The Divergent Education System of India and the United States of America
Coming to UC for my undergraduate studies has been a unique and life-changing experience. I have learned immensely and gained many novel experiences from the day I first came to Cincinnati. Why, I travelled alone for the first time by flying across the globe for UC! I have grown so much as a person and have had the best time of my life so far in the one year I have attended school at UC. But all this was possible only after a challenging transition from India’s culture and education to that of the States. Each day at UC saw me learning new things - from simple etiquettes to cultural festivals of different countries. Experiencing a new cultural life was exciting as well as overwhelming in the beginning. It took me sometime to adapt to the new independence, surroundings, people, culture and food but acclimatizing the newer education system of UC was the most challenging and an augmenting experience.
Being familiar with fourteen years of school education (two pre-elementary grades and grade 1-12) under CBSE board in India, I had felt like a massive, unusual wave of a newer education system hit me as I entered college in UC. I vividly remember asking my friend if it was good enough or bad that I was enrolled in seven classes for seventeen credit hours in my first semester. I had no idea what ‘credit hours’ meant. Being used to the percentage and grade assignment system, I was a complete stranger to GPAs, quality points, free electives etc. Understanding the difference between the education systems of India and U.S.A has been the first and most important step to embracing the new life I have begun at UC. It has been pivotal in motivating me to prepare for newer experiences, studies, people and culture. With the passage of time, I have learned how the education system works in the world’s largest economies- the United States and India.
I feel being new to the education system of UC, overcoming initial difficulties by the support of academic advisors and friends, and then scoring good grades leading to a good GPA has been the most significant experience I have had in college. It has taught me to always be prepared for unexpected, newer experiences and deal with them with perseverance, self-confidence and a positive attitude. I have been successful in my studies only because of the supportive environment provided by my friends, peers, professors and advisors. I have already made many special relationships that will be lasting life-long. I have always been a loquacious person and this quality has helped me learn a great lot about people and their backgrounds.
A lot goes in transitioning from your native surroundings to an international setting. A great resource that guided me in preparation for college and through my initial time of college is the book Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada by Charles Lipson. A summary of the book can be found at the following link- http://jistudents.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/13-succeeding-as-an-international-student.pdf. The author discusses about how international students have to come far from home and adapt to a new culture, new university system, and in many cases, a new language. Initially, I carried this book everywhere and read it frequently to adapt to UC’s education and cultural system. Succeeding is designed to help students navigate the myriad issues they will encounter—from picking a program to landing a campus job. Coming to a new country to study should be an exciting venture, not a baffling ordeal and hence with this trustworthy resource, I was able to have all the practical information I needed to succeed, in and out of the classroom.
I often watch motivational videos on Youtube and Ted Talks in my study breaks. I have subscribed to The Ted Talks shows as they have many helpful videos on time management. Some of the recommended videos on Youtube are Steve Job’s commencement speech at Stanford university (in year 2005), Eric Thomas’s speech on the Secrets of Success in the University of Michigan, Bill Gates speech at Harvard University (in year 2007) and the video called Which Student Are You?. These videos helped me motivate myself to the greatest extent and reminded me that it was of utmost importance that I took the most out of my time in college- the best time of my life.
When I look back at myself before UC and think about the present-me, I cannot stop gushing over how much I have changed for the better. I, from being a girl who had absolutely no idea of what to expect on the foreign land of the U.S but was determined and enthralled for the new experience has become more confident, independent and mature. I cannot stress enough how important time management is because not only do we need to manage time in college but also later in life when there is a lot more of pressure and tension. I learned the greatest lesson college life has to provide by learning to pull time on my side and making it my greatest asset. I plan to progress with the lessons learned in my freshman year. Having completed my first year at UC now, I have been able to learn from small experiences, reflect and progress. I am a strong believer of dreaming and a stronger believer of turning those dreams into reality.
I firmly believe in learning and sharing knowledge. It gives me utmost satisfaction when I am able to spread wisdom and hence, I started writing my own blog called I Yam What I Yam in which I share my motivational thoughts and experiences in UC and receive feedback and ideas from people. The purpose of blogging is to motivate readers throughout the world to not lose hope and chase their dreams by sharing my lessons and to also share my wonderful experiences in UC which have been achieved after combating against all odds. I often share tips for acing the SATs, college exams, managing time and discuss about the newer culture. I share my experiences so that people can learn from my mistakes, hurdles and lessons. I write so that international students like me are not clueless and overwhelmed about studying abroad and adapt to the new education system and culture with ease. The audience of my blog comprises of high-school students and college students who learn from experiences of others and people across the globe who are avid blog readers. This experience of writing to the world has helped me hone my writing skills, know myself better, share my ideas and lessons at a global platform and most importantly, has helped me become more zealous, involved and committed in everything I do to lead by example.
Being an international student, I plan to grow as a person by learning new things in UC. Every day I wake up planning to gain new experiences of the U.S in UC and contribute to UC by engaging in campus and community opportunities. My life has changed a lot in this one year and I have promised myself to put more effort and wait for the wonderful opportunities I am yet to receive.
