'One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things': Exploring acculturation and intercultural identity building of international students at the University of Mississippi

The experiences of international students studying in the U.S. continue to be the concern of numerous literatures in the field of international education. This master's thesis addresses the experiences of international students at the University of Mississippi. A qualitative study of 13 semi-structured interviews with international students at the University of Mississippi was conducted. The findings from the interview transcripts discovered that the interviewee's experiences could be discussed regarding four key sections. Firstly, the findings discovered factors that affected international student's acculturation at UM. Secondly, the findings presented how the interviewee's experiences at UM could be plotted on the "acculturative process" curve. The third section of the findings presented the interviewee's experiences regarding intercultural identity building. The final section of the findings presented regional particularities that affected the interviewee's acculturation. This research offered contributions to the body of literature on international education in the U.S. regarding how aspects of region, such as the concept of Southern hospitality as viewed by individuals from other cultures, affected international student's adjustment at UM. It also contributed to the field of literature by presenting findings regarding placement options of international students to argue how the acculturation process begins before international students arrive at UM. Key words: international students, acculturation, intercultural identity building, adjustment, culture shock, U.S. South, region, University of Mississippi.;Key words: international students, acculturation, intercultural identity building, adjustment, culture shock, U.S. South, region, University of Mississippi..