The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020 has brought many teaching and learning challenges into higher education, such as innovative learning technology issues, the quality of sudden remote studying, a significant drop in international student mobility, and the overall flow of international students, that made the learning environment uncertain. The pandemic outbreak has also brought an understanding that it is a collectively shared challenge. International students, while feeling homesick during the pandemic times, were largely involved in a new social and academic reality and had become a vulnerable population, whose adaptation and adjustment processes in any country were disrupted. This study is focused on international students in Sweden and China during a period of unique experiences in higher education. Under the influence of the pandemic, it is of great interest and importance to investigate and compare the different practices of COVID-19 response strategies and their outcomes at the academic level. Some countries imposed suppressive public health approaches to arrest transmission, while others chose mitigation approaches to slow virus spread and protect vulnerable population. Regarding contrasting political, cultural, and socio-academic contexts in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, this study took Sweden and China as examples to investigate and compare their approaches in a fight against such a global issue with further consequences on international students’ mobility. Thus, this research aims to investigate and compare COVID-19 strategies in Sweden and China and their impact on international students. This thesis intents to answer the following question: what challenges for international students arose as a result of socio-educational policies in Sweden and China during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in what ways did restricting mobility impact their academic studies?

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"We build dwellings that, perhaps, satisfy most of our physical needs, but which do not house our mind."-- Juhani Pallasmaa My architecture thesis began with the question of the relationship and threshold between the realms of public and private and familiar and unfamiliar, while looking particularly in residential spaces. Humans consciously or unconsciously "use" the idea of their "home" environment to express something about themselves. The question that arose from this dialogue captured my attention which led me to explore a deeper meaning of what would be an ideal home for students like myself- ones who were starting a new chapter of their lives by moving to a foreign country. The idea of "Home" as a symbol of ones self, is a set of rituals, personal rhythms and routines of everyday life. The idea of Home cannot be produced all at once; it has a dimension of time and is a gradual product of the family's and individual's adaptation to the world. My thesis project has explored and proposed an architectural response to cultural diversity through student housing for existing Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area universities. The Mosaic is a place to express the personality and define the vessels of memories between individuals and society. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

The purpose of this study was to further investigate the experience of international student-athletes (ISA) studying and competing at the collegiate level in the United States. This mixed methods study used a survey and interviews to probe ISAs' challenges and support sources. ISAs attending a large private four-year university located in the western United States along with university athletic support staff participated in this study. In the survey comments and interviews the ISAs expressed that they are highly concerned with their ability to financially survive in this new environment. A demanding schedule requiring the balancing of athletics and academics does not leave ISAs time to make money to provide for their needs. With name, image, likeness (NIL) deals becoming the norm in NCAA sports, ISAs further expressed their frustration with not being allowed to participate in these deals. Regarding cultural adjustment, ISAs suggested through their survey responses that they face difficulty with the university academic expectations in the United States and cultural differences. ISAs are most likely to consult with a friend at the university or a coach of their team during challenging or difficult times and almost never with an academic advisor or professor. Other factors influencing the ISAs included their target language ability and religion.