 and welcome to everyone wanting to learn more about the real life experiences of being an international student in the United States. I'm Jennifer Donahue, and I'm the Assistant Director for International Student Services at the George Washington University here in Washington, D.C. Today's program is brought to you by EducationUSA, a United States Department of State network of over 400 advising centers in 170 countries where millions of international students each year find information about how to apply to accredited the U.S. colleges and universities. We're joined today by three students who have come to the U.S. to continue their studies. Perhaps we'll have you introduce yourself and let us know your home country and field of study here in the United States. Alejandro, why don't we start with you? Hi, I'm Alejandro, I'm from Venezuela, and I studied international relations and international business. Hi, I'm Ashaba, I'm from Bangladesh, and I go to GW and I study organizational sciences. Hi, I'm Patrick Wen, I come from China, I study international economic relations at American University. You can join the conversation by signing into the chat space next to the video on this screen. You can also ask your questions via Twitter with the hashtag study in the USA. We'll begin answering your questions in real time momentarily, but let's first go to our viewing audience in Brasilia. Hi, Brazil! Thank you all for joining. Do you have a question for any of our students? So all universities require an essay for admission, and what are they about? So, writing an essay for admission to a US institution of higher education, you've all had experience doing that. Patrick, do you have some ideas to share? Well, I came here for a master's degree and it is a little bit different than undergrad education application, but yes, I need to write a personal statement as well. And that basically is an essay saying why do you want to study in this program and what do you plan to do with this program after you graduate? Any shot by bringing our undergraduate experience? Yes, share. Yeah, I had to write a couple of essays, actually. It depends a lot on the university you're applying for because every university has a different requirement for their essay. You'll probably have to write a personal statement, which is basically just declaring yourself and telling the university why they should pick you. And then aside from that, you'll probably have to write an essay about a topic that they give you or about someone who inspires you or a moment that changed your life. Anything that sort of is convincing enough to have them admit you. And Alejandro, what was your experience? Yes, I also had to write an essay for American University and it's mostly about a life experience that you've had and something that really makes you stand out so that you can be admitted into the university. Do you have any more questions for us, Brazil? Yes. How did you choose your university? Alejandro, how did you choose to study at American University? Well, when I got accepted into American University, they told us to come in for acceptance day and we got a chance to look at the campus and for me it was really the campus, that American is really nice and it's really beautiful and I mean I knew that a American had a very good program in international relations and that's why I decided to go to American University. Yeah, it's very attractive. Any shabbat, George Washington University? Yeah, for me it was all about location. I was born and I grew up in a city so I didn't want to go to a school that wasn't in the city. I didn't want to have to sit on a train for 30 minutes just to go into the city, I would rather have been there. And GW is very central, it's downtown DC. DC is also an amazing city and then also because my brother went to GW so there was a little bit of that as well. All in the family. All in the family. All right, now we're going to go to some online questions from our audience online. Let's take a few moments to hear what they have for us. So as you decided to study in the United States, what were some of the challenges that you first experienced when you arrived here? I know that's a big process adjusting, getting to know friends, getting to know the university. Ishaaba, what was your experience with that? Challenges, I think the biggest one for me was moving from a really small school to a really big school. I went to a private school in Bangladesh where my graduating class was only 32 students and then coming here, it's you go to this massive university where there's people from all over the world and it's such a big population. I think moving to a new country and then not having people that you already know is quite difficult because you have to familiarize yourself with everything and there's not that sense of home and there's not that sense of familiarity already instilled. You have to make it for yourself and I think that's quite difficult. Wonderful, now it's my understanding that sometimes you may experience culture shock or things like that. Patrick, have you experienced that at all? Culture shock, I mean, I exchanged before coming to the United States so I know a little bit about how things are different or are done differently in other countries but still coming to the United States, the language is a huge challenge for me. Before coming here, I already studied English for like 10 years in Chinese educational system but still when the professors talking in the lectures, you still can understand many of the words and expressions and it takes a long time and effort, a lot of effort to catch up and ask your friends or go to the office hours to see what they actually mean. But fortunately, the U.S. colleges are very accommodating to your need in this respect. There's always, the professors are always happy to see you in the office hours and as far as my friends, they're very friendly too. So you were all abroad and you're thinking about studying in the United States, what made you wanna do that, Ishabah? It was sort of inevitable that I was going