<p>Now that all of us are done with our applications, let us talk about how the whole going to another country experience is like?
How do international students cope with the new people, culture, and distance from family,friends,bf/gf etc along with studies.
Personally the prospect of going to US excites yet frightens me.
So can some international students in U.S. universities come up with their experience and some things that other students should and should not do..........<br>
It would be very helpful for future students :)</p>
<p>At least in LAC’s, the environment seems quite welcoming for internationals. Of course that’s what web sites say… I guess in the end it depends on how sociable and outgoing you are. Personally, I don’t worry much about “adaptation.” Just about acceptances.</p>
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<p>I came to the U.S. a long time ago & yes, I did attend a U.S. college. Just like you, my oldest kid will enter college Fall 2008. Your question reminded me of the time when I, too, was full of questions about coming to a new place. </p>
<p>Driving is almost a must if you need to venture out of campus. One night I was driving home when all of a sudden the car that was behind me had lights flashing on top of the car. I had no idea what was going on, I thought to myself how rude that driver was to flash so many lights & tailgating me. Luckily I was near my home, as soon as I entered my driveway, the car behind me stopped & I could hear a voice coming from a “loudspeaker”. A person stepped out & walked toward my car, I realized that was a policeman. I was pretty scared. He told me that he was trying to stop my car because I had gone over the speed limit. That was a relief! Prior to that I did not know that if a police car flashes the lights, I’ll need to pull over to the side of the road. </p>
<p>That was a very embarrassing episode, but compared to what happened to a student from Japan, I was really lucky. He was invited to a Halloween Party & dressed up with a mask hiding his face. Speaking very little English, he went to the wrong house & knocked on the door. The person who answered the door thought that he was a burglar. He fired a shot, taking the student’s life.</p>
<p>So I guess, my message is: When in Rome, do as Romans do…& let common sense guide you</p>
<p>I don’t get it. Why the Japanese was shot if he was in a costume? Maybe the person who shot him was a foreigner,too.</p>
<p>^ probably</p>
<p>NY Times report regarding Yoshihiro Hattori’s death:</p>
<p>[Judge</a> Awards Damages In Japanese Youth’s Death - New York Times](<a href=“http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00E5DC133BF935A2575AC0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1]Judge”>http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00E5DC133BF935A2575AC0A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1)</p>
<p>Here’s another commentary about the incident from “Japan Today”:</p>
<p>[Japan</a> Today - News - Parents of Japanese boy killed in U.S. appeal for gun control](<a href=“http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/235055/all]Japan”>http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/235055/all)</p>
<p>My experience of living in the U.S. has taught me that gun is a very important part of that culture. A lot of people here have guns in their home as protection & they are not afraid to use it. I also find that hunting here is considered a sport. Where I came from, owing a gun is akin to criminal behaviour. </p>
<p>Another cautionary tale I want to share is that a few weeks ago, Rice U. lost a student at a shooting range. She’s an international student who went to a shooting range, presumably to practice shooting but she died perhaps because of a shooting accident. I guess my point is that if you do grow up around guns, you do not know how to safely handle guns. For someone who is fascinated by it, they will mostly handle it the wrong way, causing accidents.</p>
<p>I meant to say “…owning a gun…” in my last message. also pls replace “…if you do grow up around guns…” with “…if you don’t grow up around guns…”</p>
<p>Another sad story I want to share with you:</p>
<p>A childhood friend had come to the U.S. to study, he graduated with honors & was about to go home that summer. One Saturday night he went out late at night to meet some friends at a club. He never made it. 2 days later, the police called asking for the next of kin. There was no next of kin & we were the closest. We called his mom who made that 16+ hour flight to the U.S. to see his son in the morgue. According to the police, he was driving on an undivided highway, the driver that hit him was drunk with a bottle of champaign still in his car. That driver survived but not my friend. At the time, my friend was driving a little Chevette while the drunk driver drove a tank-like Catalina (70s). </p>
<p>I hope more people will think of the consequences before they drink, & if you do drink, find someone who doesn’t drink to be the driver. Friday & Saturday nights seem to be the more dangerous time to be on the road as more people tend to get drunk on those 2 nights, so your chances of running into drunk drivers are higher. I have avoided going out on Friday & Saturday nights all together.</p>
<p>Stop it with the depressing stories!!</p>
<p>If you have lived or live in an underdeveloped country, you’ll know that every day people die. In my city, there’s about 20 deaths every day. So don’t overreact with a car accident… they’re awfully common in any part of the world.</p>
<p>I agree with Danielcarp…</p>
<p>It’s good to know the dangers, but I’d really like to hear some stories about students’ experiences while he/she’s actually LIVING.</p>
<p>Let us remind ourselves of the original topic</p>
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[QUOTE=yuna]
…let us talk about how the whole going to another country experience is like?
