After observing the American presidential campaign firsthand this year, some international students at Penn State say the United States has a lot to learn about campaign policies.

The limited two party system, a candidate's tendency to focus on winning rather than the issues, excessive campaign spending and problems with the voting process were four main criticisms Penn State international students voiced of the American system.

"In Brazil our system is not as limited as the U.S. You can find parties that cover the full political spectrum and have a say in national issues," said Chris Stoner, (junior–international business).

Stoner said the abundance of political parties in his home country of Brazil make for a more dynamic political system, which can translate into an electorate satisfied by the ample array of choices the voters are given.

Chris Chuang (sophomore–computer science) has a different view than Stoner on the abundance of political parties. "There is not much structure and too many political parties, which leads to inefficiency," he said of his native country, Taiwan.

Jose Torres' (junior–engineering) chief complaint about the current U.S. presidential campaign relates to his perception that the candidates do not adequately address issues relevant to the majority of voters. "In Venezuela campaigning is more aggressive and about the issues. Here it is more polite and they only care about wining," Torres said.

One issue Chuang said he also sees ignored is the candidates' foreign policy positions. "Foreign relations will be an important issue and the public should be made aware of each candidates stance on that, I haven't heard anything about candidates stances on foreign relations," Chuang said.

Stoner raised the issue of the role of the Electoral College. The Electoral College is a slate of electors numerically equal to the state's congressional delegation and chosen by each party in a state. The electors for the party that wins the public vote in a state choose which president wins that state.

Stoner said he did not understand the purpose of the Electoral College and said U.S. elections are already limited enough by the two-party system.

Despite the outside criticism on how America runs its political campaigns, Torres lauded the U.S. system despite its flaws.

"The United States system is very organized, everyone follows the rules and that is why it works."