to come here. My parents really value in American education. Even while I was in Bangladesh, I went to the American International School. So it was just, it was gonna happen, there was no other option. I didn't consider any other country, the U.S. was just my only option. But that being said, it's very uncommon for kids to come abroad from Bangladesh because it's very poor country. So if you are able to come abroad, it's definitely a privilege. And so I'm really thankful that I got to come abroad but I really didn't have any other choice. For me, it was always the U.S. And Alejandro, you did some high school here. Yes, yes, I did. And what made you decide to also pursue a college experience in the United States? Well, I figured that, and I knew that by coming to study college here in the U.S., I would have more opportunities to grow as a professional and then as a student as well. I could learn so much here studying in the U.S. And basically, yeah, those were the two things that made me come to study in college in the U.S. So as you prepared to apply, what were the standardized tests that you had to take to be admitted, Patrick? For graduate degrees, it varies. If you're pursuing for a business degree, then it is, what is it called? Again, GMAT, thank you, GMAT. If it's more like engineering or economics, then it's GRE. And of course, you always have to take the language test which can be either TOEFL or EADS in the British system. And I believe for undergrads, you have to take SAT, but I would love to hear from you. Yeah, I took so many. I took the SATs, I took the ACTs, and I took the TOEFLs. And the thing with the SATs and the ACTs is that either or is accepted. So it depends, whichever one you do better on, you go ahead and submit. The TOEFL I had to do because I don't come from an English-speaking country. So if you don't hold a passport from an English-speaking country, then you're required to take the TOEFL to prove that you have English proficiency. And then different universities have different requirements for the scores for each standardized test. And what kind of preparation did you do to prepare for those exams, Alejandro? Well, I did some tutoring. They tutored me and I also went to a center in which they gave classes to prepare me for those exams. But the classes were really good. I mean, they really prepare you for these exams. And what I would suggest to anybody who is going to take the exams, like don't stress about it. If you study, you're gonna do good. Good advice. Now, before you came, and you knew you would come study here, you'd gotten your letter, you knew you were coming, your admission letter, were you nervous about coming? And did your parents come with you on that first trip or did you come on your own, Alejandro? No, my parents did come with me. They came with me both times, first to the high school and then to college. But yeah, it's definitely a relief that they came with me because if not, I think it would have been a greater difficult experience. And Patrick is a graduate student? I came by myself. And yes, I was nervous. And it's a two year commitment and you'd have no idea where you would be after two years, you know? You come to the United States from thousands of miles away and all your friends and family are left behind. You have to venture into this new land and you don't know anyone. You don't speak their language very well and you probably have to find a job afterwards. And all these things would just seem very challenging in front of you. But as time goes by, I find as things come by, you just do it. And it's not as hard as you think. Excellent point. So it's my understanding that most institutions provide some sort of an orientation program. So I'm sure you attended that. And how beyond that did you get acclimated to the university, Eshava? One of the biggest things that I tell every international student is like the best thing you can do for yourself is to get involved on campus. Because when you keep to yourself and when you keep yourself isolated, everything gets worse. You get lonelier, everything feels a lot more stressful, you get more nervous. So the best thing to do is to join a student or join Greek life. Do whatever you have to do to get acclimated and to meet people. I think that's the most important thing. Orientation is great. You can meet a lot of people at orientation. But the chances of you actually maintaining those friendships are quite small. So I would recommend that you join something that interests you. Personally, I joined College Radio because I love music and I love talking and I love broadcast. So I joined radio and I met some amazing people and I definitely felt a lot more at home. And how else have you plugged in to the institution? I also joined the Student Association and I decided to represent myself as an international student. That's also a great thing that you can do because you are, that's what makes you unique is that you're an international student. And compared to a huge college population, you're just a tiny, tiny little student, like tiny little population. So when you put yourself out there and you represent yourself as an international student it makes you different, it makes you unique. And you have all these stories and experiences you can tell people that other people won't have. And I think if you can find a leadership position with that in mind, then it's definitely gonna make you stand out. And Patrick is a graduate student. Was it a little different for you? Oh, it's very different. There's no more clubs or fraternities for you to join. But I think for graduate students, the intention is much clearer. You come to the United States either to pursue a professional degree, which means you want to go to a better job or you want to advance in the current level of your job or you go to a PhD degree and say you want to do research afterwards. And graduate student life is more like going to school, research to read your papers, write your papers, talk with professors. I mean, by no means it means there's no social life. You still hang