Coming to UC for my undergraduate studies has been a unique and life-changing experience. I have learned immensely and gained many novel experiences from the day I first came to Cincinnati. Why, I travelled alone for the first time by flying across the globe for UC! I have grown so much as a person and have had the best time of my life so far in the one year I have attended school at UC. But all this was possible only after a challenging transition from India’s culture and education to that of the States. Each day at UC saw me learning new things - from simple etiquettes to cultural festivals of different countries. Experiencing a new cultural life was exciting as well as overwhelming in the beginning. It took me sometime to adapt to the new independence, surroundings, people, culture and food but acclimatizing the newer education system of UC was the most challenging and an augmenting experience.
Being familiar with fourteen years of school education (two pre-elementary grades and grade 1-12) under CBSE board in India, I had felt like a massive, unusual wave of a newer education system hit me as I entered college in UC. I vividly remember asking my friend if it was good enough or bad that I was enrolled in seven classes for seventeen credit hours in my first semester. I had no idea what ‘credit hours’ meant. Being used to the percentage and grade assignment system, I was a complete stranger to GPAs, quality points, free electives etc. Understanding the difference between the education systems of India and U.S.A has been the first and most important step to embracing the new life I have begun at UC. It has been pivotal in motivating me to prepare for newer experiences, studies, people and culture. With the passage of time, I have learned how the education system works in the world’s largest economies- the United States and India.
I feel being new to the education system of UC, overcoming initial difficulties by the support of academic advisors and friends, and then scoring good grades leading to a good GPA has been the most significant experience I have had in college. It has taught me to always be prepared for unexpected, newer experiences and deal with them with perseverance, self-confidence and a positive attitude. I have been successful in my studies only because of the supportive environment provided by my friends, peers, professors and advisors. I have already made many special relationships that will be lasting life-long. I have always been a loquacious person and this quality has helped me learn a great lot about people and their backgrounds.
A lot goes in transitioning from your native surroundings to an international setting. A great resource that guided me in preparation for college and through my initial time of college is the book Succeeding as an International Student in the United States and Canada by Charles Lipson. A summary of the book can be found at the following link- http://jistudents.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/13-succeeding-as-an-international-student.pdf. The author discusses about how international students have to come far from home and adapt to a new culture, new university system, and in many cases, a new language. Initially, I carried this book everywhere and read it frequently to adapt to UC’s education and cultural system. Succeeding is designed to help students navigate the myriad issues they will encounter—from picking a program to landing a campus job. Coming to a new country to study should be an exciting venture, not a baffling ordeal and hence with this trustworthy resource, I was able to have all the practical information I needed to succeed, in and out of the classroom.
I often watch motivational videos on Youtube and Ted Talks in my study breaks. I have subscribed to The Ted Talks shows as they have many helpful videos on time management. Some of the recommended videos on Youtube are Steve Job’s commencement speech at Stanford university (in year 2005), Eric Thomas’s speech on the Secrets of Success in the University of Michigan, Bill Gates speech at Harvard University (in year 2007) and the video called Which Student Are You?. These videos helped me motivate myself to the greatest extent and reminded me that it was of utmost importance that I took the most out of my time in college- the best time of my life.
When I look back at myself before UC and think about the present-me, I cannot stop gushing over how much I have changed for the better. I, from being a girl who had absolutely no idea of what to expect on the foreign land of the U.S but was determined and enthralled for the new experience has become more confident, independent and mature. I cannot stress enough how important time management is because not only do we need to manage time in college but also later in life when there is a lot more of pressure and tension. I learned the greatest lesson college life has to provide by learning to pull time on my side and making it my greatest asset. I plan to progress with the lessons learned in my freshman year. Having completed my first year at UC now, I have been able to learn from small experiences, reflect and progress. I am a strong believer of dreaming and a stronger believer of turning those dreams into reality.
I firmly believe in learning and sharing knowledge. It gives me utmost satisfaction when I am able to spread wisdom and hence, I started writing my own blog called I Yam What I Yam in which I share my motivational thoughts and experiences in UC and receive feedback and ideas from people. The purpose of blogging is to motivate readers throughout the world to not lose hope and chase their dreams by sharing my lessons and to also share my wonderful experiences in UC which have been achieved after combating against all odds. I often share tips for acing the SATs, college exams, managing time and discuss about the newer culture. I share my experiences so that people can learn from my mistakes, hurdles and lessons. I write so that international students like me are not clueless and overwhelmed about studying abroad and adapt to the new education system and culture with ease. The audience of my blog comprises of high-school students and college students who learn from experiences of others and people across the globe who are avid blog readers. This experience of writing to the world has helped me hone my writing skills, know myself better, share my ideas and lessons at a global platform and most importantly, has helped me become more zealous, involved and committed in everything I do to lead by example.
Being an international student, I plan to grow as a person by learning new things in UC. Every day I wake up planning to gain new experiences of the U.S in UC and contribute to UC by engaging in campus and community opportunities. My life has changed a lot in this one year and I have promised myself to put more effort and wait for the wonderful opportunities I am yet to receive.