Susan McKee, communications co-ordinator for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, describes academic programs to international students from Windsor high schools.Susan McKee, communications co-ordinator for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, describes academic programs to international students from Windsor high schools.

Visit opens campus to local international students

Students come from around the world to study in Windsor high schools hoping to hone their skills in English and get a head start on post-secondary education in Canada. A group of 24 of them visited campus Friday to learn about opportunities at the University of Windsor.

“Their needs are different from domestic students even though they are in our local high schools,” says Romi Saraswat, international student recruitment co-ordinator. “That’s why it’s nice for us to connect with them at this point.”

The group encompassed students from both the public and Catholic systems, who heard presentations about academic programs, campus facilities, student support services, and the application process.

Miranda Xiang, an English teacher at Taiyuan Foreign Language School in the Chinese province of Shanxi, accompanied a contingent from that institution. She says the campus visit gave the students an opportunity to explore the variety of programs on offer.

“The tour is really useful for them. They are introduced to the different departments at the University,” she says. “The University of Windsor has provided them with more chances and more choices. They can find their own interests.”

Besides China, the students’ homelands included India, Japan, Spain and Vietnam. Although they come from far away, Saraswat hopes they extend their time in this city.

“When international students are choosing a secondary school, they pick Windsor for a reason,” she says. “We want to give them a reason to stay in Windsor.”