out with your friends in the program or in the school, but it's different. And I mean, Isha is a very capable person. She has taken a lot of leadership roles, but you don't have to do that to survive in US campus. Every person has a different personality. For me, I like quietness. I like hanging out with two or three best friends. And that's totally fine. And nobody, and that's about the United States. You do whatever you feel comfortable with. And your two or three best friends, are there some Americans in there too? Oh yeah, I have one American friend who's really close to me as well. Beautiful, and you had them here during your studies? Yes, yeah. She actually invited me to spend a Christmas with her in my first year when I felt lonely. Everyone left the campus, no friends are around, and it was the best Christmas I have had. Wonderful. Alejandro, have you made friends with some Americans during your time here? No, yes, I definitely have made friends with some Americans. And other international students as well? Yes, yes, with other international students. I mean, AU is a very international campus, and there are people from all over the world, but they're also, of course, Americans. And the Americans are very, very nice. The students, the student population in general at American is very, very nice, and I'm sure across the US as well. So the thought is that the life in the United States can be a little pricey. What is the cost of living, and how can you finance that while you're here? How do you sustain your fantastic lifestyle? I think it differs from person to person. Some people are very fortunate and get to come here with a scholarship, and some people also get to come here with the help of their parents. Their parents help them finance. But if you are one of the few people who has to pay for college by yourself, it can obviously be a struggle. And I think it's just all about finding the right job and doing well in your studies and just maintaining your legal status, just to not, so as to not get deported. But yeah, I think it depends from person to person, yeah. I really understand the concern of financial stress. Before I come here, I understand my parents would not be able to supply the amount of money that would cost me to study and live in here. Tuition is very expensive in the United States, and the cost of living is very high for Washington DC or any metropolitan cities as well. So when I was looking for universities, I intentionally looked for their financial aid website page. You know, if you go to any university, they would normally have a financial aid page that tells you we offer these and that financial aid packages. Some of them you can't apply because they're like say government scholarship. But some of them you can. There are school scholarships. There are university scholarships. There are also the United States. The government also offers Fulbright scholarship which you can apply as a foreign nationals. And you wanna gather as much information as you can on the website. There was also other resources. When I was applying, there was a website called Grad Cafe which is a place where all the graduate applicants discuss their package they received and what university to choose from. And there are a lot of information you don't get from the official sources. Normally the universities don't tell you we give 20 students every year this scholarship. They just tell you we have this available and you need to apply for it. And learning from the other sources helps you to decide, okay, this is more likely for me to get a financial aid. Great. Let's go back to Brasilia for a few more questions. Hi. Hi. I like chess. What kind of extracurriculars did you do in high school and which ones do you do now? So extracurricular activities that you did in high school and that you might have continued to do in your studies here? Well in high school I played tennis and I played basketball. And in college I played a little bit of tennis and I also played a little bit of basketball with friends but I also started to go to the gym a lot and to run. So yeah, those were my extracurricular activities. Wonderful fitness, yes. I did everything in high school. I was one of those people who signed up for all the clubs and then eventually made myself like the president of the, I was just ridiculous in high school. So maybe don't take my advice. But extracurriculars are very important for admissions in the US. They don't just look at your transcript, they also look at what you did. So make sure you do get involved in school. And then when you come to university, you can do whatever you want. Just find something that you like and then undo it. Honestly, there's no boundaries. No one's gonna restrict you from doing anything. You can join whatever club, whatever organization you want and then do whatever you want with it as well. And Patrick, as a graduate student, extracurricular. Well my high school is pretty boring. As any Chinese student, you study like 10 hours, 20 hours, 12 hours a day and you go home and eat and do homework and sleep and wake up next morning and go to school again. So yeah, it was pretty boring but if you- What about now? What about now? Any extracurriculars? Yeah, I like playing tennis. I like going hiking and there are a lot of places where you can go hiking around here. The other Americans like going hiking. And you can, I think there are a lot of clubs where you can join, which you can join. And it doesn't matter which one you like. There's always the people, the group that fits your interest as my feeling. Activities make well-rounded students. We have time for another question from Brazil. How different was the student-teacher relation when compared to high school? So how did the relationship with your teachers change from the high school setting to the college setting, Alejandro? Well, compared to a high school in Venezuela, teachers in Venezuela are less approachable than teachers here in the United States. And here in the United States, you can definitely go to the professors and talk to them and they wanna see you do well in school and they wanna get to know you and know what are your interests and what are your hobbies. And you can really build on the student-teacher relationship. Wonderful. Patrick, have you had the same experience? Yeah, I think high school in China and colleges in the United States are entirely different. In high school, we have this classes which you are like 50 students and get together and you always sit in the one classroom and teachers come in and teach you the language or the math or geography and get out and the next teacher comes in. But in college, you make your own schedule of classes. You select the classes you like and you take the book and you go to the classroom where the teacher is gonna teach. And then it's normally one or two hours. And after class, you read more. You do a lot of reading by yourself and you discuss with friends or do homeworks together, do group projects or go to office hours of the professor. And it's much more about independent learning than in high school. Thank you, Brasilia, for the wonderful questions. Our online audience can continue to ask questions to our students joining me here in the chat space. You can do so by logging into the chat or via Twitter by using the hashtag study in the USA. So, what is the US classroom like and how is it different from the classroom experience in your home country and is it fun? Do you enjoy it at the master's level? What do you think? Is the classroom experience fun, interactive? In the master's level, it's more academic, more professional. Especially I study in a professional school which focus on international affairs. You talk about real reality in the world. Say, for example, the trade agreement between China and US and you talk about how this agreement come into being and it's very professional. It's not for fun but the teaching style of professors still differ. Some are more fun, some are more like read the text and less discuss, right, that kind of thing. But it's very different in terms of classroom setting than in China. And have your English language skills improved from when you first started your journey studying here in the United States, Alejandro? Definitely. I believe that once you make that step to come and study here in the United States, your English will definitely improve because you'll have to write essays and you'll have to make presentations or presentations and you'll have to go and talk to a professor. So there are a lot of opportunities that for your English to improve and you'll see that because you're doing all these things that your English will definitely improve. Andy Shaba, as you've known friends over the course of your experience as an undergrad, have you, other international students, have you seen their English language skills improved? Oh, definitely, definitely. I think it just sort of happens. Like Alejandro said, you're forced to talk to professors, you're forced to interact with other students and it requires you to improve your English whether you like it or not, you're gonna have to do it. And it's the primary language here, so knowing a little bit definitely helps. But when you do go to school here for four years, it definitely improves like even myself, even though I spoke English fluently, coming here, my accent's gotten so much stronger. So yeah, that's, it'll change, it'll happens. If you're worried that you won't be able to communicate, don't worry about it. Okay. Just listen to each other speak in English and you'll see how it's like. Yeah. So I know as undergrads, and sometimes even as grads, we kind of change direction, we may change our major. If a student enters studying liberal arts, can they later change a major, change focus, change to a different program? Did any of you do that? And what was your experience like? Well, I personally didn't do it, but I know a lot of people who have done it and there's no problem with it. I mean, it's totally fine to have different interests midway through your undergraduate studies. And sometimes what they advise you to do if you don't know what you really want to study is that you can, the first two years of your undergrad career, you can take a lot of different courses. Electives. Yeah, electives and try to figure out from there what really interests you, what are you really passionate about. But yeah, there are a lot of options to choose from. Smart. Any shovel? Yeah, the great thing about American universities is they don't require you to come in with a major. So you can come in undeclared and then take some electives and decide what you want to do. And you can change your major. I believe you have until second semester sophomore year to decide what you want to do. Second semester sophomore year is your fourth semester. Yeah. And you can decide what you want to do. So yeah, if you don't know what you want to do, don't worry about it. Okay, we have some online questions. Dieter from Albania. Hi Dieter asks, when is the best time of year to start looking at your options for applying to schools in the United States? What was your path? I would say probably start as soon as possible. Look at the schools and know, the most important thing I know, I see a lot is students come to the United States not knowing what they want to do. And it's not, I mean at an undergrad level probably that's okay, but at graduate degrees really you're devoting two years or more, five years or four PhD to do one specific things and you really want to make sure that's what you want to do. And I think in terms of process you probably want to start applying or improving your language skills, prepare for GRE and TOEFL in your third year of college if it's a four year degree. And by the beginning of the fourth year you should be able to, you should finish all the tests and be able to submit the applications because for the top universities in the United States that aligns normally like much earlier than others, I'd say in September or October. And as you started thinking about studying here how did you choose which institution to attend? Was it looking