In recent years, more and more international students choose to come to the United States to continue their studies or academic exchanges. This is a mutually beneficial phenomenon – while international students receive high-quality education in the United States, the United States has also enhanced its global connectivity, and has provided many opportunities for students in the United States to learn about the world.
In order to provide international students with better learning conditions, the United States is also constantly improving the national education system and improving the quality of teaching. Today, international education has become a major feature that the United States can be proud of.
For most international students, it takes a lot of work to prepare for their upcoming study life in the United States. Of course, before these international students come to the United States, they must be no strangers to the country. But it needs to be clear that the difference between reality and imagination.
There must be some degree of difference. For example, when you come to the United States, you can see McDonald’s restaurants that you are quite familiar with everywhere, but when you see the menu, you will find that the food provided by McDonald’s in the United States is different from that in your own country.
Diversity permeates all aspects of the country. The following guide may not help you overcome all the difficulties caused by cultural differences, but I hope it can help you with basic preparations and general plans for studying in the United States.
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Table of Contents
Time
Due to the fierce competition in American society, it is full of movements and changes, people are always in a hurry, and as a result, the American concept of time has been developed. The phrase “time is money” is the most accurate expression of Americans’ attitudes toward time.
– Change time
Americans don’t like to arbitrarily change the time that has already been booked, unless the two sides of the agreement have the same opinion and decide to change the time together. Because everyone has their own work and rest schedule, if one party requests to change the time, it will inevitably bring the other party’s time schedule.
– Only do one thing at a time
Americans are accustomed to finishing one thing before starting the next, especially in formal occasions and business arrangements. When people are studying and discussing a problem, they will not go to the next unless they have solved every detail involved in the problem.
a topic.
– On time
First of all, we want to stress again that being punctual is not just about personal schedules, if you are not punctual, it will reflect your disrespect for other people’s time.
In learning and life, in addition to being on time for class, it is more necessary to observe the deadlines for various learning tasks. The teaching method in American schools is generally that the teacher arranges a subject for the students, and then several students form a study group to carry it out together. Each of the study groups are responsible for different aspects, and if you fail to complete your part within the specified deadline, it will affect the performance of the entire group, which is also a problem that many American students continue to complain about. Therefore, being on time is one of the most important aspects of studying and living in the United States.
Comminicate
Conversing with people is the most basic form of interpersonal communication. When you talk to friends from all over the world, you are not only exchanging views and topics, but also cultural exchanges. The way of language expression can often reflect a certain region or characteristics of a country.
– Speak directly
Most of the time, American conversations have a tendency to seek information. They like to ask a lot of questions and in a very direct way. They will use the simplest and most direct language expressions to get the information they want. In the process, they don’t care much about the wording.
– Actively ask questions
Another distinctive feature of the American way of communicating is questioning without hesitation. During the conversation, if the Americans do not understand or understand something, they usually ask each other questions in a timely manner until they understand it. This trait becomes encouraged in the classroom
way of doing. In American classrooms, students can ask any relevant questions to the classroom at any time, and the instructors will be more than happy to answer questions for students. Therefore, American classrooms always allow students to absorb knowledge in a relaxed, interactive, and positive atmosphere.
– Body language
The tool of human communication is not only language, but also body language. Gestures, body posture, and facial expressions are the keys to the proper use of body language. We must flexibly adjust and use body language according to the occasion, object, and topic. When talking, you should always keep your eyes in contact with the other party, and your eyes should be natural and kind. This is something that Americans take very seriously.
Here we provide you with a few topics that are suitable for conversation with almost any American:
★ Weather conditions and mood
★ Some of my past experiences
★ Your own campus life, or work content
★ Leisure topics such as cars, fashion, shopping, film and television, music, clothing, etc.
At the same time we should avoid the following topics:
★ Topics related to personal financial situation such as savings, income, etc.
★ Family situation
★ Religious beliefs, etc.
Legal function
The legal system of the United States guarantees the fulfillment of civic obligations while guaranteeing the legal rights of every citizen. The same goes for international students. The two core words we want to pay special attention to are “protect” and “prohibit”.
– Protect
U.S. federal immigration laws apply to all international students studying in the United States. The legal rights and interests enjoyed by international students are formulated in detail. When your legal rights are violated, every school that accepts international students has an international student service office, where there will be a full-time consultant to advise you.
– Prohibit
While enjoying your legitimate rights and interests, you must consciously abide by the various legal provisions of the country. You are also subject to sanctions if you violate any of the immigration laws.
Regional differences
The United States is divided into 50 states. Each state has different administrative regulations. Coupled with the differences in geographical location and climatic conditions, residents in each state have different living habits.
The difference in climate is the primary consideration. Another aspect is mental preparation. Residents of different regions have different personality traits, for example: people in the east always seem to be in a hurry, rushing for work, people in the south are laid-back, calm and hospitable, the residents of the Midwest can be described as practical, stubborn, and a little traditional. Westerners appear to be more independent and value individualism. Americans living along the West Coast give us the impression of leisure, relax, feel free.
Family & friends
– Move house
Americans often move houses for many reasons, but generally speaking, it has a lot to do with Americans being uneasy about the status quo, pursuing novelties, eager to see new places, and actively looking for new employment opportunities. They eagerly look forward to the holiday, and when the holiday arrives, groups of Americans pack their bags and go on a family trip. The annual travel expenses of Americans account for a large proportion of their expenses.
– Friendship
The impact of frequent moving is directly reflected in the way Americans make friends. In a country with strong geographical and social mobility like the United States, making friends has its own characteristics. As people often migrate from one place to another, the friendships they make may be close and secure for a while. But once they relocate to other places, their friendship may soon be gone, and both parties will find suitable new friends. Americans will not feel “inferior” because of the way this friendship is handled, and they will not feel that they are despised or insulted by the other party.
I hope the above mentioned content will provide you with a little help in preparing for your study abroad life. There is always a difference between reality and imagination, so keep a positive, peaceful mind, and be patient and goal-oriented. In this way, you will gain not only academic knowledge from studying abroad, but more of ability exercise and rich life experience.
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