INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES ISSUE 4, 2017 193 | Page It’s [not] just the English: Issues in the pre-departure academic orientation of international Masters and research students Matthew Piscioneri, 1 Citra Amelia & Wulan Fauzanna Bio-data: Matthew Piscioneri lectures in the Academic and Professional Writing Department, Faculty of Arts, Monash University. Email: Matthew.Piscioneri@monash.edu Bio-data: Citra Amelia is Language Training Coordinator at Language Centre of Andalas University, Indonesia. She received her Masters degree in English as an International Language at Monash University, Australia. Her research interests are academic orientation for international students, language attitudes, English as an International Language, and World Englishes. E-mail: citraamelia@gmail.com Bio-data: Wulan Fauzanna is a lecturer in English Department, Andalas University, She obtained her master degree from the Monash University, Master of English as an International Language Program and Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics from SEAMEO RELC Singapore. Her research is in Teaching English as an International language and Applied Linguistics. Email: wulanfauzanna@gmail.com Abstract This paper reports on research that examined the academic resources and language materials a group of mainly Indonesian international Non Native English Speaking Background Masters and Research Higher Degrees students received prior to the commencement of their degrees in Australia. Contrary to the researchers’ expectations, expectations which are also often emphasized in the literature pertaining to this issue, the data pertaining to post- commencement reflections suggest that academic English language competency was not always or mainly identified by respondents as the main challenge these students faced in transition. In terms of academic orientation, for many of the respondents, issues linked to their transition that related as much to navigating a new culture of inquiry as it did to a new language of inquiry were as much if not more significant than the issue of (academic) English. Keywords: international postgraduate students, pre-departure academic orientation, academic culture shock Introduction This paper reports on the findings of recent research conducted into the reflections of mostly Indonesian, international, non-native English speaking background [NNESB], Masters postgraduate and research higher degree [RHD] students on their pre-departure academic orientation needs. At the time the data was collected, the respondents were studying Masters coursework degrees or undertaking doctoral studies in an English-speaking instructional context (Australia). The paper surveys and interprets the participants’ reflections on their transition into advanced tertiary study in this instructional context. The findings provide 1 Corresponding author.