Profiles of Undergraduate Students Studying in the US

Students from all over the world choose colleges and universities in the United States for their undergraduate education. Below are student profiles of international undergraduates studying at various programs and locations in the US. Each profile offers a unique perspective on student life and valuable information about how to succeed in an international program.

Insights from International Undergraduate Students

World-class education - Rovshan Sultanov from Baku, Azerbaijan attends the University of Northern Iowa seeking a degree in Marketing. He decided to study in the US because he wanted to receive a world-class education while in a healthy and friendly environment. The student union is his favorite spot to study and hang out with friends. Read Rovshan Sultanov's profile...

City life - Sharon Ng from Hong Kong is studying International Relations and Economics at Tufts University. When she was comparing programs, she found that many were too far from a large city for her liking. Tufts is conveniently close to Boston making it easy for her to get access to all the resources the city has to offer. She finds most of the students on campus, not just the ones from other countries, to be globally minded. Read Sharon Ng's profile...

Small fish in a big ocean - Anthony Palocaren, who moved with his family to the US from Tamil Nadu, India four years ago, is studying Engineering Science at Penn State - University Park. He started his undergraduate education at Penn State's Great Allegheny campus. The smaller campus meant more personalized attention from professors and more time to focus on academic goals. After making many friends in the same major, he transferred with eleven other students to the larger University Park campus, where he enjoys the wider variety of courses and sporting events.

To ease culture shock, Anthony recommends other international students consider starting out on small campuses because they tend to be the closest simulation to their home country environment. He says, "When you're in your home country, you know everything because you were born there. So you're like a big fish in a small pond. When you come here, you become a small fish in a big ocean." Read Anthony Palocaren's profile...

Meeting new people - Franziska Preuss from Frankfurt (Oder), Germany attends the University of Northern Iowa with a major in Management (Business Administration) and a minor in Spanish. She recommends dorm life as a great way to meet lots of new people. Learning from many professors from different countries has made studying in the US a unique experience for her. She says, "College here is surely different than in your home country and will not always be easy to adjust to, but you wouldn’t want to trade it for anything." Read Franziska Preuss's profile...

Following in his father's footsteps - Wei Lin Wong came from Singapore to study Communications and International Studies at Northwestern University. He considered the program because his father got his chemical engineering degree there. When he came and visited the campus, he found that there was a strong undergraduate music school that was accessible to him even though music was not his major. This, along with the school's proximity to Chicago, offered strong incentives to choose Northwestern. His student adviser has been very helpful in selecting the right classes - finding a balance between staying on track with his major and exploring other areas of interest. Read Wei Lin Wong's profile...

Getting involved - Sunil Aggarwal from New Delhi, India is studying Aerospace Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Sunil has found membership in student organizations (the International Students Club, Chancellor’s Leadership Academy, and Miners in Space multi-disciplinary research team), national honor societies Sigma Gamma Tau and Tau Beta Pi, and professional association Society of Flight Test Engineers enhances the overall experience of being a student in the US. Read Sunil Aggarwal's profile...

Fulfilling his academic potential - Paulo Garcia, who is majoring in Digital Media at the University of Central Florida, transferred from a college in his home country of the Dominican Republic. His classes in systems engineering at the time didn't seem to give him many opportunities to express his creativity. As he searched for the right major, he discovered the field of digital media, which to him was the perfect combination of technology and art. He learned about UCF at a college fair, and found the International Services Center to be very helpful in getting everything worked out for his studies in the US. Read Paulo Garcia's profile...

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