Why international students are treated so unfairly?

The international students tend to stick together BECAUSE native students form their own exclusive social circles.

The problems about communication are complete rubbish, if you want to find an excuse for social discrimination get a better one. International applicants to universities must have a a fairly high pass in standard English tests such as IELTS or TOFEL, which confirms their English skills are perfectly capable of normal conversation and in this case, group discussions.

The real reason for the forming of separate social groups within your class? Awkwardness, unfriendliness, cultural differences, lack of common topics to socially interact, all form a fear of trying to communicate with foreign students whom native students have no idea about. All in all? Fear of the unknown, AGAIN. Some native students even goes as far as to think it's not "cool" to interact with these foreign students, and some think it's degrading to speak to people with heavy foreign accents.

Don't tell me there are no such things, I have witnessed them again and again and again, a lack of understanding, more importantly, mild fear of unknown cultures, have separated foreign students from native ones, just like the old system in high schools where popular kids look down on unpopular ones, because they're different.

Which makes you think whether these supposedly "grown up" teenagers are really mature or not.

Unfortunately, if they don't speak English well at all it makes working together in a team quite difficult for all parties.

Some people don't want the hassle - and it IS a hassle when you can't communicate with someone you're supposed to be working with.

RE: TOEFL? Don't make me laugh. Cheating the TOEFL test is RAMPANT.

http://chinageeks.org/2010/10/foreigners-struggle-to-combat-chinese-cheaters/

Same with IELTS

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/jun/20/tefl.jessicashepherd

Some of the international exchange students where I studied ADMITTED they cheated on their TOEFL in order to study abroad. When asked why, they replied, "Everyone does it."

So no - neither the TOEFL nor the IELTS is a guarantee of ANYONE's language abilities.

well from my experience, the international students stick together and are all friends. so if you take that, and add it to the language barrier, it'd be akward to be in a group with them.