Navigating U.S. Campuses With Confidence

Finding a support network can help international students adapt to the new lifestyle and academic system on U.S. campuses. (John M. Chase/Shutterstock.com)

Studying in the United States can be an exciting and gratifying experience. However, moving to another country can also be a daunting task at first. Students can prepare for this change by gathering as much information as possible about their campuses and creating useful connections to navigate the surprises that may arise during the transition.

Manasi Chandu, a graduate student of communications management at the University of Southern California, found the sheer size of her campus overwhelming. “Coming from Mumbai, where most of the campuses are small due to a lack of space, the fact that I could run late to class because of how big the campus was, was a surprise,” she says. “Even the number of activities taking place during the first two weeks, whether it was joining new clubs or gathering with like-minded people for various cultural and social meetings, was almost overwhelming,” she adds.

One strategy to address this is to familiarize yourself beforehand with the new campus, town, academic curriculum and culture through seminars and presentations offered by EducationUSA advisers and alumni in the U.S. Embassy and Consulates across India. These can help alleviate anxieties and better prepare students to settle in.

Navigating diverse practices

For Rudraneel Sinha, an undergraduate student of computer science at Purdue University, cultural differences around meals came as a surprise. “While I expected the food to be different,” he explains, “the idea of venturing out for every meal was unsettling. I guess that is just college life in general, unless you live in an apartment. The different diet was definitely the hardest thing to get used to.”

Getting used to everyday activities like walking and traffic rules can also take a while. For example, Sinha says he kept bumping into people on sidewalks, but could not figure out why. “Turns out, since people drive on the right in the United States, pedestrians also tend to walk on the right side of the footpath,” he says. “The Fahrenheit scale and American football were also things I was not used to earlier.”

Books and beyond

International students may face a steep learning curve in the first month of study, including adjusting to new classrooms and classmates, and working through a vastly different education system. As Sinha explains, “Understanding academic expectations can be hard. Often, courses use different platforms for homework submission and some use different methods of taking attendance. Throughout the college experience, you have to get used to learning how to navigate new platforms. I think it is the hardest during the first month since the concept itself is a bit new to you.”

For Chandu, writing her papers was the hardest part. “My program expected us to write academic papers in the APA format, which was new to me,” she says. “It took a few tries, maybe a few A minuses and B pluses, to get the hang of it, but eventually, you pick it up.”

International students also need to set up a living space that is conducive to studying and making friends. “Setting up your room and house, along with classes, can be a hassle. From building your bed, sofa and table yourself to setting up utilities like internet, water, electricity and gas can be difficult,” says Chandu. “As an international student without a Social Security Number, verification cannot be done over a call, so figuring out a way to set up all of this in the middle of classes is difficult.” Nevertheless, she adds, “Everyone eventually figures this out.”

Building connections

International students might also have to overcome personal and social barriers to make friends in a new country. “Although orientation week is all about meeting new people,” Sinha recalls, “you quickly realize that to make friends, you must make an active effort. For some, it can take their entire first year to find a friend group and build a healthy social life.”

Students can connect with other Indian student clubs on campus and WhatsApp groups to build such connections. Chandu found her current roommates through the university Facebook group and joined a university Indian student group where members shared information about possible subleases, furniture sales and codes for mobile plans.

It’s crucial to find friends from one’s home country, “since they understand your local context of where and how you grew up,” Sinha notes. At the same time, making friends with students from other countries is crucial too to experience the benefits of a globalized university.

Go slow

Juggling these changes in the first month is not impossible, and many international students thrive both academically and personally.

“My advice is to take a light semester in terms of the number of credits,” says Sinha. “There will be a time to come out all guns blazing academically, but that is not the first semester. Take it easy, learn to enjoy your surroundings and build a life for yourself that you are satisfied to lead.”

Chandu echoes this sentiment of focusing on adapting, but doing so in a way that acknowledges that this process itself is an important part of the educational experience. “Be open-minded and talk to as many people as you can. Don’t be afraid of saying the wrong thing, everyone is learning and is a student like you,” she says. “You will eventually find your place, especially with so many resources at your disposal.”

Natasa Milas is a freelance writer based in New York City.

Click here to sign up for the free SPAN newsletter: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSPAN