Starting at a community college and then transferring to a 4-year institution can help international students save money and ease into American-style education, according to EducationUSA advisor Lubna Anwar in an article for Pakistan’s Express Tribune.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/78277/community-colleges-an-affordable-springboard-to-educational-success/

Inspired by this article in Canadian magazine MacLean’s, about how universities are responding to an influx of bright Asian students, this week’s question is about diversity.

How diverse do you think American college campuses are (ethnically or socio-economically)? How would it compare to your hometown or local university?  How well do you fit in (or do you think you would fit in) compared to other students?

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I positioned my desk strategically so that I had a clear view of all the people entering the room. Some strode in purposefully like executives on their way to a Global Economic Forum. Others slid in and slunk into the unoccupied seats closest to the door. An exasperating few knocked, and knocked, and knocked until, with a sigh, I stopped my people-watching to attend to them.

An EducationUSA advisor in Zimbabwe leads a talk on navigating US immigration

It was the last Friday of April at EducationUSA Bulawayo and the monthly “So you want to study in the States” lecture was going to begin in ten minutes. I was the office intern responsible for the logistics of the lecture, but instead of embarking on a frantic search for clipboards, pens and projector cables, I returned to my seat and studied the people engaged in chatter around me.

Given that this was Zimbabwe, where society is fairly homogeneous, the diversity of the people in the audience was appreciable. No three people could attest that they had the same academic background, upbringing and social class. It was amazing that vastly different people, from dissimilar walks of life, could have a common life objective. Every person in the room was present for the same reason: self-empowerment through the attainment of a quality education.

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Part 1 of the Question of the Week looked at what it’s like to celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. – what do international students do for Thanksgiving and how can you find your own meaning in the holiday?

In this part we look at what it’s like to be far from home and your own holiday traditions. We asked what holiday traditions from home you would miss most while studying in the U.S.

It turns out it can be really difficult to be away from friends and family during the holidays. Watching Americans celebrate Thanksgiving can stir up some of these feelings of homesickness as well.  “I hate it,” Iranian student Bahareh Bakhtiari told The Shorthorn about Thanksgiving. “On campus it’s really quiet and nobody is around.”

But, many students say they are also developing new holiday traditions in the U.S. – new ways to spend their favorite holidays with family, or ways to celebrate the holiday with newfound friends.

Here are some of your stories and pictures:

Tet

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In honor of Thanksgiving, this week’s Question of the Week was about holidays. We asked what it’s like to celebrate American holidays, like Thanksgiving, in the States, and this post (part 1) is all about Thanksgiving and how to find your own meaning in a holiday that feels so American.

We also wanted to know what holiday traditions from home you would miss the most if you came to study in the U.S. Part 2 looks at what it’s like to be far from friends, family and your own holiday traditions.

Celebrating American Holidays

Nick writes:

“Four years ago, during my exchange year at a high school in America, I stayed with an American family. This was my entry way to an amazing experience with the American holidays. My host family celebrates quite extensively in most major holidays such as Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas. I can never forget the eagerness from all the egg-hunters in the family on Easter day, or the delicious Thanksgiving meal my host mom had planned for weeks, or the dazzling Christmas tree whose base was covered with gift-boxes. I was swayed, not by the iridescence of the holidays but rather by the joyful spiritualism that transcends into the fun and happiness everyone experiences. Most importantly, I love how the holidays pull family members together to spend time with each other, marking the happiest moments of their lives.

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Just came across this lovely Facebook post. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Studying in the U.S. isn’t always fun and easy.  Sometimes it gets hard – really hard, as international student Irene from Malaysia shares:

The projects are pilling up, due dates are around the corner, exams are indefinitely coming soon in 2 weeks’ time and the contents of every courses are extremely difficult. Well, everyone would say this is what a graduate life should be and it is always more challenging than undergraduate. I do agree with that but the expectation is so high here and the pressure is just so intense that there are a few people who blackout  in labs or while working on projects.

In this video, a Michigan State University student from China talks about the language barriers he faced when he first arrived, and how he ended up eating the worst sandwich ever as a result:

Only one of us is in costume. (Photo courtesy Elaine Fortuna)

I first arrived in the U.S. in mid-October, so I was almost immediately swept away by Halloween, followed soon by Thanksgiving. By “swept away” I mean, for the most part, “exposed to advertisements and merchandising.”

Yeah, I guess the commercialization of holidays in the U.S. drew the most direct reaction from me – especially how shops start selling Christmas- or Valentine’s Day-related items an entire month in advance.

But what about the holidays themselves? I knew about them, of course, and I always had a soft spot for Halloween, having seen fun times related to it on TV or in the movies. The traditional meaning behind it appealed to me as well –the idea of facing death, having children come to terms with mortality, and perhaps being exposed to certain spiritual (or what some would call supernatural) aspects of human life.

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You may have heard that American supermarkets are bigger than what you’re used to, with more variety and more brands to choose from.  Well, East Peeks West (a Chinese student at Ohio State University) has a photo collection taken inside one of the biggest I’ve ever seen.   Even if you’ve been to a U.S. supermarket before, the scale of this one might surprise you.

It’s Thanksgiving this week in the U.S., so it seems like a good time to talk about holidays.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition that would you miss if you came to study in the U.S.?  What U.S. holidays would you most look forward to experiencing?

Leave your answers in the comments!  Your responses will be incorporated into a blog post later in the week.

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The University of the Pacific has an online guide for students planning to study abroad, which has information and exercises designed to prepare you for living in a different culture. It probably can’t eliminate culture shock, but it might be useful in preparing you for what types of things could be different.

Even though it’s designed for American students going abroad, it can apply just as well to international students coming to the U.S.

A campus map hangs at Michigan State University (Creative commons photo by Flickr user druark)

As international students, when we first arrive in the U.S, we like to have a sense of the place – we want to feel home. We start by walking long distances to discover the area around us. We get lost and then suddenly, we find the way back. Our hearts are full of excitement and curiosity to explore the city and get familiar with the places. We try to create our own maps and guides, illegible to anyone but us.

Although it is my second month here in East Lansing, Michigan I still get lost frequently. Neither the actual maps, nor the maps that I have created are helping me find my destinations.

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The Question of the Week (a new feature for the blog!) this week was about drinking and partying on campus.  How does it compare to the college social scene in other countries?  What can you expect from the university social life?  Here’s what you and our bloggers had to say on the topic:

When the New York Times reported recently on the influx of Chinese students at American universities, they noted the disillusionment some Chinese students develop when it comes to campus social life.  It “was all about drinking,” they quote one student as saying.  “I don’t want to be in a bar drunk and grinding with someone I’ve never met and will never see again,” says another.

Comment found on Twitter

Drinking can be a big part of the social life at a U.S. university, particularly for undergraduate students.  The University of Nonsensical Happenings, a humorous blog by students at the University of New Hampshire, is a useful read for those interested in seeing how American undergraduate students view alcohol and partying (caution: some posts contain strong language).

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