When you first arrive in the United States and live alone, you must face a lot of things. So what should students studying in the United States pay attention to? Come with me to see the following information about studying in the United States!
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Eight things you should pay attention to when studying in the United States
1. Pay attention to your distance when talking
When talking to Americans, keep each other’s bodies The distance between them, half a meter is more appropriate. When you are chatting with an American, if he keeps moving forward, you may be a little far away from him; if he keeps moving back, you may be too close to him, so keep an appropriate distance.
2. Don’t speak loudly when greeting
American study abroad experts said that Chinese people greet acquaintances loudly to show their enthusiasm, while Americans say hello loudly when they meet acquaintances. Public places in China are relatively quiet, and people speak very softly. Unless there is an emergency, they generally do not shout. When I see an acquaintance, I say hello only when I approach.
3. Keep eye contact when talking
When talking to Americans, keep eye contact. Wandering eyes or looking elsewhere can give Americans the impression of being untrustworthy and arrogant. Therefore, it is important to maintain smiling eye contact when dealing with Americans. If a stranger walks up to you and smiles at you, and you smile back at him, he will say "hello" to you. This is just a courtesy and does not mean that he will stop and talk to you.
4. Don’t joke with them casually
Some Chinese students sometimes tell one or two white lies or make jokes. Just kidding, everyone thinks these are normal. However, in the United States, if you lie to him or joke about his dishonesty, these words will make Americans unhappy, because the United States is a nation that values ??credibility, and their economic and social status are based on personal credibility. Can't stand others not being trustworthy.
5. Same-sex behavior should not be too intimate
In the United States, same-sex people cannot dance together. This is a recognized social One of the rituals. Similarly, walking on the street and hugging each other will be considered homosexual. Therefore, physical contact between same-sex friends should be kept within a moderate range.
6. Don’t touch children casually
When Chinese people see a child they like, they like to touch their face or tug on them. Small hands show affection for children, but Americans think this is very impolite. Experts studying in the United States said that even their dogs don’t like being touched or fed casually by others, which will cause dissatisfaction among Americans.
7. The "etiquette" of visiting
When visiting Americans, you must take off your hat and coat when entering the door. , take off the sunglasses you are wearing; when entering the door, you should greet the hostess first and then the male host. When there are many guests, you can only shake hands with the host and acquaintances, and just nod to others. When you are a guest, you are not allowed to flip through the host's things and caress the furnishings, and you are not allowed to inquire about the price of the furnishings.
8. Women should not wear makeup in public
Americans don’t wear heavy makeup when going out in public places, or Women who wear make-up in public have certain thoughts. They will think that such women lack education and their identity is questionable. And in the United States, it is best for women not to wear black clothes, because Americans believe that black is a symbol of solemnity and a color used for funerals, so black is taboo.
How to integrate into the life of studying in the United States more quickly
How to cope with class
American teachers often require students to participate in class discussions, ask questions, or Express a personal opinion.
In fact, class participation is often part of the semester grade. Professors believe that class discussions can evaluate what you have learned and see whether you are capable of having intellectual conversations with professors and classmates.
Part of Western education emphasizes teaching students independent thinking and various ways of self-expression. A lot of factual information can be found in books, so teachers focus on how to help students interpret the course content in a more meaningful way. Like the Greek philosopher Socrates, American teachers and classmates will constantly ask questions to force you to state your opinions and share them openly with others.
Based on these differences, Chinese students will have a great impact when they first come to the United States to take classes. Seeing American students constantly asking or answering questions, and even challenging the professor, I feel very uncomfortable and wonder why these students are so arrogant and disrespectful. Students should absolutely obey the authority of the professor. Furthermore, my English is so poor, why should I make a fool of myself in public?
Reminder: How to deal with these problems? If your English communication skills and confidence in using English are not enough, it is best to It is best to take ESL elective courses first. Many people think that taking English classes will hinder undergraduate courses. In fact, ESL classes actually help with understanding, oral expression, and research skills in undergraduate courses. But just taking English classes is not enough. You must also know how to use English in real life and use it continuously. It is best not to hang out with students or friends from your own country, so as not to let English go unused.
How to communicate
If you want to truly get the special experience of studying in the United States, it is best to communicate with Americans and students from other countries Make friends. Participating in school clubs, sports organizations, student unions, etc. can all contribute to a social life. In terms of local society, you can join some service organizations and volunteer organizations, host families, etc. Although there is academic pressure, participating in extracurricular activities has many benefits and is a way to relieve stress.
Regardless of whether you take English courses or regular courses, you can still find help when you have problems in life or studies. American professors are generally understanding and willing to help you through personal office counseling. They are also willing to provide suggestions for improving your study habits and suggest how you can obtain other information. You can also seek help from international student advisors, campus tutoring centers or similar organizations, but you must proactively contact them.
