Interrogating Spaces
Interrogating Spaces
Student focus: International Student Experience
In this podcast we hear from two international students about their experience of studying at UAL, specifically at Central St Martins. They give valuable insights as well as tips for tutors and incoming students. This podcast was made by the Student Imaginators, a cross-college group of students and alumni at UAL, who imagine, create and produce student-facing resources to do with decolonial approaches and compassionate pedagogy.
Credits/ references:
Participants: Mihika Bahety and Vicky Wong
Questions and Facilitation: Dr Amita Nijhawan
Sound Engineering and Production: Hannah Kemp-Welch
Welcome to interrogating spaces. A podcast that examines ideas around inclusivity and attainment in higher education. We speak with staff, students and practitioners to explore questions around democratic and decolonize teaching practices.
About this episode:In this episode of interrogating spaces, we hear from international students from Central Saint Martins, who share their experience and give tips for staff and incoming students.
Mihika Bahety:Hi, I'm Mihika.
Vicky Wong:And I'm Vicky.
Mihika Bahety:And we both are international students studying at us, Central Saint Martin's.
Vicky Wong:And what we're gonna talk about today is that we're mainly going to share our experience as an international student in the UAL, we're also going to give some tips on what we think that tutors and staff could do to help international students to be more involved in the space
Mihika Bahety:and tips to students as well and on how they could make the most of their time and have as much fun as they can. My experience with a UAL, because I did the foundation course at CSM. And it was my first time coming to London on my own. So that was altogether a very thrilling experience leaving my parents and my lovely house back and coming all the way here on my own. And I had no idea what I was going to do because I was doing the foundation course. And at that time, I did not know I would get into performance design and practice course. And I remember the first week of my college like the university, I had a little bit difficulty in understanding the accents. That was a bit challenging for me. But eventually I got the hang of it. One thing that I sort of remember nice laugh about it is I was kind of shocked with how casual the relations were between the students and the teachers. And the fact that all the students call the tutors by the first names. And I was like, why aren't they putting a sir or ma'am? After that, and it was quite like challenging for me to just call my tutor by their first names. I'm like pizza and you know, call me Peter. I wasn't aware of the whole kind of culture and all together, making new friends who were not from the same city as me the same place, getting to know their stories and just how they how they're living, and what do they do and talking about how every day all of us would cook pasta. And that would be the only thing we knew all the briefs as well, like it was so so non academic, compared to what I had studied before. It was really creative, like creatively challenging as well, coming up with new ideas to creating new art every every week with different people in my class from all around the world. So that was quite a little overwhelming. But at the same time, I had fun. I really had fun. Definitely a little bit language was a barrier. The cultural difference, like the fact that over here, people are so so open minded, so kind of open to anything and everything. They didn't think twice before doing anything, my friends, and they just went for it. And I kind of over analysed every step I took and most of my friends would tell me just let go just to do what you want to do. You know, we'll see how it goes. And that was a bit difficult for me to just let go into whatever that comes to my mind. Instead of kind of going into the details and being like if I do this, this is going to happen and tracking my way before I do something. But that was something that I had a little difficulty letting go and just putting myself out there. I was a little homesick at first but I was really lucky that my flatmates back home they were really nice. And we restarted like cooking together we would spend nice time after uni every day. So that that kind of like helped me not remember my family back home again and again that I'm missing them. So that was nice. Making friends at UL it was kind of it was easy and it wasn't at the same time because I remember talking to a lot of people and not everybody kind of clicked with me like some of them. I couldn't, I couldn't really connect to them about the topics they spoke about and the issues that they addressed it. I did not understand that. And some people I was like, Yes, we are having lunch every single day. Now, it was like that. I didn't that I remember there was a few people did make assumptions about me, that was a little weird. Like, I would introduce myself. And I remember two girls, they told me that'Oh, so you're from India', you must be doing yoga and meditation. And I didn't know how to reply to that. Because I did. I did practice yoga at that time. And I still do, but I just thought that there's more to me than just that. I didn't know how to say it. But I didn't know how to reply to that I just laughed so that it doesn't get too awkward or something. Another