By William Zanella
Associate Dean
International Programs/Hawaii Pacific University

Studying abroad is both an opportunity and a challenge. Studying in America, at the institution of your choice, and in the field you want to pursue is an excellent way to prepare yourself for an exciting career after graduation. The challenge comes in learning how to adapt yourself to a new, and different academic environment in order to get the most out of your American higher education experience.

Being in a classroom with native English speakers and an American professor can be an intimidating experience. In your own country, perhaps you are used to passively sitting at your desk scribbling down your teacher's lecture content, or simply mastering what is in the assigned textbook. The emphasis is on memorizing large amounts of material accurately. While some US classes are also conducted this way, most will require you to become actively involved in ways you might not be accustomed to.

American teachers expect students to participate in class discussions; to ask questions and to express personal opinions. In fact, class participation is often part of the semester grade. They do this because they want you to critically evaluate what you are learning, and to engage in an intellectual dialog with the instructor and your fellow classmates.

Part of the Western educational emphasis is on teaching you how to think independently and express yourself in a variety of ways. Factual information can always be found in books, so your teachers will be more concerned with helping you to interpret course content in a meaningful way. Like Socrates, your teacher (and fellow students) will bombard you with questions to force you to formulate opinions, and to share them openly with others.

Due to these differences, international students are often shocked by the American classroom experience. It is disconcerting to see native English speakers aggressively expressing themselves by asking/answering questions, even to the point of challenging professors! How rude and self-centered these students are, you might think. And shouldn't the teacher have all of the answers and give them to us directly? Also, why are my classmates and teacher embarrassing me by expecting me to participate with my limited English?

While these thoughts might be racing through your mind, your classmates and students, on the other hand, might be equally perplexed by your lack of participation. They may not empathize with your struggle to express yourself in English without embarrassing yourself. There may even be some impatience with your silence.

So how should you deal with these problems? First of all, your ability to communicate in English and your self-confidence in using the language are critical. Many students look at English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, if required, as a penalty, and obstacle, to getting on with course work in their major. Yet your academic success is, to a large extent, directly related to how well you learn the English language in such courses. A good ESL program will give you the preparatory course work on lecture comprehension, oral expression, and research techniques to do well in regular classes.

However,  English classes themselves are not enough to apply English in the real world. You have to constantly use it. You cannot do this if you are usually surrounding yourself with friends and classmates from your home country. Indeed, many campuses have international student organizations to facilitate such camaraderie.

If you are going to have a really special experience while studying in America, you need to make a conscious effort to make friends with Americans and students from other countries. You can do this by joining campus clubs, participating in sports, getting involved in student government - there are numerous venues for social interaction on American campuses.

In the local community you can participate in service organizations (Rotary Club, Lion's International), church activities, volunteer programs and homestays. The main thing is to get involved despite the pressures of your studies. In fact, taking part in activities is a great way to relieve academic stress!

Also remember that whether you are taking ESL or regular courses, you can always get help with difficulties encountered in your studies or with personal problems. American professors, in general, are not aloof and unapproachable. They are willing to assist you with comprehending the course work through private office consultations. They can provide recommendations for improving study habits, suggestions for getting additional information about the course subject from other sources, and so forth.

You can also turn to your academic international student adviser, the campus tutoring center, the learning assistance center or other such service-oriented facilities designed to help you succeed in your classes. But you have to take the initiative and avail yourself of the many forms of assistance that you can find on a typical American campus.

Through all of these interactions on and off campus you will discover many cultural differences between what an international student values and what an American student considers important. Americans are notoriously individualistic. They rely on themselves more than on their parents. They often are self-supporting through summer and part-time jobs, and they make they major decisions on their own.

In personal relationships, US students can be outgoing, even exuberantly so, yet at the same time they expect others to respect their "personal space" and privacy. But despite all of the differences and idiosyncrasies, you will find that "people are people," and that students, no matter what their origin or cultural background, are united in their common goal to gain excellent education. This is the exciting quest you will share by studying in America.