What makes 600,000 young people from all over the world come to study in the United States? Is it the reputation of the US degrees? The efficient teaching methods? Life on campus? Studying in the United States is a dream for a large number of students in the world. A lot of movies and serials give us a dreamy image of what a US campus is. They make us believe that it must be very easy to integrate in such an environment. As our entire group members had at least once thought of spending one year on an American College or still plan to do it, we decided to focus on the integration of French students on US campuses. Many questions arose: is it easy? What problems do students have? When do they feel integrated? Therefore, our main issue will be to find out how French students can experience a successful integration on a US campus. Thus, we thought about the following question: What are the decisive factors in matters of integration?
[...] I have been working for 7 years before I decided to do an MBA on a US Campus. I don't want to stay here after passing my degree. I want to go back to Europe. I think I'll move to London What were your first impressions when you arrived? When you arrive, you are quite busy: you move in, you visit the city. At the beginning I stayed a lot with other Europeans who were there. Actually, foreign students arrive earlier on campus because they have to settle. [...]
[...] Our results 1 Living on a US campus immediately saw how important communities are here (the Harvard alumni, the Columbia alumni, the Black community “There are a lot of various Organizations trying to enlist students.” ”Everything is planned. Columbia organizes two integration weeks: we were put into small groups and were supposed to become friends. and socialize” was the idea. Everyone expected you to love all these special events but actually, I hated it. You can build only superficial relations like that.” UT (University of Texas) Campus is just huge. [...]
[...] I knew I had been successful in the integration process when I could count on several true friends and we started going out as a group regularly 7. What piece of advice would you give to someone who is coming to the US? You have to be really open-minded and it is paramount to be aware of the facts that you will eventually have to give up all habits. But this it doesn't mean that you will necessarily forget your culture and your values. [...]
[...] I just wanted to be seen as a European guy on a US campus. So I was keeping a distance between me and the American society. After one or two months I realize that there are rules you have to follow if you want to feel truly integrated in that society. Some people can fulfill themselves in the American way of life, the less individualistic people What piece of advice would you give to someone who is coming to the US? [...]
[...] Indeed, there are many more students in the American universities than in any faculties in France It is possible to roam for a long time on the campus and in the building of the university without recognizing familiar faces even if the students are grouped together by specialization. A campus it is a real student's city Which outstanding experiences do you remember? Tell me more about your integration. Yes, I have one outstanding experience. It was in a church in the center of Denver. [...]
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