International Perspective: University Abroad (in the US) and Some Things I Wish I Knew Going in

Going off to college/university is an exciting yet somewhat scary time, especially for someone who had never studied outside Thailand before. I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of growing up in an international school in Bangkok my whole life which has allowed me to study Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). While I was certainly ‘prepared’ academically for college, I could’ve never fully anticipated what was coming my way.

Freshmen year was as tough as expected, if not even harder. Being an international student studying in a foreign country for the first time was definitely a difficult challenge. There were moments where I reminisced the fun and security that high school provided. There were times when I really questioned whether or not I was studying the right major. There were times where I just felt lonely like I had no one to turn to. There were times when I just felt like I didn’t know which direction I was trying to take my career. These were not things that happened to just me after asking around it was apparent that these were common problems amongst all the incoming freshmen - both international and domestic.

That being said there were some things that I wished I knew before studying abroad for the first time. I hope the tips that I provide through this post can help incoming international freshmen adapt better to life in the US or other countries.

Do the activities you know and love. Maybe even try some new ones...

Just because you decided to go to college in a different country doesn’t mean you need to develop different hobbies. If you love debating, then continuing debating. If you love a sport, an instrument, a particular hobby, keep doing it. Universities are massive institutions with a diverse student population. There are bound to be students whose interests align with yours. Additionally, always be open to try new things outside the classroom. By this I mean activities, clubs, student organizations, sports, or other hobbies. As international freshmen students, you are most likely one of the few people from your high school who decided to enroll in that particular college or university and so things can get a little lonely. Never be scared to try out new clubs and reach out to new types of people. True story: I nearly joined the UIUC Spongebob Fan Club. Moral of the story: never be scared to try new activities.

Travel. Travel. Travel. (If you can).

I think this point is somewhat self-explanatory. As international students studying in the US or anywhere for that matter, it is likely that you spent a large amount of money just to travel to your university. From my experience, the flight from Bangkok to Illinois was a solid 24 hours (total flight time for all connections) costing me $900+ USD just for economy class. This is not a cheap. Since you’re already in a location that’s relatively new to you, why not travel and explore? Over this past year alone I have travelled to various different places across North America including: Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, Toronto, Disney World in Orlando and Niagara Falls. Each trip was definitely worth every penny.  That being said, only travel if this is financially feasible. Go out and see the world.

Call your friends and family too.

University is a big place, there’s just so much to do. It can be somewhat overwhelming with so many things going on at once. Through it all, you should still make the time to call back home to your parents/guardians. I know some of my international friends who call every day and at the same time I also know some people who call once every month. Whatever you’re personally comfortable with, it’s important to set up a fixed time in your schedule to call back home. This is so you can avoid your parents from being overly paranoid while also allowing you to be comfortable with your parents/guardians not overly intruding your privacy. How frequently you make the calls is entirely up to you and your parents but establishing this early will help make life a lot easier.

Friends from high school is a touchy subject. You will undoubtedly lose contact with some of your friends, even the closer ones. Maintaining these relationships is no longer as easy as simply showing up to school every day because everyone’s in different places around the world. Call or text the friends you value the most and make time for them, after all they are the rock that probably got you through high school and the past years of your life.

Find things that remind you of home - in particular with food and friends.

As human beings, we are always want to feel at home no matter where we are in the world and for me nothing feels more home-y than my Mom’s cooking. Unfortunately I don’t think she fits in my suitcase so that option’s most likely off the table. That being said, your country’s cuisine will always be your source of comfort. Visit restaurants that serve your home cuisine. Go out and explore all the different options there are and enjoy the most authentic ones. Make time every so often to indulge in a meal that reminds you of home. Trust me you won’t regret it.

Fortunately for me, Thai cuisine is popular anywhere in the world and so restaurants are not hard to come by. For some of you out there, restaurants that serve your cuisine may be a little harder to find. In which case I would recommend you take cooking classes or learn some of your family recipes before heading over for college. This will bring an interesting cultural element to your home cooked dinner sessions with your friends, especially if they’re domestic students who have probably not tried your cuisine before.

In terms of friends, I think that it’s important that you have friends that come from the same background as you. This becomes paramount when it comes to networking and building your connections for when you go back home. However I think it’s more important to simply just go along with what you feel most comfortable with. If you’re more comfortable with people who are from the same country, then so be it. It’s important for you to feel at home with the people you hang around the most and so whatever floats your boat is the best course of action.

Have fun with it.

College is meant to be a time where you learn and grow into a proper adult and it’s also a time to make mistakes. Whatever it is that you want to try, try it now. College is a safe space for people to fail and if there are any risks that you’d want to take, then now is the time to do so. Most important of all, however, is to have fun with it. Enjoy the three or four years that you have here as they can be some of the best years of your life.

P.S. This marks my first ever blog post and I hope you enjoyed reading that and found it useful. I look forward to making more of these blog posts in future.