experience was that was I remember, there was a friend that I was talking to, and she was telling me about how her grandmother would cook really nice dumplings. And they would come together for Chinese New Year. And I asked her that, Oh, it must be nice. I like kind of engaged in the conversation. And I just said the word China. And she got so offended. And she she told me, I am not from China, I am from Hong Kong. And they are two different things. And that was a really like shocking experience for me, because I did not know that it would, it would like be such an offence if you associated someone who's from Hong Kong with China, and there was kind of a political thing going on between them. But for me, it was like, I was really sorry. But at the same time, I was like, I did not know that. It was a learning experience for me as well, because I just realised I had to let go and move on. There was a time I remember I was in the metal workshop, and along with my friends, and they were like two male friends with me. And they were like doing some metal work. And I was going to be the next one in the line. And for them, the technician wouldn't do anything, like help them. But for me, he's like He He said that, oh, you wouldn't be able to do this. Let me do it for you. And I told him that. I thought that he was teaching me how to do that. But then he ended up doing the whole thing. And I asked him that, why can't Why can't I do that? And he said, Oh, it's just because you wouldn't be able to and I was like, But why I want to do it, I wouldn't. I'm here to learn. And then we got into this really like it wasn't it didn't turn out to be an ugly conversation on anything. But it was just a funny thing. And then I ended up doing the whole thing again by myself. So that was a little like, why didn't I was wondering like, why didn't he do this with the previous guy? And why did he just do it with me, you know,
Vicky Wong:Well my experience in a student in UAL? Well, quite similarly, with Mihika. It begins with cultural shocks and also language barriers at the beginning. And it was fun and painful at the same time. Of course, it was fascinating to get to know a culture really different to yours. And it's also really, it's also quite empowering, to go back home and tell your friends that you learned so much from this culture and share what have you exchanged in this kind of experience. But I feel like the beginning of my student experience in UAL wasn't really great. Well, mostly because of relationship with people from the course. And at the beginning of the course, it's actually hard to feel like you could bond with people instantly. So when I was doing my foundation in CCW, it was actually a really nice place. And I think our tutors are really supportive in what we're doing. But it was quite a big class. And it's hard to feel like you could be friends instantly and just do whatever you want and go on about it for a really long time. And what I even had like a kind of like a semi aggressive argument with the person that I was working with, because I feel like I was ignored and left alone during our project. And it was really, really, from just a judgement from my perspective. But what I wish is that I would have been a bit honest at that time and let people know our feelings. So when you look back, you feel like you know a lot more about yourself and you see the part that you would love to improve and try to know what to do better when you come to a similar scenario next time, I think it's the part when you try to become more open to people helped me to realise that a lot of these problems can actually be resolved. So well back to that case, when I had that semi aggressive argument. The next thing I did was go back home, what go back to the hole and cry in front of my, in front of my friends, I actually didn't intend to cry when I was crying alone in the student kitchen, and my friend came inside and saw me crying, and she came over and hugged me, I'd be like, Oh, don't cry, it's okay, what's going on? And like, well, that's that's the moment I realised, you know, it's when you're when you're feeling really suppressed or feeling quite upset and not well, it's always okay to show that side in front of people, even though you feel really, really vulnerable. Because if only if you opened up yourself, you're going to get like, you're going to know where you want to go next. Well, I've changed in mentality, I think my biggest change is that my mentality has been changed after the experience of studying in UL for a couple of years, while especially in when thinking about the society and a lot of current issues, because I'm from Hong Kong, and a lot of, there's a lot of political things going on back in there. And I feel like it's really hard to talk about them, it's quite reluctant for me to bring them up in front of people who are closer and more intimate to me, because these are the stuffs that actually makes you feel quite uncomfortable. And also, it might actually end up getting you into a lot of arguments and but like coming to ul, I feel like one of the best thing they provide me is that there's a safe space that you can talk about your opinions without holding back. And yeah, actually helped me develop way of expressing opinions in a way that you wouldn't you, you wouldn't feel like you're being hold back. And but you can also try to learn to make it not offensive at the same time.
