The International Students and Scholars Office, located in 3428 Memorial Union, is a great place to go with questions about Iowa State. The office and its advisers have advice about almost everything concerning international students. Whether you have questions about school, work, getting involved or financial issues, the office will be able to help. The office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday during the school year. Appointments can be made online.

“From beginning to end and anywhere along the way, students can come in and see is for any sort of thing,” said James Dorsett, director of the office. Dorsett helped create a list, found below, of the top 10 reasons student seek the office’s services.

1. Orientation

Once a student has been accepted to Iowa State, orientation is one of the first steps he or she takes to get acquainted with their new home. If students need to be picked up from the airport, the office can help arrange that.

Dorsett calls orientation the “first thing that international students need to do when they arrive on campus.” International student orientation allows participants to do things such as set up their ISUCard and email accounts. Dorsett also said that orientation helps students to “learn how to adapt to American culture” by showing them what an American classroom is like and what rules and regulations they will have to observe. Students are put into groups of seven to 10 people to get to know other students.

“We have a lot of offices come talk, and then we try to have some fun things planned along the way,” Dorsett said. Some of these planned activities have included riding CyRide, going shopping, touring campus and taking a trip to the Iowa State Fair.

2. Information about working on campus

Any international student interested in working on campus needs to make a stop into the office. There is special paperwork that must be filled out. Any international student that has the opportunity to work off campus would also need to talk to an adviser before accepting a job.

“There are two types of special workshops. One is called optional practical training and the other is curricular practical training,” Dorsett said. The work permission workshops prepare students for an off-campus job. These usually relate to either their majors or future internships.

3. Need for financial help

The advisers at the office are available to help with any financial problems international students may face.

“If a student has a problem with cash flow issues, they can apply for a short-term loan,” Dorsett said. He also explained that there are a variety of need-based scholarships that are available to students who have been at Iowa State for a year.

4. Resolving legal issues

The office has loads of information regarding legal documents and processes students have to complete. Advisers work on things like immigration protocols, program extensions and other legal processes that can be hard to go through alone.

“There might be changes with a student’s major. They might have some research issues getting all of their data, so maybe students’ I-20s would expire and [they would] need to get them extended,” Dorsett said.

Dorsett’s office is available to help students fix problems like these. Although the legal aspects of studying at Iowa State may be intimidating, the office helps to make them as painless as possible.

5. Managing an academic workload

Along with legal issues, the advisers are also able to help students if they are having a hard time with their classes.

“If a student is having issues with their courses, and maybe they need to drop a class, that would have to be authorized through our office first,” Dorsett said in regards to students dropping below the 12-credit minimum.

Financial assistance to defray the cost of tutoring is also available. Students can apply for such aid through the Academic Success Center.

6. Taking trips

International students are able to sign up online for the exciting road trips organized through the office.

“We have trips that go to the Mall of America, to Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines, to Chicago and to the Pella Tulip Festival,” Dorsett said. The costs of the trips range from about $15 to $300, depending on the number of people going and the cost of hiring transportation. When students sign up for the trips, the costs are charged to their U-Bill, so they don’t even have to bring cash into the office.

7. Attending workshops

A good way to adapt to American culture is to attend the office’s workshops. These are usually free to students and offer a variety of facts about Iowa State. Dorsett said typical workshop topics include general help programs, buying cars, getting off-campus apartments, signing leases and preparation for Iowa winters. Information about upcoming workshops is available on the ISSO website.

8. Dealing with personal problems

Often, students may have personal problems and not know where to go for help. If students are clashing with their roommates, struggling academically, suffering from depression or facing any other sort of challenge, the office’s advisers are there to listen.

If ISSO can’t help, Dorsett said the office does its best to “get students in touch with the [Thielen] Health Center, the counseling service or maybe even the hall director, depending on the situation.”

9. Meeting new people

“The Friendships International program is a really good opportunity for international students to get to know American students or families,” Dorsett said. The program links students to American families, allowing them to build relationships and learn about American culture.

“We also help support some of the English conversation groups,” Dorsett said. “ISSO offers a leadership program to help give international students training or guidance.”

10. Attending a graduation reception

“And finally, there’s the graduation reception,” Dorsett said. “It’s a really cool event. We invite each international student that’s graduating.”

Friends and family are welcome to come, and it is a time for celebration for international graduates.

“This is an office of people who really, passionately care about our international students and scholars,” Dorsett said. “We see our job as to be their home away from home and help students achieve the things they have come to ISU to do – whether it’s cutting-edge research, a new work opportunity or to get a degree to move on to a career.”