Stranger in a Strange Land

The population of international students at New York University is slowly declining, even as immigration to New York City has been steadily increasing since 9/11, according to NYU’s Office of Institutional Research and Program Evaluation.

International students have contributed a progressively smaller percentage to the student body for each of the past three years. At the same time, however, immigration to the New York region continues to increase, with rapid growth among Hispanic and Asian populations, according to an analysis of 2004 Census estimates by the Brookings Institution.

Paula Kupfer, 19, is a native of Panama City, Panama, and a freshman at NYU majoring in journalism. She has encountered frustration at being part of such a small minority at the university, where according to the College Board only seven percent of students are Hispanic, and far fewer are from Latin American countries.

“I wish more of the international students were Latin American,” Kupfer said. “Sometimes I meet someone from Ecuador or Brazil or other Latin American countries, and it just feels like we click. We get each other. Americans just operate on a different level.”

Kupfer came to the United States in September because she felt that a degree from an American university would be more valuable than one from Panama. But even in a city where non-Hispanic whites are becoming a minority, Kupfer found it difficult to adjust to a culture that is very different from her own. She has no family in the United States, and she still misses her native country.

“Living in New York, I miss nature, going to the jungle or going to the beach,” she said. “Just to be surrounded by trees. [Panama City] is a major city, but in an hour you can be at the beach, or you can grab your gear and go scuba diving or go camping.”

New York City is the world capital for international students with over 30,000 enrolled in colleges and universities in the five boroughs and about 45,000 foreign students studying within a 50-mile radius, according to the Institute of International Education.

“It’s good to get out of your own country for a while, and New York seemed like it would offer good exposure,” she said. But “people in America, especially in New York, are colder - more about themselves. I like going to school here, but I don’t love the lifestyle.”

Before coming to America, Kupfer briefly worked for La Prensa, the leading newspaper in Panama. She said that she was published in the newspaper several times a week in the months between her high school graduation and the beginning of her NYU career. Now Kupfer works at the front desk of the Deutsche Haus at NYU, because as a foreign student she cannot legally apply for work study or any off-campus job.

Although NYU sponsors activities that promote a sense of community among its international students, Kupfer stopped going to them very often when she became disheartened by the lack of people involved. She said that it remains difficult for her to meet new people from a similar background as her own.

But overall, Kupfer values her experience in New York City and plans to remain in the city after graduation, if only for a year or two.

“I love the independence of being here. Whenever you leave home you feel that, but in New York it’s especially strong.”