LIFE IN US
Once you receive the acceptance letter, the time is going to pass so fast. You need to be preparing with all the necessities for your life in U.S. First of all Monserrath Leal, International Advisor at Tec de Monterrey in Mexico, advises students to be prepared for the cost of living in U.S.: “Google the cost of living in the cities you want to study. Money is always something we think at last, but it’s important to consider the amount you’ll need and let know your parents! You don’t want to realize the city is too expensive for eating, traveling, going out, etc. once you’re there!”
Also, you should note the cultural differences between Mexico and United States. When I arrived to the U.S. for studying, I never thought that it was going to be different from Mexico, but it really is. For example, in San Antonio, there is much Mexican food and I didn’t thought that I could experience a change in my food, but most of the Mexican food here is not really Mexican, it is “tex-mex.” Like you know, in the U.S. are many establishments that sell fast food and with this, we tend to eat a lot of hamburgers, hot-dogs, pizza, etc.; this causes a general increase of weight, the “freshman-15” (the fact that in your first year you can increase up to 15 pounds) is not a myth, is a reality. Not only with the food, you will should probably experience many other changes like the language, different people, different customs, and so on; you should be prepared for it because if not, you can experience what is known as cultural shock.
During the transition, it is possible to experience a sense of loneliness but you aren’t alone; there are a lot of students going through the same processes and experiencing similar fears.
Alexandra Vivas, exchange student at the University of California in Los Angeles, shared with us her experience: “For me, being a foreign student has been an amazing experience but at the same time it has been a little hard, first of all the language everyone uses is different from yours and sometimes try to explain yourself it is not very easy, even in classes there were occasions where I did not understand what the professor said, but practice is always the best teacher. Second, being so far from your country, your family and your friends force you to start again, which can give you new opportunities but it can also make you feel alone sometimes.”
One piece of advice that many Mexican students in U.S., as well as International Advisors, recommend to the new international students is being involved in different organizations. Most of the colleges have International Clubs and in some cases even have Latin or Mexican organizations. Joining one of these clubs can help you meet people from different parts of the world that are in the same situation as you and to feel that you belong to a group.