online at websites? Was it talking to friends? Was it word of mouth? Was it experiences? Was it alumni? How did you decide ultimately what inspired you? Yeah, so the advice that my counselor, my high school counselor gave me in terms of school is everyone might or everyone should or everyone maybe does have like a dream school, like a school that you really, really want to go to put that on the top of your list and then come up with some schools that you can definitely get into and then put schools that are your safety schools that you would maybe go to if you didn't get into anything else on your list. And then once you have, I think probably a solid list is probably made up of like 10 universities you apply to all 10 and then whichever one you get into you get time to decide. I started thinking about this the end of 11th grade because I knew that 12th grade meant taking SATs and taking other like school exams and that I had to have made a decision by December of my 12th grade. So as soon as you're done with 11th grade start thinking about it and if you're able to do college tours if you're able to travel to the US then I definitely recommend it. Now in the classroom setting what would you say is the most interesting class you've taken in college? And it could have been elect, it could have been tennis class but what was the most interesting topic? That's a good question. I would have to say that a social entrepreneurship was really interesting. We discussed a lot of nonprofit organizations and organizations that are created for a social purpose and it's really nice to see how many individuals throughout the world and how many organizations throughout the world are interested in helping the world develop. I mean I'm very interested in international development so this class really fit into what my interests were. It inspired your entrepreneurial spirit. That's fantastic. Exactly, yes. And Ishava, I took a stress management class once. That was actually very useful and not as easy as you might think. It was very helpful. I took it during one of my most stressful semesters so I figured that taking it would help me get through the semester and it definitely did and you learn so much more about staying calm and managing your stress and all the stuff that your body does when you're stressed that you never knew that it did and you learn all the skills to control it and it's a very useful class. That's wonderful. Patrick? My favorite class in here is called negotiation skills which is entirely different than anything I've ever taken. We still read books. We read what people analyze about negotiations but the majority of the class we spend in group settings and we discuss cases. For example, we represent different countries and talk about the pressing issues between different countries. Why I don't agree with you. Why we have conflicts and how do we negotiate with each other so we can avoid the worst outcome and make an agreement that is best for everyone. It is a very practical class and the teacher encourages your personal, creative performance and it's very unique experience for me. Wonderful. So negotiation, stress management, entrepreneurial leadership, oh you've got a great team here. Before you came to the United States if you could think back at that time and tell some students we're thinking about coming now what could they be doing to prepare to be successful here? What preparations did you do before you came? Ishaaba? Do a lot of research. Do your research. You might think that you know what the US is like but you might not as well. So I would say just Google the basic things like what's the weather like in the state that you're going to, what the town is like, if there's good restaurants and stuff around. Also research banks because you have to come and create a bank account so make sure you look that up. Things like what phone line to subscribe to, apartment options, dorm options. Just do your research. I would say spend a solid three or four hours doing research. I think it's really helpful and it'll teach you a lot of things and you can also teach your parents so that when you guys come together they're not overwhelmed with all this information because you know a lot of it. Patrick? I may be different. I'm the anxious type. I went before. Interest management class. Yeah, probably. Before coming here I spent like days and days looking through the website and see oh what is it like to study in the USA? What should I do? What should I pack in my luggage? And everything. What electronic device can I use in the United States? What not? It took me a long time but it was fun to do. And one thing I want to tell my friends who hasn't come to the United States is don't worry. Most universities have this orientation program which will tell you everything you need to know in the first like months or so. Housing, where to get food, how to open a bank account, how to get a cell phone, they'll all tell you. No need to stress out, it's gonna be fine. All right, and one of our major concerns for all of us is what do we eat in the United States? Now I know we're known for eating lots of hamburgers but it doesn't look like you all eat any hamburgers. Can you talk a bit about the food options in the United States and the food that's available and if you're able to find food from your home country here? I mean of course there are hamburgers and cheeseburgers and bacon cheeseburgers and pizza and all those good things that they like to eat here in the States but there's also a lot of international foods and I can find Venezuelan food in D.C. I can find Venezuelan food in most States here that I've been to and there are a lot of options. There's Ethiopian food, there's Indian food, there's Chinese food, there's all kinds of cuisines so in terms of food there are, you have a wide range of options. Ishallah, same experience for you? Yeah, yeah, you're not restricted to hamburgers, don't worry, there's everything. Also I would recommend if you are lucky enough to get a dorm with a kitchen, do some cooking. Go to the supermarket, buy some