Students come from abroad to study American business, culture and more

Jakob Pallesen was only supposed to be in the United States for two semesters, but that all changed after his arrival.

"I didn't really picture myself moving away from home for good," he explains.

The Danish expatriate, currently working as a researcher for Southeast Missouri State University's Institute for Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship, arrived in Cape Girardeau in 2007 after deciding he wanted to follow the example of his father and brothers by traveling.

"It was sort of a family tradition," he says. "My brother had studied at SEMO, so I chose there, too."

Southeast has a reputation for being international student-friendly, especially among institutions of similar size.

The reason is twofold, says Dr. Sandy Sen, assistant professor marketing at Southeast and faculty adviser of Southeast's International Business Club.

The first is an exceptional administrative structure to shepherd international students through the experience. Suzanne Omran, assistant director of international programming at Southeast, says they do everything they can to ensure students are able to have the richest cultural experience possible.

"We help them before they even get here, arranging things like visas and tickets. Once they get here, we pick them up at the airport, help them find a hotel for the night if they need one," she says. "We try to make the process as smooth as possible."

Pallesen agrees that the university has seen great success easing new students' integration, but also says the inevitable culture shock is a good thing.

"When you're put in a new situation in a new place, being forced to talk to new people and make new friends in a completely different environment, that's healthy," he says. "Experiencing that feeling of being on your own, overcoming that, it's really something."

Pallesen says the Midwest has been a fascinating place to live after growing up with a certain mental image of America.

"You're not too far from Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis," he says. "And you pick up pretty fast that you can ask a stranger for help and most of the time they'll actually help you."

On top of the culture, Sen says the university's credentials are the second reason Southeast appeals to many international students, especially those interested in business.

"[Southeast[']s] Donald L. Harrison College of Business is accredited," he says. "Accreditation is a rarity for a school of our size."

South Korean exchange student JunHo Park says he and many other students like him have come to the United States for that reason. He explains that he's in America for the culture, but at Southeast because of the relationship between Southeast and his school in Seoul.

"I'm double-majoring in business and hospitality management," he says. "For my field of study, America has the biggest economy in the world, so it's interesting to study economics here."