Through all these exchanges inside and outside the campus, you will find the differences in values ??between Chinese and American students. Americans usually advocate individualism. Most of them are independent and do not rely on their parents. Students also rely on summer jobs or *** jobs to support themselves, and make major decisions on their own.
Reminder: In terms of personal relationships, American students are more outgoing, and they also require others to respect their personal space and privacy. Although there are many ideological differences, the common goal of students seeking the best education remains the same regardless of cultural background.
Some suggestions for international students in the United States
1. About university classes
One textbook and one for Chinese classes Different from being led by a teacher, American university classes are not restricted by a single textbook and often rely entirely on the teacher's handouts and assignments. Professors attach great importance to students' classroom experience, so full participation in class activities is very necessary. For Chinese students who have just entered American universities, they often encounter difficulties in participating in class and reading after class. How to overcome this? First of all, everyone must not be afraid of "losing face" in class and don't be shy. For an international student who has just arrived in the United States, it is normal for an international student to give wrong answers in class. The more you try and practice, the more you will improve. The second is the amount of reading. You can use the summer vacation before going to the United States to increase your reading amount and improve your reading speed. This way you won't feel so uncomfortable when you first enter the United States.
2. About English learning
English learning can be said to be an eternal topic throughout the university.
No matter how high your previous TOEFL score is, continuous learning, especially the provision of speaking and writing skills, is throughout. Generally speaking, universities will have some writing centers that provide students with free services such as essay revision. Everyone must take advantage of this benefit! In addition, participating in more outdoor activities will also increase the opportunities to practice speaking.
3. About new students
Students will worry about whether it will be difficult to integrate into American culture after arriving in the United States. In particular, I have seen many reports that Chinese students only stay with their compatriots after arriving in the United States, whether in class or after class. In fact, when we asked some American students about how they view international students, most of them said they were willing to make friends with international students, but many didn't know how to start. Another very important suggestion is that cultural integration is mutual. When we expect to be accepted by another culture, we should actually sit down, study it carefully and accept the new culture. For example, baseball is a very popular sport among American students. Chinese students do not necessarily know how to play baseball, but learning more about this sport will greatly increase the topics for communication with American students.
4. About new living habits
For new living habits, everyone must first learn and respect them, and secondly adapt. Of course, don't let this stop you from giving up your habit entirely. What is needed is to get along with everyone. If both parties really find it difficult to get along with each other, they can separate peacefully. What students need to remember is that an occasional unpleasant experience cannot represent all future experiences.
5. About homework
Homework in American universities pays more attention to students’ practical application and expansion of knowledge. Many assignments are in the form of essays. As for papers, everyone must first determine whether they meet the format requirements for general paper writing and whether rules such as citations are applied correctly before handing in the assignment. You can invite professors to check in advance. Under normal circumstances, professors are very willing to help international students with this request. Another point is that professors have very high requirements for the originality of papers.
6. Regarding spare time arrangements
Due to unfamiliarity with the surrounding environment, or not having too many friends. Many Chinese students like to spend their extracurricular time in the dormitory and library. There is nothing wrong with this! However, everyone needs to pay attention, especially in business majors, compared with super high GPA, the comprehensive ability of the students is very important for future career development. So everyone must take some time to enrich their after-school life. For example, participating in some projects sponsored by students. This is also a good opportunity for exercise and learning.
7. About off-campus internship opportunities
For American college students, they start to pay attention to them from the summer vacation of their first year of college. Various internship opportunities. The school will also provide training specifically for students to apply for internships, such as how to prepare resumes and how to perform well in interviews. Some internship positions will also be released regularly, so everyone must pay attention to this information from time to time.
8. Opportunities to participate in research on campus
For entering laboratories, there may be many students, especially in some comprehensive universities. of students think that it is difficult for them to participate in research projects in their first and second years of college. Here we share with you a true story.
The protagonist of the story is a Chinese freshman majoring in chemistry at an American university. She started applying to join the laboratory in her freshman year, but the professor always refused. She wasn't allowed to clean labware in the lab until her sophomore year. Due to her heavy course load, she can only go to the laboratory to complete this work after 9 p.m.
So every night from 9 o'clock to 12 o'clock, there is always a Chinese student doing his best to clean the test equipment in the laboratory. One day, the professor went to the laboratory to get things and saw this Chinese student whose name he could hardly remember carefully sorting out the experimental equipment. Perhaps he was moved by her perseverance and conscientiousness. In the days to come, the professor gradually He asked her to participate in some pilot projects and began to guide her to do some substantive work. This experience in the laboratory played a great role in her future application for a PhD.