International students have been “severely affected” by the pandemic, says Sheffield SU International Officer.
Iuri Montenegro also said there are systemic issues within the UK’s higher education system, which he said depends on international students and their fees.
“Universities will do all they can to keep this income and, in moments of crisis, the way that finances are put ahead of students’ wellbeing becomes much more apparent”, said Montenegro.
This comes after over 30,000 overseas students across the UK signed a petition calling for compensation from the Government, while students in London withheld their £29,000 tuition fees.
Montenegro believes international students should have had the opportunity to study online from the beginning of this academic year.
He said this would have avoided risking their health through foreign travel, not being able to see their families, and paying “immensely high fees” for flights, accommodation and visas.
“However, this would require a clear communication on the part of universities about what this year would look like, which would bring the risk that maybe students would not have wanted to study this year and pay the fees that they are required to”, he said.
He added: “Offering the choice of online learning is quite contrasting to the already high fees that internationals pay”.
Journalism student Yaroslav Matveev, 20, from Russia, said living on his own in Sheffield during the pandemic has affected his mental health. He hasn’t been home in over a year.
“With constantly being in my room, it started getting worse”, he said.
“I pretty much spend all my time on my own. I rarely speak to anyone. Obviously I have online classes, but it’s not really the same, especially when you are in a group with 50 other students.”
Montenegro said the online learning environment is an “immense obstacle” to integration, which is a significant expectation for those who choose to study abroad.
“Being in a different country, in contact with another culture, making friends from all over the world – this is the majority of what makes the experience of studying abroad worth it.
“The magic of studying abroad has been severely damaged this year.”
Matveev said he has reached out to his department a number of times for support but often receives the same response or is signposted to different places.
He has, however, received support from his private student accommodation provider and was offered work on the reception desk to help him spend time away from his room.
“One day I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I went to the reception in my accommodation and then just literally burst into tears because I just couldn’t take it anymore”, he said.
“I’m really grateful for the people who work in my accommodation and how supportive they were.
“If you ask who should do more, my uni or my accommodation, I’ll probably say my uni because it’s the reason why I’m here. I came here for uni, for education, for a different experience. It’s weird to see that I got so much support from my accommodation but not from uni.”
Sheffield student Michelle Almeida, 19, is studying from Dubai after she went home within the travel corridor in December and was unable to return after Christmas.
The four-hour time difference means university days start at 1pm and can finish as late as 9pm, which she said can get “very exhausting”.
“Since I’m living at home, I’m living with my family again. They come back and everyone expects all of us to be together in the living room, but I’m locked up in my room”.
This also means practical elements of her journalism course, such as ‘newsdays’ where students are encouraged to telephone interviewees, are made more difficult.
While Almeida praised members of the teaching staff, she said there needs to be more consideration for international students.
Like Matveev, she has been signposted to different places for support which she only found to be temporary. For long-term support, she was told she would have to access help externally.
“Which makes me just think, why am I paying double the fees for me to just go outside and get the support when I could just study over here instead?”, she said.
In his role as an SU Officer, Montenegro said he has worked to implement an Exemption from In-Person Attendance Form for students abroad, and ensured the Covid Support Fund covers the cost of quarantine hotels and mandatory Covid tests.
He encourages students who are struggling to reach out for support and to interact with others through societies and Global Campus online events.
A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: “We understand that this has been a challenging time for our international students – particularly those new to Sheffield – and that the pandemic has impacted their experience in many different ways.
“We are committed to providing international students with the practical and wellbeing support they need while delivering a high-quality education to ensure they meet the learning outcomes of their programmes of study.”
For anyone seeking advice or support, some resources are listed below:
SAMHS: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/mental-wellbeing/index
University Counselling Service: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/counselling
Student Advice Centre: https://yoursu.sheffield.ac.uk/student-advice-centre
Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/
Sheffield Nightline: https://www.sheffieldnightline.co.uk/
