CAREER ADVISING CHALLENGES WITH ESL/IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

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CAREER ADVISING CHALLENGES WITH ESL/IMMIGRANT
STUDENTS
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Introductions

• Amy Kampsen, University of Minnesota
• Academic Advisor
• Work predominantly with ESL/Immigrant students in
  Commanding English program
• Robin Murie, University of Minnesota
• Director of Commanding English program
• Instructor

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Brief overview of Commanding English (CE) program

• First year learning community for students whose
  native language is not English, and whose ACT and
  placement scores indicate a need for further
  English language development
• Connects ESL reading courses to other typical
  college freshman courses (ex. biology, anatomy,
  sociology, etc.)
• CE only sections of writing, speech, and
  immigration literature
• Students are together for entire year
• Program offers workshops, events, and
  opportunities for building community and
  University connections
• Provides developmental and strength-based advising

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So you want to be a doctor??

• Or a.
• nurse
• pharmacist
• dentist
• medical technologist
• Dental hygienist
• etc.

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Some of our numbers

• 74 out of 108 (69) fall 2005 and 2006 freshman
  admits to CE program at Univ. of Minnesota
  indicated interest in medical career or hard
  science path
• Shift in profile of CE students
• In 1999, 64 were SE Asian (Vietnamese)
• In 2006, 72 were East African
• Shift in major and career choices from
  engineering, computer science to medical field

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Why might this be an issue?

• ESL/immigrant students may not have full English
  language proficiency
• May impact ability to take courses requiring
  heavy reading
• May affect ability to take timed tests
• May impact ability to take full course load
• ESL/immigrant students may not be academically
  prepared for rigorous math and science courses
  required
• Lack of adequate high school preparation
• 86 of CE students need developmental math
• 68 of CE students repeat math and science
  courses
• Time and money spent on tuition for developmental
  courses, repeated courses may run out of
  financial aid
• Frustration for student

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Issues continued

• Career path may not be appropriate
• Career path may not fit with ability,
  personality, interest, values
• Students may lack information
• ESL/immigrant students may not have same career
  development process as American born and raised
  students
• ESL/immigrant students may not have the same
  tools available to them to assist in
  self-knowledge discovery
• Family/community pressure
• Cultural values (value community/family needs
  rather than individual needs)

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Issues Continued

• Tendency to focus on students deficits rather
  than strengths
• Encouraging further career exploration and
  realistic goals without discouraging students
• Report by Abdimalik Askar, Metro Alliance
  Coordinator (Report on Best Practices for
  Recruitment and Retention, Somali Colloquium in
  Metro Area)
• Somali students frustrated and discouraged by
  counselors (you have a better chance of becoming
  a firefighter than you do a nurse)

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Discussion

• What challenges, if any, do you face on your own
  campuses with advising ESL/immigrant students on
  careers and majors?
• What specific resources are available on your
  campus that assist ESL/immigrant students with
  career development?
• What suggestions do you have that could help
  inform advising practice with ESL/immigrant
  students?

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How U of M Commanding English Program Supports
Career Development

• Connect ESL coursework to academic sciences
  classes biology, human anatomy, physical
  geology (new F07)
• Incorporate career information into the science
  reading courses
• MCAT reading passages
• Career courses
• Orientation to Self and Career
• Orientation to Health Sciences
• Connect with Health Careers Center (tour,
  
• research, information sessions)

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How U of M Commanding English Program Supports
Career Development continued

• Looking beyond medicine
• What does a degree in Global Studies do, for
  example?
• Making connections to less obvious career paths
• Whats the good of that?
• What do former students know?
• Student panel process of deciding on a major
• What majors seem to work for students in our
  program

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How U of M Commanding English Program Supports
Career Development continued

• Developmental and strength-based advising
• Help students understand that choosing a major or
  career path is a process
• Help students identify individual strengths and
  show how those strengths can be used in many
  different areas
• Help students communicate with and educate family
  members on career development and college process
• Have an awareness of cultural implications
• Understand needs of individual students (Maslows
  hierarchy)

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The End!
THANK YOU!