How do international students cope with the new people, culture, and distance from family,friends,bf/gf etc along with studies.
Personally the prospect of going to US excites yet frightens me.
[/quote]
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<p>Excuse me…</p>
<p>Apologies if my posts have upset anyone. That was not my intention… :)</p>
<p>“How to cope with the new people, culture & distance from family…”</p>
<p>I find Skype to be most convenient if you ever have to call home(overseas). You can also use it with a phone or a laptop. I highly recommend it. To keep in touch with friends in the U.S., a prepaid cell phone is an inexpensive option & these are sold in many places such as Walmart, Target. </p>
<p>If you do not drive a car, your happiness is very much contingent upon where you go to college as you will most likely be staying near campus. It’s important to find a place that will keep you fascinated for 4 years. Large cities offer a lot of options, small town also has its charms, all depends on your personality. I have lived in the States over 20 years now & I still have not visited all the states, & we drive across the country almost every summer.</p>
<p>In many colleges, especially the large ones, you will find all kinds of clubs I’m sure one of them will suit you. </p>
<p>I find the varieties of food here amazing, Tex-Mex, Italian, Greek, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean… when you get homesick, have some comfort food, but watch your waistline, the food here is served in unreasonably huge portions. </p>
<p>My younger sister was once invited to her dorm mate’s home during holidays. Her friend’s mom made some Swedish pancake & it was the best that she ever had.</p>
<p>To the OP, re: studies,</p>
<p>Speaking from my own experience of having switched from a U.K. based system (pre-college) to a U.S. system (college), I’d say that in my college, there’s a core requirement that includes a broad range of subjects(micro/macro econ. sociology, psychology, calculus, etc…). One of which I find myself having to devote considerable time on was U.S. History. Although U.S. History is a short few hundred years, many of the local students here already learned about it since middle/high school. At the college level, they’ll just breeze thru it. For someone like me who learned it for the first time, it could be quite daunting to remember all the little facts & details. There was also a lot of readings involved, skipping class is unwise as the teacher will most likely test on the notes s/he gives during class. </p>
<p>Some colleges have different English requirements for native & non-native speakers of English. Since English is a required subject, everyone has to take it, & enrolling in popular classes are always a pain… try to get it out of the way asap.</p>
<p>In college level English or English literature classes, we learned mostly American literatures, supplemented with a few Br. classics: Chaucer/Shakespeare, most here already read about them in high school, if you’re not familiar with literatures by American authors, you’ll be playing catch-up…yeah, those were some of the few differences..</p>
<p>My husband teaches Physics & he’s seeing some students who come back to school after having worked a few years because they want a career change. It’s important to study the subjects that you really enjoy.</p>
<p>Hey I have been studying in the US for 3 years. I left home at 17 and I don’t have family here. If you go straight to college, depend on where you go and who you meet you might find some Americans aweful in History and Geography. Don’t put them down for that, it’s not their fault. It’s their education system. Becareful when you go to parties and know who you aer hanging out with. Don’t buy your books in the college bookstore, they are too expansive. Get them online. It’s cheaper to buy phone card online to call home, skype is good too but yahoo messenger is even better. You can use it to make US and international call. If you are extremely homesick, try to talk to someone. Be friend with your academic/international advisor. IF you can’t stay on campus during breaks and can’t afford to go home, plan in advance what you will do. Ask your school if they have host family program. Don’t buy your ticket to go somewhere till you are sure that you will have a place to stay. If you are underage, please don’t drink. You might get away with it but if they catch you, you will be deported. There is a writing center in most colleges if you need help.</p>
<p>In America friendship is different from other countries. You can be someone’s close/good/ friend but it doesn’t mean that you guys are “friend”. They will call you honey, sweety, and all this thing but don’t think that they like you or mean it. Lot of people in this country will hug you and say “I love you”, but it doesn’t really have too much value here. It’s like good morning. Don’t be shock if some one greets you and ask how you aer doing but walk away before you answer. They don’t really care about it. I have a lot that I could say. Every thing depend on in which state/city/school you ae.</p>
<p>A lot depends on the school. Some schools have a large population of international students and are used to dealing with the acclimatisation issues, others do not. Location matters a lot too. Some states have very restrictive laws on guns, others quite permissive. Some states have very restrictive laws on homosexuality, others quite permissive. It is very hard to find generalities that apply in a specific case.</p>
<p>A lot also depends on the student body. Are you applying to to a large state university with 10000 students in any given year or a small liberal arts college with 150? All of these affect how easily you learn to fit in, and how comfortable you are there.</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments. </p>
<p>When you speak of your experiences would you mind explaining the setting? I mean, a liberal arts college, or a big state university, that sort of thing.</p>
<p>Can more people share there stories please…this is an interesting topic…</p>