Interview:
Indri Putri, from Indonesia, studies at Bunker Hill Community College in metropolitan Boston, where she is enjoying U.S. culture and a liberal arts education.
Why did you decide to study in America?
The United States attracts people from all over the world – I could be at one place yet learn about the whole world. I gain the widest window of perspective and worldview.
Why did you choose this college?
Metropolitan Boston is the heart of art and culture. I adore Boston for its strong study culture, as it is a college town. I love the fact that everywhere I go I see students studying at every location possible — not limited to merely in the library, but in coffee shops and even on a patch of grass.
What do you like best?
I adore liberal arts education, which allows a survey of a great variety of courses — it is the equivalent of having a buffet.
What do you miss most about home?
I miss the weather. I miss the humidity.
What was your biggest surprise about U.S. life and education?
It opens doors to possibilities that are out of the question back home.
How have you handled: ... language differences?
By internalizing the vernacular.
... finances?
- There are three possible ways:
- Work on campus
- Be professor’s research assistant
- Be an outperforming scholar and gain a scholarship
... adjusting to a different educational system?
I am enjoying it very much.
What are your activities?
Opportunity for highly subsidized overseas educational trip is given — I think that is the greatest perk.
How easy or difficult is making friends?
It can’t be any easier. This is an immigrant country, meaning you won’t be the only newbie here. Americans are highly accepting toward foreigners. That, topped with the incredibly friendly and forthcoming nature of the culture of this country, others are — if not more — eager to make friends.
How relevant is your U.S. education to your personal goals and to the needs of your country?
I do have a macro idea of what I would like to be transformed into at the end of my experience and schooling in the United States: an independent, critical thinking and capable woman.
What is your advice to other students who are considering a U.S. education?
Do strike a balance between open mindedness and holding onto your culture and worldview.
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