Moving to a foreign country to study is an exciting yet challenging experience for international students. The shift to a new cultural environment brings a range of emotions, from excitement and curiosity to discomfort and confusion. Many students feel overwhelmed by unfamiliar customs, traditions, and values. This unsettling feeling is known as culture shock, a shared experience when encountering a new way of life.
International students face many unique challenges in the UK, such as adapting to the cold climate, understanding accents, and navigating social norms. The unfamiliar food, foreign dress codes, and different values can create feelings of isolation and frustration. However, normalizing the feelings and understanding the stages of culture shock can help students transition more smoothly.
Here, we will go through the details of culture shock, its stages, and the major factors that contribute to it. We will also discuss practical strategies to deal with cultural differences and explore how building connections, embracing new experiences, and seeking support can help students overcome the challenges and thrive in the new environment.
Table of Contents
What Is Culture Shock?
Culture shock is the disorienting feeling a person experiences after moving to a different cultural environment. This feeling occurs due to experiencing an unfamiliar way of life that seems alien and inappropriate. The most common cause of cultural shock is immigration to a foreign environment for work, study, or travel.
Some common problems associated with culture shock are information overload, language barrier, generation gap, skill interdependence, technology gap, homesickness, boredom, response-ability, etc. Researchers have pointed out that there is no way to completely prevent culture shock, as members of any society and culture can feel the cultural contrasts, no matter how open-minded.
Culture shock is very common among students who make the journey to study abroad. Almost all students report feeling culture shock to some extent after initially coming to a foreign country and experiencing their culture. However, the student community and university authorities support students to help them overcome the challenges and phases of culture shock.
Model and Stages of Culture Shock
We can understand culture shock better through a model known as the “W” curve. This model is not prepared to reflect the personal experience of every student but rather a generalized concept to help us understand culture shock better. The model can also be repetitive as students may go through these phases several times. There are five stages of this process and they are described below.
Honeymoon
This is the first phase of culture shock, and during this phase, students usually feel excited, stimulated, and curious about new and foreign cultures. The close memory of the student’s home culture is still in their minds and protects them from assimilating with the foreign culture. This is why culture shock does not initially take a deep hold in their minds after arrival. However, the honeymoon phase does not last for long, and slowly, distress starts to overwhelm the students.
Distress
In the second phase of the culture shock, students feel confused, isolated, or inadequate because of the cultural differences. The feeling is amplified due to the lack of a close family support group to help absorb the impact. This is the central part of the culture shock that students will feel after a few days into their stay in a foreign land.
Reintegration
Students may feel angry, frustrated, and even hostile to the new culture at this stage. Students become conscious of how much they dislike it compared to their homes. Students reconnect with their values and culture at this stage. The feeling, however, does not last for long as students slowly start to accept the differences.
Autonomy
Students start to accept the differences and similarities between their home culture and the foreign culture. They also feel relaxed and more confident as they get familiar with the situations as they are able to cope with the changing situations based on new experiences.
Independence
At the last stage of this model, students come to realize the differences and similarities between the two cultures. Students feel full of potential and they are now able to trust in themselves in all types of situations. Situations start to become enjoyable and they are able to make all of their choices according to their preferences and values.
What Causes Culture Shock?
There can be many factors that can cause culture shock in international students during their stay in the UK. Some of the major reasons for culture shock are described in detail in the below passages.
Climate
One of the most significant factors of culture shock is the climate. Students report that the British climate affects them a lot. The weather in the UK is usually cold and damp, making it difficult for students from warmer climates. The climate may feel grey and wet for international students, especially during winter. The culture shock is intensified when students feel like it is only affecting them and not everyone around them.
Food
International students may find British food strange. Depending on their native food habit, British food can taste different, seem bland or heavy, and taste unappealing. Sometimes, this forces students to rely on ready-cooked food instead of following the usual diet. This issue is intense for students who struggle to find their native food places in the UK.
Language
International students may struggle with the language even if they speak English fluently. This is because different places in the UK have different regional accents. Students may feel the absence of the familiar language used at home, which is part of their everyday environment. People also speak quickly, and you may feel too shy or embarrassed to ask them to repeat themselves. All of these issues are pretty common for international students.
Dress Code
Another issue that international students might face during their stay in the UK is fashion. Students from warmer climates may find it highly uncomfortable to wear heavy winter clothes. Although not all international students feel this way, the British fashion style may seem immodest, comical, unattractive, or drab to some.
