Hi guys, my name is Phuong Nguyen, I come from a gorgeous, beautiful, varied culture country in Southeast Asia - Vietnam. I am studying at Kansas State University as a junior student in Management Information Systems. It is so fortunate to have the opportunity to share my stories at StudyUSA. If you are an international student who is still new to the country, maybe a freshman/Sophomore, or you just created a plan to study here in the future, I hope the stories I am sharing can help you guys somewhat picture what life is like for an international student in the U.S. There are so many exciting things that are waiting for you guys to experience in the country of innovation and communication.

In 2013, I was living in the Seattle, one of the biggest cities in the U.S., where the people are so energized, creative and motivated all the time. Then, in 2015 I transferred to Kansas State University to finish my last two years of the undergrad program. When I first transferred here, people were asking me many times the reason why I chose Kansas to study, where there is literally nothing to do compared to the much more crowded, much more fun city of Seattle. Actually, my reason in coming here was not anything spectacular, I only wanted to encounter something different, and I chose Kansas as the opposite of Seattle. Well, after one year, if somebody asks me about my experience at the University so far, I would say that it is just unreplaceable. 

One significant love I have for the school are the students and the people living in this small, peaceful town—they are absolutely adorable. They are friendly, caring and always being genuine. They might know you for only two minutes, but then could spend many hours talking to you about anything in life. It is actually one of our great aspects of culture at Manhattan college town. 

It taught me one very important thing which is we really need more friends in our life, especially you student who are new to the cities. You should not be staying in your comfort zone, but you need to get out there and make more friends. Don’t be scared trying to talk with somebody new! There is no need to be scared, because you guys are already living in a whole new country! It cannot be worse! If you are living in a dorm, so open your door and start talking to whoever passes by. If you are living in an apartment, please do invite whomever you talk to today to your house for lunch, dinner, or for whatever reason! Don’t be scare to communicate with people, like ever!

 Although it could be very awkward sometimes, let the awkwardness lead you if you can, it will show people your honesty or the cuteness of your character. Keep being genuine! Keep making friends! You will see yourself growth and improved faster than ever before! You will learn so much!

That was my first introduction about myself and my culture at the school! I am really happy to share more with you guys in the future. If you are still worried about how your life, your experience in the US is going to be, I can guarantee you that the experience here will be outstanding! America is the land of the dreams, find yourself a goal to dream about, and you will be seeing yourself getting close to it more than ever.