For many international students, excitement about studying abroad offsets a difficult adjustment to U.S. culture. In many foreign countries, U.S. colleges appear attractive because of their academic rigor and opportunities to join clubs and take a wide variety of classes.
First-year College student Yash Agarwal, who is from Mumbai, India, said colleges near his hometown focus more on memorization of facts and socialization than engaged learning.
"The teachers are not very knowledgeable at most institutions, and the students are not very bothered by that," Agarwal said. "You're just going to school to hang out with friends."
This problem is not unique to Indian higher education institutions; first-year College student Irene Burgoa said she wanted to escape the trap of apathy which Bolivian students often fall into.
"Bolivia is too much fun," Burgoa said. "Sometimes I feel like mediocrity and partying are the rules, and although everybody enjoys that from time to time, I want to be in an atmosphere that encourages me to be the best I can be. There is so much about the world, real stuff, that people in Bolivia don't seem to pay attention to."
First-year College student Flor Guerra, who is originally from Nicaragua, said in comparison to Nicaraguan colleges, the United States offers so many more opportunities to prepare her for her future.
"College in Nicaragua is not good at all," Guerra said. "There are only two acceptable universities. If I had gone to college in Nicaragua I would live at home and the classes would be easy. Only ten students out of the 85 in my graduating class stayed in Nicaragua."
Once international students decide to attend the University, they still face the daunting task of orientation where they have to choose from a broad range of classes which can be overwhelming for some students.
"In India, flexibility was not just lacking, but also discouraged," Agarwal said. "You went to college to go into a particular stream."
Agarwal said while choosing classes was difficult, he gambled and signed up for a sociology course. He is now considering majoring or minoring in the subject.
Solenne Colcombet, a Commerce student from France, said she took classes in a variety of departments which she wouldn't have had a chance to take back home in Paris to learn more about the United States.
While many international students are able to adapt quickly to the wide array of classes, some had difficulties adjusting to other aspects of U.S. college life. Coming from a starkly different educational system, some international students said they found the discussion sections, large lectures and academic life at the University quite challenging.
"The system is different in America," Agarwal said. "There are lectures and discussions, and you actually participate. You have to force yourself to speak, especially when you have class participation points. You have to find something to say simply for the sake of speaking. Traditionally [in India], the students keep quiet and the teacher just talks for the full period."
Colcombet said classes in the United States require students to be constantly engaged, as they do not revolve solely around the instructor.
"You have to participate a lot in your classes, which we don't do so much [in France]," Colcombet said. "You have to raise your hand and speak out loud, not make a lot of mistakes, and say something interesting."
Not only did some international students feel unprepared for the amount of participation required in discussions, some said they were shocked by the intense academic demands college life imposes.
"It's... more rigorous and more challenging at U.Va., but you have a lot of resources that really help you," first-year Engineering student Mohammed Shafi said. "In Saudi Arabia, there are really bad professors and you have to study on your own. You're doing a lot of hard work, but you're not learning a lot because you're doing it by yourself. Here, you're learning more and there are a lot of people that are willing to help you."
Shafi said while the material he was learning at the University is more challenging than his studies in Saudi Arabia, resources offered by the University made the learning process much easier.
Some international students also said the extracurricular activities available outside the classroom provided the opportunity to explore interests, passions and potential career options.
"In India, students do not take part in anything meaningful," Agarwal said. "People just don't care."
At the University, however, Agarwal said he has become involved with a number of organizations, including the McIntire Investment Institute and the Virginia Photography Club.
Shafi said going to college in the United States meant "every day is a new adventure."
"My life over the last six months is growing exponentially in every single aspect," Shafi said.
Read More
Fourth-year Bodo’s orders — creative or catastrophic?
By Lizzy Goldstein | May 18, 2024While this selection of bagels had winners and losers, it is safe to say that the Class of 2024 has taken full advantage of the Bodo’s menu over the years.
The naked party uncovered
By Mia Tan | May 18, 2024The naked party, founded by fourth-year Architecture student Wells Woolcott, is the first of its kind at the University in recent memory.
A second chance to dress for graduation
By Julianne Saunders | May 16, 2024I have learned to see my college graduation not as a way to make up for the past but as an event worth celebrating on its own.
