International student mobility : understanding the mobility patterns and adjustment strategies of Indian international students in NTU

Abstract

Migration studies may have been a well discussed and researched topic in the field of Sociology, but studies on international student mobility have been relatively few. Moreover, the influx of international students in the Singapore education system, especially in the higher education level, has caused much concern and controversy among the locals recently. In this paper, I shall discuss the motivations behind the arrival of Indian international students (from India) in NTU, exploring their process of adaptation to life here, as well as examine their projected plans after their respective courses of study. Based on their life and everyday experiences, this paper attempts to sociologically analyze their responses from an individual level, and subsequently deduce certain mobility patterns before and after their course of study. Concurrently, this paper also seeks to explain the adjustment strategies they use so as to better understand the challenges they face in their adapting process.