Why did you decide to study in the USA?
After I graduated from middle school in China, I decided to study abroad in the United States. I always have been interested in English. I like spending my free time watching American TV series. I was longing to study abroad because I thought it was a great traveling experience. The other reason was my parents wanted me to study abroad to broaden my horizon and develop in all aspects. With the encouragement of my parents, I decided to study abroad and improve myself.
Why did you choose Seattle University?
Seattle University is located in a good and convenient area. Personally, I like the university to be close to a big city or be in the city because I think there will be more internship opportunities. My school has a good ranking in the field of business and they offer a nice bridge program for international students. And fortunately, the return rate for second year students at Seattle University is very high.
I like the proportion of teachers versus students in my school. We have the small size classroom in business school, which makes me concentrate more in class. On the other hand, the small classroom means teachers are more likely to remember each student so that they can better help students. In addition, I also like the cafeteria in my school which provides different foods, including Asian food.
What do you like best?
This is a difficult question for me to answer because I am satisfied with my school in many aspects. One aspect that I like most about my university is that we have the small size of class. If students encounter any problem, they can get the direct help from professors. In addition, professors are also happy to provide additional tutoring services during their office hours.
What do you miss most?
What I miss most is my family.
What was your biggest surprise?
American education and Chinese education is different. For example, American students school time is shorter than China’s. Moreover, a lot of American schools offer students more comprehensive courses such as extracurricular activities. I think most of American parents do not think extracurricular activities will distract students from their studies. However, my parents and many other Chinese parents would prefer me to spend more time on academic studies. In addition, parents in the U.S. don’t put their children's grades at the top of the list. Most of them don't blame their children for bad grades in academic studies. They will continue to help their children discover their potential and allow their children to participate in after-school programs that interest them, instead of simply letting their children attend after-school classes that they don't like.
... your biggest disappointment?
When I first came to the United States, I was disappointed with my language ability. I found myself sometimes unable to express myself correctly in English.
How have you handled language differences?
I like watching American TV series to learn English as I can learn more colloquial English from TV series.
What are your activities?
When I was in high school in the United States, I took part in many sports activities, such as football, volleyball, tennis and so on. I also joined a lot of campus activities, such as drama club, chorus, etc. Besides that, I participate in different extracurricular volunteer activities. My most influential volunteer activity was helping to decorate the Rose Parade float in California. In the United States, there are many holidays, so I will have the breaks to travel.
How easy or difficult was making friends?
I think making friends in the U.S. is fifty percent easy and fifty percent difficult. Students here are very friendly and they are willing to make friends from different countries. On the other hand, difficulty is caused by language barriers and shyness.
How relevant is your U.S. education to your personal goals and to the needs of your country?
I want to be a businesswoman. I think learning English can help me communicate with people all over the world. My greater ideal is to be an ambassador of communication between China and the West.
What is your advice to other students who are considering a U.S. education?
My suggestion is that students who choose to study abroad need to learn how to adapt and integrate into the new environment. Students need to treasure the chances to study abroad and study harder. Don't hold back because you don't get used to a new culture or a new environment, just remember an old saying in China, “There is nothing difficult to a willing heart.” Hence, I wish every foreign student can have a good experience of studying abroad.
Uyen Nguyen, from Vietnam, is majoring in International Relations, Visual Material Culture, and French Transnational Studies at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland 
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