They say college will be the best 4 years of your life. I do not doubt that at all. After all, you get to leave your house and become independent. You do not have to worry about the rules and policies of your parents because you are living alone or with your peers. Not to mention when things get a little hard or homesickness sets in, you can drive or bus back home. Sounds about right.
What about college for an international student? There is this rumor going around that international students are wealthy or that they're better off. I am here to tell you that this is not the case. As a matter of fact, international students may have it harder than you think. I will elaborate on 3 key points to surviving college as an international student.
First, you want to make sure your passport and supporting documents are all in order and up to date. Not only is going back to our home country expensive, but it can also be a hassle when trying to enter back into the United States. Your F1 visa and I-20 documents become your golden ticket when attending college. You must guard it with your life. If you miss receiving a simple signature from your international advisor, that will hinder you from returning back to America for school. How's that for being responsible?
Secondly, ensure you become familiar with your international office, advisor and fellow international students as they will be the foundation of everything you do at college. They will help you with your vision, signing up for classes and becoming familiar with the school as a whole.
This may come easy to some of you, but for most, it can be a terrifying experience. Getting adjusted to a new culture is not easy at all. Therefore, consider keeping a few peers from home around if you have them however the goal is to branch out and become well acquainted with the American culture.
Finally, get involved and seek on-campus employment. A disadvantage of being an International student in America is that you cannot work for income off campus at all. You can only have a part-time job on campus that limits the number of hours you work per week. This can be difficult because on-campus employment is highly sought after by everyone. This limits the chances of International students receiving work.
Nonetheless, do not be discouraged. By law, an international student cannot work during his first semester. So, get involved. Join clubs and make new friends as this will make the on-campus job search much easier. The connections you have made can put you in a good spot for landing the job.
As an FSU senior hailing from The Bahamas, there are more guidelines to surviving college in my opinion. There are many more problems to tackle and consider. However, with these 3 basic guidelines, you would be off to an excellent start. Welcome to the United States!
