conversations fielding questions about Singapore (most of which consisted of explaining that it wasn’t in China), I felt fatigued by the mere prospect of discussing anything to do with my background. Before long, I could predict that conversations about my hometown would devolve into me refuting the archetypical portrayal of Singapore in “Crazy Rich Asians.”
Over time, I understood why so many international students choose to connect with students of a similar background — more profound than the mere annoyance of navigating superficial misunderstandings, finding domestic students who could relate to the loneliness of the international student experience felt impossible. At their core, these cliques are just another example of people finding a community built on shared experiences.
I’ve known I was going to emigrate to another country since I was a child. The prospect of eventually leaving home to pursue a college education was an open topic of conversation at home; still, I found myself mourning my past life after the initial excitement of a new, exciting place wore off.
Despite an (admitted) lack of international student friends in my life, I still feel connected to other foreign students through the shared struggle of finding identity in a new country. While it’s easy to view monocultural cliques as purely an internal problem, in reality, they’re a reaction to being thrust into an uncaring, unfamiliar host country. While I still believe that college provides a unique opportunity to meet a diverse range of people and vehemently adhering to cultural homogeneity is a waste of this experience, I occasionally envy the stability these groups seem to have amidst the chaos of college. There is comfort in the unspoken shared understanding of a unique experience.
Written by: Anjali Iyer — amiyer@ucdavis.edu
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