A Hard Landing: Beginning the Study Abroad

Abstract

This chapter looks at Chinese students’ initial experience at German universities through the lens of Anderson’s ‛affective, cognitive, and behavioral’ model. The initial period of study abroad is usually the most difficult time for interviewees. Due to the rush of the pre-departure period, most participants do not prepare well and encounter many challenges shortly after arrival. In the cognitive dimension, the Chinese students are not familiar with the types of courses and assessment at German universities, and they have difficulty planning and organizing university study themselves. In the affective dimension, interviewees felt abandoned and complained, ‘Nobody takes care of me here’. Yet, in spite of all these challenges, in the behavioral dimension, most Chinese students made efforts to improve their German language skills.