CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The steady hum of multiple conversations going on at once filled the lobby inside the University YMCA on Aug. 18 as newly enrolled international graduate students waited to attend Illinois International's first-ever Graduate Connections Meet-up.
The New International Student Experience Week event kicked off with a student-led panel that was followed by an immersive, interactive networking activity. The rest of the evening was filled with students creating new friendships until well past the event's conclusion.
Over 100 new international graduate students attended the meet-up.
During the panel, three current international graduate students shared personal experiences and offered advice that they hoped would help their new peers navigate the start of their Illinois journey.
From campus resources to finding friends, the Q+A panel discussion touched on issues that many new graduate students face when starting their first year.
Tarun Thapar, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Philosophy, moderated the panel while William Zhang Sam, a master’s student in the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, Miaomiao Wei, a Ph.D. student in the Education Policy, Organization and Leadership Department, and Valentine Ugwuoke, a Ph.D. student in the School of Information Sciences, offered their insights and expertise.
What are some important resources that you would recommend to other international graduate students?
The university offers a plethora of resources to all students, but those mentioned by Zhang Sam, Wei, and Ugwuoke can often be overlooked by graduate students.
Resources like Quad Day, Graduate Student Emergency Grants, or even International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).
Ugwuoke said from his personal experience, the two resources he found to be the most important were the Main Library and International Student and Scholar Services.
ISSS is a unit of Illinois International and serves the university’s international population, and campus units, through advising, immigration services, programming, advocacy, and outreach.
“As a grad student and most importantly as an international student, one resource that is very important (to me) is ISSS,” Ugwuoke said. “We are in a season where, as international students, things are changing quickly. So, it’s important that we keep up to date on changing immigration rules, and ISSS will guide you through this process.”
He added that ISSS isn't just there to offer support when a student runs into trouble; the office can help with any visa related or work-related questions.
“Another important thing that I wanted to mention is the University Library. I never knew about some of the (resources) that the library had. The (Illinois) library is one of the biggest in the U.S. so it’s not just a place where you go and borrow books, you can borrow other items like cameras or other tools,” Ugwuoke added.
Cameras and other tech equipment like gaming consoles is just one example of the many offerings the University Library provides to students.
There’s access to study rooms and other spaces like self-use media studios where anyone with an active i-card can record videos or podcasts and edit whatever they produce.
The University Library isn’t the only library on campus, however. A full list of libraries and hours of operation can be found on the Libraries and Hours webpage.
Zhang Sam explained that Quad Day is an excellent resource for students to meet new people and find clubs that spark their interest.
Quad Day is an annual event that takes place the Sunday before classes start during the fall semester. It is the largest student organization festival in the nation, with more than 700 registered student organizations (RSOs) hosting booths to promote their club and recruit new members.
Zhang Sam recommended attending Quad Day because he said it is an excellent way to not only find clubs that spark interest, but it’s also a great way to meet new friends.
For example, he noted that he met some of his best friends by signing up for clubs via Quad Day.
“I’m from Chile, so I was trying to find a club for Latinos, and I found it (at Quad Day),” he said. “I also like playing Pokémon cards and I found a club that does that too, and I like playing tennis and I found a club that focuses on that as well.”
However, he mentioned that students who missed Quad Day,can find information about every RSO at Illinois on the university’s website.
“Whatever you’re interested in, whatever the need is, there is definitely a club that supports that,” he added.
Clubs and activities aside, Wei noted that another equally important resource available to all students is the Counseling Center.
She said as a graduate student, life can be stressful and anxious, and sometimes, the best way to handle those tough moments in life is to talk to someone.
“The appointments are covered by the (health) service fee so you don’t have to pay anything to book the appointment. You can just schedule one or call them and share anything you want to tell them,” Wei said.
The Graduate Student Emergency Grants are up to $500 and may be available to current graduate students to help relieve, “acute, temporary, and unexpected problems related to an unforeseen emergency.”
Though these grants are limited and may not always be available, Wei explained that she received one when she injured her leg, and it was a huge help during her recovery period.
The Assistantship Clearinghouse Wei recommended is a list of assistantships available to graduate students. Most are awarded by academic departments directly to their own students; however, the clearinghouse lists positions for which departments or other campus units seek additional applicants.
How did you build your support network and make friends?
Zhang Sam, Wei, and Ugwuoke agreed that stepping outside one’s comfort zone was the first step everyone needs to take when it comes to connecting with other students and building a network.
They shared that reaching out to groups and organizations that matched interests they already had and connecting with classmates that shared the same courses helped them create new and lasting friendships.
Additionally, they explained that taking advantage of the lively social scene and nightlife in town or even attending the long list of campus-wide events and activities also helped them break out of their shells and meet new people.
For example, as stated earlier in this story, William said since he’s from Chile, he wanted to join a Latino-based RSO. Doing so helped him find people he was able to connect with through shared language and similar cultures.
“I kind of found my group of people from the Latino club and pretty much my closest friends that I’ve met so far at (Illinois) are all from Spanish speaking countries. Regardless of where you’re from though, there’s definitely a club for you that you will fit in to,” he said. “I encourage you to try and find that for yourself, and who knows you might find your best group of friends that way.”
Wei said she learned how to build connections with people through her courses, research projects, and her professors or supervisors who introduced her to other peers. Through this, she was able to build her academic and research network.
She also joined clubs like the Music Club where she bonded with people over shared hobbies, and she created friendships with coworkers that she met through her different part-time jobs.
On the other hand, Ugwuoke’s advised his peers that they shouldn’t only hang out with people simply because they’re from the same country. He said they should branch out of their bubble and take advantage of the opportunity to meet all sorts of new people with different backgrounds.
“We’ve taken the step to be (at Illinois) so the least we can do is meet new people,” he said. “One way I was able to make new friendships with people from other countries was through football (soccer). I’m a big footballer...and during the World Cup, I went to the Illini Union to watch the games. I was able to connect with people through that.”
He noted that being proactive and doing things like talking to the classmates that are in the same courses also helps build connections.
“Before you know it, you’ll have a huge network that you built with purpose,” he said.
Analicia Haynes is the storytelling coordinator at Illinois International. She can be reached at ahayn2@illinois.edu.