Reflections on being a student: a home and international perspective

In this reflective article, I outline my journey as a student from France who moved through a number of learning institutions abroad, to question the essentialism of the concepts of ‘international student’ and ‘international student experience’. I describe how I came to regard myself as a ‘professional international student’ while paradoxically incorporating elements of both the ‘home’ and ‘international’ student identity. I also give an account of some of the challenges encountered at different stages in my learning journey to compare the ‘home’ and ‘international’ experience and examine whether it is‘harder’ to be an international student.