International Student's Abroad

Reach out to other students attending your college

By now, you have decided on which college to attend. You have begun taking the necessary steps to obtain the proper documents to legally study in the United States. (see blog post http://theinternationalstudentssurvivalguide.blogspot.com/2012_03_01_archive.html )

Now what?

It’s time to begin reaching out to other students at the school you will be attending.

How can you do this?

Most colleges now have Facebook pages for admitted students. Students write on these pages to ask questions, begin conversations with other new students, and to find people who will be coming from the same native town, city or country. If you haven’t already searched Facebook for your college’s page, now is a good time.

However....

If you hail from a location where Facebook is not used or allowed or if you want to find another place to connect with others, there are some other options. Look on your local blog sites for college discussions. I know that in some parts of Asia for example, there are blogs where students converse with each other about colleges. Now is the time to look for people who will be going to college in the same city you will be moving to. Even if you do not find a person attending the very same college, you’ll probably find someone moving to the same city. Cities in the United States are fairly easy to navigate, so it will be useful to find a friend who will at least be living close to you.

Recommend:

A good place to meet other international students online is:

Learn about college life:

Learn more about your specific college:

You won’t need to ‘login’ to read the pages, but if you want to be part of a discussion, you will need to create a login name and password. This is all free!

Here you can ask questions, meet others who will be attending the same schools as well as meet students who come from your country of origin.

Reaching out to meet someone who has common interests will help you begin your journey to this new place. Knowing someone ahead of time is not only helpful but will make your first days in the U.S. a more comfortable experience.