Dear [Insert name],
Congratulations! It is my pleasure to offer you admission to the Class of 2020 at [Insert name of school]. This opportunity to join one of the most outstanding student bodies in the the United States comes in recognition of your academic and personal achievements. I and the other members of the Admission Committee know that you would be a valued member of the community both in and out of the classroom.
In anticipation of the questions you may have, we have assembled some information for your careful review.
- You have now acquired the label, “International student.” This will be your new identity from here on out. Carry it with esteem. If you decide to remain in the United States upon graduation, you will “graduate” to “Immigrant.”
- You are going to have four amazing, but taxing years. Freshman year in particular will be very daunting. You will often feel like everyone else is smarter than you are and that the English you speak is not good enough.
- You will likely lose your accent, and with it, a part of your identity.
- You will feel completely out of place in some conversations, at times, you will have no idea what people are talking about.
- If you have had struggles with self-esteem, well, it's about to get a whole lot worse, and if you haven’t, this will likely be a struggle you are going to be introduced to. Asking questions in class will go from being normal to being an event. You will wonder, “Am I phrasing this right?” “Will I sound stupid?” “What if the Professor already talked about this?” And as you finally decide to be bold and speak up, well, class will be over. “I’ll speak up in the next class” you’ll probably say to yourself, but this will be no easy feat.
- You will struggle with other things that you never thought you would have to deal with. By leaving your culture and being immersed into a completely new one, you will need to find your place as well as the place of all your values and beliefs in this new society.
- You may be a thousand miles from home or you may be eight thousand, five hundred and twenty one miles from home. Either way, you will not be home. You will feel home sick and at times, sad. This feeling will be worsened by being in a different time zone from your friends and family. There will be times when you feel like no one understands you and you want to do is go home. You will need to learn to seek help at these moments. We are very supportive institution and we have innumerable resources to help you deal with such times.
- You will encounter people who believe in different stereotypes about your home country. These may be in the form of “random” checks at airports, or being asked questions such as “How did you travel to the US?” Or “How do people get around in your country?” or my personal favorite, “How come you speak English?” You will need to keep in mind that people are not trying to be mean, it's simply ignorance.
- If you convert the cost of items from the US dollar to your local currency you will never buy anything, so word of advice, don't!
- In summary, you will experience one struggle or other. But always keep in mind, that there are thousands who have gotten through, you can too. If you work on establishing the right support system and making the right friends, you will have a semi-easier time adjusting. The first step in the right direction is learning to believe in yourself. The mere fact that you have been offered admission to one of the best colleges in the world is evidence that you are amazing. Do not cut yourself short. Believe this and learn to always reach out for help when you need it and you will navigate the world of an international student just fine.
While the transition will be a hard one, college will likely be a time you will look back with nostalgia. I hope this information helps you with the process of deciding the path to take in this phase of your life. I wish you the best in all your endeavours.
Yours sincerely,[Insert Name]
[Insert signature]
Admissions Department[Insert name of University]
