For some international students at Penn State, language barriers, financial problems and red tape make getting their education abroad a challenge that many of their American peers do not understand.

Simon Bai had the advantage of knowing the language when he came to the United States from Paramaribo, Suriname.

"English is taught in a lot of the school systems in my country," he said. "Everyone comes to the States knowing at least enough English to survive."

Other students have varied experience with the language.

"English was not hard for me to learn," said Tries Nainggolan (sophomore-finance), a student from Jakarta, Indonesia. "In my country, people do not speak English in public, but it is a required class in all of the high schools."

Other international students said even with a strong grasp on the English language, learning common phrases was a challenge.

"Everyday talk was understandable for me. What was hard to understand was American slang," Miory Kanashiro, (sophomore-architectural engineering) said.

Kanashiro is from Lima, Peru, and her first language is Spanish.

"I was always getting the words 'peeps' and 'pimp' mixed up. Some things in English just don't translate the same into Spanish," she said.

Adjusting to college can be difficult for all students. For the international student in particular there are the added challenges of cultural differences, greater financial commitment and legal barriers.

Despite these challenges, international students continue to enroll in American schools.

"I enjoy studying in the United States," Ahrim Ivy Lee (sophomore-accounting), of Bundang, Korea, said. "I wouldn't want to study anywhere else."

Not all of international students' problems involve language. One of the biggest challenges for students is travel.

For each exit and return into the country, in addition to a passport, a form called the I-20 must be signed and presented at customs. The form is proof of the students' purpose in the country.

Customs officials use the form to verify that the student has been admitted by that school or university and the admission requirements have been met.

Not having the I-20 can cause big headaches for students already enrolled in the United States or hoping to enroll at a school here.

"I forgot to get my I-20 formed signed coming back from Christmas vacation," said Yook Yung Chang (freshman-business). "I thought that I wold be stuck in Korea. I had to get my roommate to fax it over, and in the meantime, I missed my flight."

Employment opportunities are also a complaint among the students. They must be registered for 12 credits and have permanent residency to be permitted to work off campus grounds and are limited to working a maxim of 20 hours a week on campus.

International students are not eligible for federal financial aid and many scholarships because they are not permanent residents of the United States and do not pay taxes.

"Much of the financial aid is from the United States and state governments. They are naturally restricted to US citizens and permanent residents," Assaf said.

Jay Lee (sophomore-business logistics), a native of Doha, Qatar, said the restrictions make financing his education difficult.

"I have to pay so much money to come to school here, and it's so hard to get a job to help with the costs," he said.

Soonsahng Hong, (freshman-information science technology), who is from Seoul, Korea, agreed paying for his Penn State tuition is hard.

"It would definitely be beneficial if financial aid was available for us," he said.

With the restrictions that come from the assignment office, housing can also be a problem.

During holidays and breaks, dormitories close and all students are forced out of their rooms.

As alternatives, study lounges are opened and students are allowed to stay there until the break is over. Reservations and an additional cost are necessary for temporary rooms.

Although some of the international students complained of the extra fees and inconvenience, Kathy Krinks, manager of the assignment office, explained the closure is necessary to keep housing costs low.

"Room and board fees are calculated on how many days the university is in operation," Krinks said.

"When classes are not in session, those days are considered inactive. It would raise room and board cost to keep the dorms open on those days." she said.

More than 80 percent of the undergraduate student body is from Pennsylvania. Krinks said the university closes its doors with the expectation that most will return home.