How international students can make friends and live a happy life in such a preppy & snobby college like Vanderbilt ? How they can fit into it?
LIDWAYNE: any foreign students have to work twice as hard. They have to learn the language, culture and understand the courses (the concepts and practical implication) and have to make high GPA.
As foreign students at Vandy, you have to be pro-active. You have to join the clubs, groups, etc then you will make friends. If you don’t, then you will feel left out. Friends at college do not come to you as your wish, but you have to come to them.
How do you know that Vandy is preppy and snobby school? did you read that from the internet? have you lived in Nashville and visited the school? well, don’t believe anything you read from the internet. You have to test the water, feel for yourself.
ALSO, why don’t you ask yourself this question: as a foreign student, what is the objective to study in the US? do you know that you will be exposed and need to learn the culture, food, school etc. Are you mentally able to handle those difference?
You know that US culture is individualism that is you mind your own business attitude. So, sometimes foreign students will feel weird and not ready to accept that thingy. Sometimes also, foreign students feel home sick, feel like nobody to talk to, miss the home meal cooking, etc. Then again you have to be mentally ready for these things.
Another question you have to ask: do you feel like rich kids are bad? are you anti social? etc.
The whole thing that I post in here, only you can answer it. And the solution: one of them is: there are lots of groups you can join like Malaysian Group, Chinese Group, Indian group, etc. And there are also religious groups like Church groups, etc that you can join. There are clubs for your major. If you have joined anyone of those, believe me you will feel good not lonely and you can share your burdens, and questions to any of the members.
Work hard and Play hard…life is good.
@Tulanefan101 thanks for your post! It’s really helpful.
I also wanted to know, can I immerse myself into the mainstream? I’m a pale-skinned Iranian, My american accent is pretty perfect (though I need to work more on my writing and grammar! but I have 3-4 years time!). There aren’t any Iranians in Vandy (I think we have 3 Iranians there who are studying postgraduate and are much older than me), I wanna have good time there. I’ve read a lot of complaints about discrimination toward Asians.
Just join clubs, don’t stay holed up in your room on weekends, be friendly but not awkward etc.
It can be harder if you don’t drink since a lot of social events are based on dorm parties/frat parties/bars, which are significantly less enjoyable if you’re sober. You’d still be fine, you’d just have to really try to find some sort of club that involves a lot of social time. Maybe like a club sport, or one of the newspapers.
If you do drink and you’re a guy, then rush is a good way to meet people. Middle eastern kids generally do pretty well here; they don’t really have the same problems as Asians because their culture (at least for wealthy middle eastern people) somehow blends with American culture better.