5 things to expect if you are studying abroad in America

I had an amazing opportunity to study abroad in Texas for a whole semester. My university provided us with training and preparation, but there are things that I did not know until I was living the experience. Maybe the points I will mention below do not apply to everywhere in the states, but I am sure at least couple of them will be beneficial to you.

1. It is not as cheap as it seems

In general, I have always heard that living in America is cheap. Of course, it is not as expensive as Europe, but the overall cost of studying abroad was much more than what I planned for. You will have things popping up like travel insurance, telephone bill, electricity, maybe also the cost of renting a car. My advice here will be to have more money kept aside in case you need it throughout your stay.

2. It is not as dangerous as you hear

Before travelling to America, lots of people kept warning me about staying safe (there is kidnapping happening, people are being killed,….blah blah blah). I think that is due to the picture the media draws in our mind. The situation was not like that at all. I remember walking alone back from classes when it is dark, staying late on the weekends with friends, travelling alone. I rarely felt in danger. That does not mean that you should not take care, but don’t get frightened and believe everything the media puts out there.

3. Not everyone in the world has heard about your country before

I met so many people that show extreme surprise the moment I mention to them that I am not American and I am living here for only a few months. Maybe that happened because the campus I was in did not have many international students, so people were not used to that. In that case I usually just turn the conversation into talking about my background and culture and they get really interested.

4. 99.9% chance you will meet someone from your home

That sounds a bit contradicting to the previous point, but both happened to me. America is such a diverse place that you will find someone from almost every country you can think of (that applies more to bigger states). Even if you did not meet someone who shares the same ethnic background as you then at least you will find a restaurant or a market that has products from your home.

5. You might not be able to have a part-time job

Since day one at my university, I have been working for few hours besides studying to generate pocket money. Due to immigration rules in the U.S, students with ‘F-1’ visa type (the one that I had) are not allowed to work while studying unless on campus or under certain conditions. For me, I just found it very complicated to even understand the rules and the exceptions, so I ended up not working. I was Ok because I only stayed there for one semester, but maybe if you are staying your whole undergraduate program you need to consider how to find a job that abides by the rules.