Dear International Freshmen,

I asked the best and brightest of my international peers for their top [honest] tips to surviving freshmen year, and got quite the response. Read, absorb, and get ready to embark on a -er- cultural journey, with these 35 #KeysToSuccess ;).

Love,

Person-who-was-in-your-shoes-a-year-ago

1. First and foremost, American's party strangely... Be prepared to deal with friends falling over after two shots of vodka, and downing beer like there's no tomorrow in the space of 30 minutes... Mid-week drinks (and drinks that you enjoy, rather than down to get 'wasted') are something you'll have to teach Americans to do. – Nell Rose, UK, Columbia University
2. No you will never understand the Super Bowl, or football for that matter. Older international students are the best international office on campus! – Maya Daver, China, Columbia University
3. Find out what PC, Netflix and Chill, online shopping are, FAST. – Elshadai Tesfaye Biru, Ethiopia, Columbia University
4. Do not be alarmed by the grossness of frat parties, and 1020 is where it’s at for internationals. – Mia Khoury, UK, Columbia University
5. Definitely bring food/snacks from home because 'foreign food' stores are scammers. – Xi Bovell, UK, Columbia University
6. Watch out for food. There is butter in everything. That was weird for me. – Hannah Cho, South Korea, Columbia University
7. You can probably get away with being super cliquey with the other internationals but you will also probably regret it. – Elshadai Tesfaye Biru, Ethiopia, Columbia University
8. Make friends with people from different places in America so you can visit them and stay with them for free. Oh – and accept that you'll start saying American words all the time e.g. Yo dude that's hella dope bro. – Jack Smith, UK, Columbia University
9. Remember to tip! – Sophie Broadbent, UK, Columbia University
10. You don't have to impress anybody anymore so join clubs that actually fall congruent with your interests. – Sam Safari, U.S., Columbia University
11. Make LOTS of friends during the first few weeks. – Elena Su, China, Columbia University
12. Use first semester to get to know the Frats, before you rush second semester! Get to know also the people who are not interested in joining, so you can get a feel of what a non-frat life is like. – Ary Attie, Argentina, Columbia University
13. Prepare yourself for an absurd amount of choice in American stores… Like you go to cvs and there are 40 options for paracetamol instead of a small chemist where there's 3. – Caroline Hoffman Castello, UK, Columbia University
14. Accentuate your accent. Especially if you're from the commonwealth (England, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia etc..) make sure you don't lose your accent as it's a powerful key to winning the hearts of professors and love interests alike. – Alex Hersov, South Africa, Georgetown University
15. Random insomnia cookie deliveries at 2am are completely warranted #treatyoself. - Sam Safari, U.S., Columbia University
16. People will steal your laundry detergent and/or shampoo. If it happens too much and if you get fed up, put some dye in the shampoo. The next time someone tries to use it, they will learn their lesson and they can't even say anything. – Joshua Browder, UK, Stanford University
17. Break up with your long distance boyfriend/girlfriend. Right. Now. No, you guys are not meant to be, and yes, you are going to regret turning down that hottie the first night at Mel's for the rest of your life. (P.s. he has a twin brother so don't be upset when he ignores you on campus). – Ecem Senyuva, Turkey, Columbia University
18. New York isnt contained between 108 and 125th street - go and see it! – Zade Al Borshaid, Bahrain, Columbia University
19. College in NYC can be overwhelming for a lot of people but just know that it's an adjustment for everyone so you're not alone! And it gets better with time… Take advantage of opportunities you would otherwise not get if you aren't in college - you're only there for 4 years so make the most of it! – Jess Shaw, UK, Columbia University
20. Invest in a bean bag so when people come over they’re not all over your bed. – Leana Sindi, UK, Brown University
21. Going home for thanksgiving is not a good idea (jetlag). – Isa Wilkinson, UK, Columbia University
22. Learn how to do an American accent for when people ask! – Katerina Polemis, Greece, University of Michigan
23. Always bring your home country experiences into class discussion. A lot of Americans will never have experienced where you're from and therefore your lens on the world will win you brownie points with professors regardless of how trivial you think your comment is. – Alex Hersov, South Africa, Georgetown University
24. Be prepared to be constantly stereotyped as someone who smokes outside Butler. – Alex Cedar, UK, Columbia University
25. Watch American Pie on repeat. Listen to Asher Roth on repeat. Never say banterous (but I guess that applies in all contexts). – Bez Fassihi, UK, UCLA
26. Dont drain yourself in the first couple of weeks and vegetize the rest of the year! – Elshadai Tesfaye Biru, Ethiopia, Columbia University
27. Nothing shouts 'I'm foreign' like drinking wine at an American pre game. – Alex Kuznetsov, Russia, Columbia University
28. Don’t stay in the city winter break, especially if you come from areas around the equator/are used to functioning under a shining sun. – Elshadai Tesfaye Biru, Ethiopia, Columbia University
29. Get ready to bond immediately with anyone from your home country - they'll understand all your references that fly over bemused american heads! – Nell Rose, UK, Columbia University
30. Well I made the embarrassing mistake of calling an eraser a rubber on my first day of class. – Sydney Bron, UK, UCLA
31. Don't trust cheese made in the US. – Xi Bovell, UK, Columbia University
32. MEET AMERICANS. A lot of my friends have fallen into the very tempting rut of only hanging with fellow internationals, you're in the states for a reason. Make sure it's an experience, the American parties are just as fun as clubs and the people are all in all just as accepting – Alex Hersov, South Africa, Georgetown University
33. Get off campus! Get out of the city!! You moved to America to LIVE in America, so see it! NYC has transport access EVERYWHERE, so go and visit other colleges, relatives, distant friends, or strange places you've always wanted to go – Nell Rose, UK, Columbia University
34. Don't worry if you fall apart from your first real friends because of new friendship circles throughout college. They stay real if you make a tiny effort - nothing can replace freshman year memories. – Ecem Senyuva, Turkey, Columbia University
35. If you're looking for a bae entice them with the prospect of a second citizenship especially if you're in the EU #ripbrexit – Xi Bovell, UK, Columbia University