stuff and then cook whatever you want. I do it and I love it and so yeah, I mean also if you move to a major city you'll find everything that Alejandro said that you'll find and more but if you move to a smaller town it might be a little bit more difficult but I say go explore and see what your options are. Have you made some dishes from your home country here to share with your friends? All the time, all the time. Any chance I get? So here we are in the busy nations capital. Do you feel safe here in the United States? Is safety a concern for you or not Ishallah is our lady on the panel here today? Yeah, safety is definitely a concern for sure especially in a big city but I also grew up in a city so I'm very, I know my boundaries, I know where not to go but like every city there are good parts, there are bad parts so be smart just and I'd say come with some street smarts, know what to do and what not to don't talk to strangers the things your parents teach you when you're younger. I think for me in D.C. I try not to walk around past 9.30, I just don't feel very safe so if you don't feel safe don't do it. D.C. and major cities have great access to public transport, Uber is great so make use of it and just use your head a little bit, don't make any stupid decisions on the street. Patrick? Yeah, well it really depends on which neighborhood you live in and which city you are in. If you're in the Midwest, I'm sure if you're around nine o'clock you walk on the street there's no one over there and if you're in New York it's probably gonna be much crowded and if you still hang around in a bad neighborhood around midnight then you're gonna get in trouble, right? So really you have to do your research and take it seriously but on the other hand I don't worry about my safety at all, yeah. Let's go back to Brasilia for a couple more questions and thoughts from our audience there. Hi there, I'd like to ask what kind of super service are usually offered there? So I think that's the food dining service, yes. For those of us who have lived on campus, Isava, what's it like? I guess you're cooking for yourself, but. Yeah, I mean every university will have a cafeteria or food options and you will get meal plans as well which basically means that like the money for food is like in a little card and comes with plans like 10 meals per week or 10 meals per month and I don't know, it kind of depends on whether or not you like campus food. I can't say much about it, I don't really eat on campus but we are lucky enough that we live in a metropolitan city so we have more access to food outside the school cafeteria like GW has all these different food options like sweet green and Whole Foods which is amazing. I don't know about AU but I'm sure AU does too. So yeah, it depends on the type of campus you're in but there's cafeteria so don't worry about food. What's the campus food like at AU? Be honest. The campus food is pretty good. I mean it has gotten better throughout the years and but there are options. I mean in AU alone there's a subway and there's a Starbucks inside the campus but there's also a dining hall that has a lot of food options and there are like we were talking there's healthy options like salad and your vegetables and your fruit but then you also have your American food, your cheeseburgers, your pizza, your anything that you like. The good stuff. The good stuff. There's even one more Asian food. Yes, they're in France. Exactly, yes. Sean from Trinidad has a question for us. As someone from a tropical climate would you recommend applying for the fall or spring semester? So I actually have an answer for this because I came from a very, very tropical place and I applied in the spring. I applied in the spring and I came in the spring because I didn't know what the cold was gonna be like and I didn't really wanna experience it to be completely honest and the thing with applying in the spring is that you will still experience the US winter because the US winter lasts until about March-ish and then spring comes along and then you're sort of like that it's summer and it goes from really cold to really hot depending on where you are. So I would recommend coming in the spring but I think the fall is great too because the fall is when everybody comes and that's the best time of year to meet everyone. Plus the fall is beautiful in the US. It's stunning and I've never experienced fall. I come from a country that only has two seasons so experiencing four seasons is awesome. So either or. And as she pointed out it will vary depending on if you're in the East Coast or the West Coast as a Californian it's a very different experience for me. Arturo from Mexico asks about college life. I'm planning to study computer science in the US but I would also like to do a minor in music. Do you think I'll be overwhelmed? Juggling it all. How do you do that? No, I don't think so. I mean if you plan your schedule and you are really passionate about studying computer science as well as music I mean go for it. I don't see the point of not doing it once you start studying the things that you want to study you'll feel good about what you're doing and you'll get more involved and you'll be happy. Your time here in the US will be better. And Patrick what do you think about if someone wants to study two tracks while in graduate school? What would that look like? We have students who do JDMA degrees which means a doctor's degree in law and also a master's degree in international affairs. It's doable, it takes longer, you might be tired a little bit more tired than the others but it's definitely doable. So reflecting on your experiences here if you could go back in time and talk to yourself what would you do differently? Is there anything you would have done differently before coming here as a college student? Before coming here? Or when you first get here? Oh I guess all of it. So is there anything you would have done differently to prepare and then as you merged into the campus life how would you have handled it differently if you could? I would say get your priorities