Mihika Bahety:For me, I My advice to international students coming to UAL, I would say, because I learned this the hard way, or maybe I learned this a bit later. But I would say that, just put yourself out there, Don't overanalyze things don't give like second thought to whatever comes to your mind, because I was being repeatedly told by my peers and my tutors to just play around and have fun. Because this is this is the time that you can actually do whatever that you want to. Because later of course, you're going to work for someone and you don't have that much freedom to fool around and experiment. But at the same time, this is the time you can actually meet new people make connections, talk to them, and just don't hold yourself back. Because just because you think you might get judged or anything because everybody feels the same. And it's nice to just let go and do it. Just do it. I would say about the impostor feeling first
Vicky Wong:Yeah, I completely agree with you Mihika It's like coming to UAL, I ran into a group of people who were like UAL is such a creative place. And it really, really encouraged us to think in a way that we didn't dare to think in. wearing high-end brands. And I thought that I had to wear them Sometimes you just have to forget, sometimes you kind of have to let go of the assumptions that you make for as well. And if I don't do that, I'm not I'm gonna get kicked yourself and just go for it. Because in terms of socialising, you don't really need to put on a lot of labels and tags on out, nobody's gonna talk to me or anything. But I just told yourself to, to introduce yourself to people, when when you're an international student and you're like in a completely new environment. There's actually a lot of other people who are like you and it really doesn't matter if you can't, you can't reach them you can't learn in them in like the first couple of while because you have to give it time and kind of just stop reminding yourself that you have to be like this or like myself that it's going to be okay, I'm going to meet other that. Try to go out and reach them in the most genuine people. interaction you can have and it's actually it's actually going to be a nice experience if you do that. Imposter syndrome 100% of time. It's basically my UAL experience in a nutshell for myself even though amongst my Chinese friends, my Hong Kong Well when it comes to tips for tutors, technicians friends I do feel like an imposter among them because I have a very Mainland China and Hong Kong mixed background. It's actually it's actually making me feel like I I never belong to either of the community even just it just within my own community. Coming to UK coming to UAL knowing a lot of other and staffs on international students, I think they do have international students or local students has actually gave me an insight of, of the more globalised version of the community that we're going to be living in the future. to be more cautious like not in the bad way. But do be aware that they're coming from a new environment, and it's very unlikely for them to reach out for help, actively, well, from for myself, I've never spoken to a technician until this year. And it's really really a I've, I've wasted so much time to just to be afraid and scared to reach out to anyone. You don't you just don't know how to go ask for help from tutors. Like if I'm phrasing my question this way. Does it sound too stupid? If I'm asking a technician about help for my project? Is it like, is it too rude? Is it am I taking too much of that time and what I think it would be great if tutors and technicians can be more engaged in what students, especially international students, and in what in in what they're doing personally and try to, you know, kind of reach them out in the first step and try to start a conversation with them. Because it's really, it's really hard for some of them to reach out at first.
Mihika Bahety:I would say for tutors and technicians. Because I noticed this personally, when I came here, a lot of tutors would group people together in a group, like for example, they would put all Asian students together or they would put all the local students together in a group project. And I would always wonder that it would be nice if there would be a nice kind of mix where or maybe like random, randomness of maybe putting chips out and just picking random names, to see who goes with them. Instead of assuming that they would be together, they would work together nicely. Because we are here to kind of meet new people, we are here to broaden our networking abilities. And if the tutors can help or give us a little push in that at the start, it would be easier for us to reach out to people and talk to anybody and everyone. And this kind of goes to the student as well, to some extent that try to make new friends try to talk to people you've never spoken to before. And not just stick with the one person that you sat next to since the first day in the orientation or something can be the end of the course. Because you never know who you might end up like working really closely with who you might match your creative instincts with. So that is kind of something that I would say, for teachers and technicians.
Vicky Wong:Thank you that's like really, really important observation. Because, well, thank you so much for bringing it up. Because like, I feel like for myself, that's a really, really serious thing. Because in my personal experience, I've been paired up with people from my ethnicity group for a lot of times during this term, and yeah, it just makes me feel a little bit invalid. And make a you're like absolutely right. It's it's really, it's really up to how tutors might pair students up some time. So for our course, performance design and practice, it's such a small group, and it's actually it's actually easy to just shuffle the students and what if if the tutor is a bit more observe and caring, they would probably, you know, kind of study a little bit about student's background and find the best match for them and or talk to them specifically about their needs and their kind of attacks. ensuring they would want and the kind of intention they would have when having the project and help them find a good pair. And like in a school like ual collaboration is really, really important. And it's really it's like it's shaping our skews and how we're going to apply them. When we're when we're out of the Union, we're going to go into a workplace and by if the tutors are more aware of that it's going to be really, really helpful and Well, I think for a small class, it's probably easier and for like a bigger class like, like a course with more than 100 persons if tutors can get together and actually try to get to know about students pay more attention to them, especially if they're from an international background. Try to mix them up and blend them into like a really, really beautiful mixed up group and it will be really nice.
About the podcast:This podcast is brought to you by the teaching and learning exchange at University of the Arts London. For more information search for ual teaching, learning exchange.