The Lived Experiences of Chinese International Students Preparing for the University to Work Transition: A Phenomenological Study

Chinese international students have been the largest growing number of international students on U.S. college<br>and university campuses for the last ten years. However, there is minimal research literature that pertains to<br>Chinese international students’ experiences on U.S. campuses and currently no research literature that reflects<br>the entirety of their experience studying in the U.S. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study<br>was to give a voice to Chinese international students who are preparing for the university-to-work transition to<br>better understand their experiences as international students in the United States, specifically the types of<br>transitional stressors they experienced and how they coped with these stressors. Five major themes and the<br>essence of the participants emerged from the data analysis and are presented, discussed, and implication for<br>campus based mental health professionals are provided.