straight. You're coming to the US to study but that being said it's not like you should restrict yourself to everything else that the US has to offer. So I think what I would tell myself is focus a little bit more on the studying because I think I got really caught up in the social aspects of being in a new country about myself and being young and being around all these new people. Definitely don't sacrifice school. That's what you're here for. So make that your priority and come up with a balance is probably what I would tell myself. I mean I'm good at it now but I wasn't when I first got here so definitely keep that in mind. And Patrick? For if I can tell myself about something before coming here I would definitely say improve English. Learn more vocabulary and practice it more. But I mean in terms of classes you'll learn when once you get here there's no need to worry about it before coming here. It hasn't even started. But I do wish I could have, I had hang out more with my friends in China before I came here because normally once you come here it's rather, how to say, it's hard to meet them again in every year or two. Alejandro, if you could talk to yourself from a few years ago what would your message be to self? I say I would definitely have got involved in more student organizations. I think that's a great way to get involved in different things that you might be interested in and it's a great way to meet people. Although I have a lot of friends, I think those would have been my reflecting point to me. So I've heard a little bit about orientation. Are there other support services on campus that help you while you're living in the United States? Patrick, do you have some ideas? One of the great services the American University provides is called Career Service. I think most universities have a Career Center which not only helps you to change your resume, to go over your personal statement, but also post the jobs. The Career Center specialists, they actually go out and connect with employers and see, okay, do you have any positions available? And they'll post it on your on-campus jobs and you can apply for them and it's much easier to land a job from inside than going out to the market and compete with everyone else in a society. I think that's a great organization on campus. Ishabba, support services that you're a fan of? Yeah, Career Services is great. Definitely take advantage of that as well as the ISO or the ISS depending on what it's called in the university. What does that stand for? International Student's Office or International Student Services? Basically an office that deals with you as an international student. They're a great resource because they have all the information that you might need. Also, if you're ever concerned about whether you're doing something wrong or how to do something right, there are people to go to. And I would also say is if you're lucky to go to a university that has a student org that's just meant for international students, join it because it's a great way to meet other international students and to not feel like you're constantly having to depend on administration because you have other students who can also help you. So yeah, look for the ones that are definitely gonna lead you towards a brighter future. Great concept. There's also the health center and the wellness center. So if you're feeling sick, you can most definitely go to the health center or if you're feeling homesick or are going through a rough patch, you can definitely go to the wellness center and they have people that wanna help you and they're specialized in these sorts of things. Let's go back to Brasilia for a couple more questions. Go ahead. So how to cope with cultural shock? The culture shock question. So as you left your home country and merged into the United States, was there a little bit of a shock that you went through where you might have been excited at first and then things kind of went downhill. Perhaps they came back up. What was your experience? I don't remember. You blocked it out. Yeah, that's okay. I think I was really excited when I got here and the culture shock didn't hit me for a while. I think once I realized that my parents aren't here and once I realized that I'm not gonna be able to get my comfort food when I want it or that I'm not gonna be able to talk to my parents when I want to, that's when it was like, okay, this is real. I'm in a new country by myself. I have no one, I'm completely independent and if I'm home, it's like, well, too bad. I just kind of have to deal with it until it's a proper time in that respective country to call them and talk to them. So yeah, it'll come to you and it still comes to me. I still get culture shock to this day. I've been here for three years, but it still happens. If it happens, you just have to sort of learn to cope. Having friends really helps. So make sure you establish that as soon as you get here. You have a good group of friends, especially friends who can relate is really helpful. Having someone to talk to really helps. Again, Alejandra said that there's health centers and they're trained for this. They're trained to help you with homesickness. So yeah, culture shock happens. Homesickness happens. It's inevitable, it's gonna happen. If you've never been to the US, then just coming here is gonna be a culture shock. So yeah, everyone deals with it differently. Unfortunately, we are already out of time. I'd like to thank Patrick, Keshava and Jalajandro for their valuable insight today. I'm sure our online audience has benefited from your experiences and will feel comfortable when they continue their studies in the United States. Thank you to all who joined us today. A special thanks goes out to our friends in Brasilia. Thank you so much for joining us. Remember that you can continue the conversation by using hashtag study in the USA and many resources are available to you through the EducationUSA website. You can also see updates on this page about future programs in the study in the USA series. Thank you and goodbye for now. Obrigado.