Social Roles
Some social behaviors of UK citizens may confuse, surprise, and even offend international students. British people are generally cold or distant and mind their own business. This is more common in large cities and city centers. Students from more conservative countries may be surprised by the public display of affection between opposite sexes. The relationships between men and women may feel more formal or less formal than what the students are used to, which might be a culture shock.
Rules of Behavior
This aspect of the culture shock comes later as it is not immediate like the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes you experience. However, almost all students sooner or later encounter these issues and can feel disoriented due to experiencing such different rules of behavior.
The British have a strong reputation for punctuality, and they tend to follow this habit in both their professional and personal lives. Other cultures may consider being fashionably late a standard behavior, but it is looked down upon in the UK.
Values
Students first become aware of the cultural differences in the physical environment, such as food, dress, behavior, etc. Still, they will slowly notice that people in foreign countries also have values and world views that differ from yours. All cultures are built on a set of values, norms, assumptions, and beliefs that are deeply embedded in them.
Students feel surprised and distressed to realize that people do not share their deeply held values and beliefs. Students should suspend judgment and try to understand that parts of culture fit together into a coherent whole and that different cultures also mean differences in values.
How to Get Over the Culture Shock
Culture shock is usually a temporary phase, but it is essential to take some initiative to help yourself adapt better to the new cultural climate of the foreign country. Here, we will describe some helpful ways to overcome culture shock.
Normalize the Feeling
International students must remind themselves that however unsettling and uncomfortable they are feeling in a foreign country, it is perfectly normal to feel this way. Everyone is human and moving from one cultural climate to another will have an effect on them. Realizing that the feeling of culture shock is normal can greatly help students to adapt to the new environment.
Familiar Things
One of the reasons for experiencing culture shock is total detachment from the original culture. The total lack of familiar things can cause students to feel uncomfortable, homesick, and depressed. This is why students should keep images or ornaments of familiar things such as photographs and other souvenirs. Keeping in touch with home is critical to ensuring that you do not get extremely homesick to the point of depression and anxiety.
Exercise & Diet
You should eat a healthy and balanced diet because a healthy body can significantly uplift the mind. Find places where you can get familiar food from your homeland or at least get familiar groceries to prepare your local food. Exercising is also important to maintain good health and a sound mind.
Make Friends & Socialize
A great way to get rid of culture shock is to befriend locals because a culture seems foreign when you have no personal connection to it. When you socialize with locals, you get an opportunity to absorb the local customs and culture. Making friends can greatly reduce the uncomfortable feeling about a foreign land and help you overcome your anxiety and depression.
Take Help
International students should take help offered by the institutions, student communities, faith communities, and other helpful organizations that provide support to students struggling to fit into a new country and culture. Try to get help from them and talk about your issues to overcome the culture shock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Culture Shock in the UK?
Culture shock in the UK is the unsettling feeling students or immigrants from other countries experience when they notice the cultural differences between their own culture and the new and foreign culture. Many things can trigger culture shock, such as climate, food, social norms, learning and teaching style, and other aspects of life.
What Is the Problem Faced by International Students in the UK?
International students face numerous types of problems in the uk such as culture shock, intense homesickness, financial pressure, language barrier, racism, discrimination, difficulties integrating, food habits, social norms, etc.
What Are the Disadvantages of Studying in the UK for International Students?
Some common disadvantages of studying in the UK for international students are:
1. High cost of education
2. Adjusting to the climate
3. Cultural and social integration
4. Academic pressure
5. High cost of living
6. Limited options for accommodation
7. Visa and immigration challenges
8. Language barrier
What Is the Current Situation in the UK for International Students?
The current situation for international students in the UK is still favorable. International students face many challenges but also get numerous opportunities to prove themselves. Over seven hundred thousand international students are currently studying in the UK at various universities.
How Will You Manage Cultural Differences in the UK?
The most effective way to manage cultural differences is with openness and politeness. You should understand that the culture shock you are feeling is quite normal, and you must have an open mind to absorb the foreign culture. You should also remember that even if you do not personally support some cultural aspect, you have to respect the freedom of other people to participate in it.
Conclusion
Culture shock is a common experience for international students studying in the UK. It arises from differences in climate, food, language, social norms, and values. Key strategies to overcome these challenges include building connections, embracing new experiences, and seeking support. Overall, with time, patience, and openness, international students can adequately adapt to the new environment and maximize their study abroad experience.