ISANA

Sidoryn, Tristana and Slade, Jo

Abstract:  Transition is an area which is critical to the overall student experience in higher education, from
students’ entry into university to exit from the university. The University of South Australia has developed
and implemented various strategies to respond to the needs of international students studying business
degrees. The needs identified relate to international students’ feeling part of the university community,
level of interaction with other students and career planning and development.
This paper will discuss the University’s response to these areas, the strategies developed and the
importance of internal collaboration to provide a comprehensive plan in responding to these areas. The
strategies identified include the establishment of a Business Mates student mentoring program to assist
first year students with the transition to university life. In addition, an international student career
strategy has been developed to assist international students with career development skills by facilitating
participation in career planning, networking and industry engagement.

Key Words:  Interaction, international students, transition, first year, career development

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