Expectations vs Reality of International Students in Corvinus : An exploration of the factors that shape the experiences of international students that study at Corvinus

Abstract

This paper looks at the experience of international students at Corvinus University. The necessity of this is clear as Corvinus attempts to expand its international program. Without an understanding of the expectations of the students that come from a variety of countries, it is impossible to improve the realities of their situation. By interviewing students from different walks of life, this research will provide a summary of what they expect from the university and then look at the ways in which these needs were fulfilled or not fulfilled. This research will be framed through the lenses of the expectation-value theory which states that the more that one expects from the university the more value or human capital will be accrued by that individual (Smith & Wertlieb, 2005) and the ecological theory which pertains to expectations implies that the more attractive the place looks, the more likely students are to go to that place (Smith & Wertlieb, 2005). To further understand the issue, the thesis will be done through a comparative analysis between first and third-year students to gain an accurate picture of the situation.