College is already a huge adjustment in itself, but college in a foreign country is adjustment on a whole other level. You’re in a brand new environment equipped with foreign faces, foreign foods and if you’re studying in the States, people who confusingly refer to their dogs as their babies.
This last installment of the three-part student guide to starting Cal Poly Pomona (CPP) is for all the international students boldly continuing their education in a country that values deep-fried everything and the Kardashians.
- Don’t worry about language barriers or fear being misunderstood. Life is much like the YouTube comments section (okay, probably not); you have foreigners typing out grammatically correct sentences with proper capitalization and punctuation in the likes of “sorry for my bad English! This is a wonderful video!” all while native speakers are leaving gems like “dis vid rox!” Long story short: your English is much better than you give yourself credit for, and if you do find yourself in the company of someone mocking your capabilities, just walk the opposite direction because no one has time for that.
- Don’t be nervous about making friends with people of different cultural backgrounds. As human beings, we’re all bound to have common interests. The world is a vast place—you’ll totally find people who share your obsession with One Direction fan-fiction and cat videos.
- If keeping up with school work becomes too difficult, don’t be afraid to ask for help! There are various cultural differences when it comes to professor-student relationships, but American culture views professors as equals who value and encourage questions more so than superiors who are never to be challenged. Help is always available; just ask for it.
- Deal with culture shock by being patient with yourself as you adapt to a new culture—this isn’t as seamless as the movies romanticize it to be! Establish some aspect of routine and take the time to explore your new environment so it all feels less foreign. Develop friendships with other international students so you have the familiarity of shared experiences, but develop friendships with Americans as well so you’re not limiting your horizons by clinging to the comfortable.
- This last point parallels to the previous: combat homesickness by keeping in touch with loved ones back home, but don’t restrict yourself from expanding your social horizons by clinging to home. Establish enjoyable, daily routines and familiarization with your new environment so it feels more like home itself.
Are you an international student? What are the concerns you have or had about studying abroad? Share with us using the hashtag #CampusCropChat on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and remember to follow us on Snapchat @asicpp!
Check out the first two installments of our Student Guide to CPP: Freshmen Edition and Transfer Edition.
