Arizona State is ranked as the number four international student host university in the nation. In 2012, they hit a record of 5,127 international students. It's clear ASU encourages international students with open arms, but what do the students think of ASU? I asked six international students from six different countries about their experience here at ASU. Let's take a trip around the world.
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What was the biggest difference you noticed when you moved here?
1. Giulia - ITALY
“The lifestyle. Everything is much more fast-paced. For example, when you go to a restaurant in Italy, you can stay for hours without bothering to leave, whereas here in the States, they are more concerned with making money, so they rush as many customers in an out as they can.”
2. Koen - NETHERLANDS
“When I first moved here, it was really hard to adapt to the strictness of the culture. There are rules for everything, and you have to be careful to be ‘politically correct.’ In my country, a lot of things are allowed, and you can speak from the heart, but here you have to be cautious because even the small things have consequences.”
3. Christina - CHINA
“The language barrier. It is very hard for me to speak English and not many Americans speak my language.”
4. Harry - ENGLAND
“There is literally not one thing the same here. The food was the hardest thing to get used to. Everything has such a high fat and sugar content, it took my body a while to get used to that.”
5. Dani - MEXICO
“The people here and the way they act are the biggest difference. People in Mexico are very family-oriented, whereas Americans just want to focus on their careers and personal success. People in the U.S. are very business-like individuals, and Mexicans are more friendly.”
6. Morgan - AUSTRALIA
“There were a lot of slang words here I was not used to when I first moved here that took me a while to understand. I also noticed more racial issues here than I did back home. “White privilege” was something entirely new to me. Also, living in a country where guns are legal was a big change I’m still not used to.
Name something you wish you could bring from your country to ASU.
1. Giulia - ITALY
“The food! The pizza, the gelato, the pasta – nothing compares here. My dad ships me oil because it makes such a difference in the food, and I can’t find one here that’s like it.”
2. Koen - NETHERLANDS
“I wish I could bring the great food, such as bitterballens or poffertjes.”
3. Christina - CHINA
“I can buy just about everything over here, it is just more expensive here. But I guess I wish I could bring more of Chinese style. Americans dressed very relaxed here, and Chinese are more hip-hop and dress up often.”
4. Harry - ENGLAND
“I wish I could bring the attitude toward alcohol here. Since the drinking age is 18 in the UK, people are expected to act mature by 18, and we don’t have a problem with underage drinking. I’ve noticed people here act irresponsible when drinking until they are 21, and I feel like since they aren’t allowed to but are still considered adults, they want to rebel.”
5. Dani - MEXICO
“I wish I could bring the food that’s so rich in spices and the authentic ingredients that people really care about in Mexico.”
6. Morgan - AUSTRALIA
“I wish I could bring the beach to Arizona. I didn’t realize how much of a beach bum I was until I moved here.”
What is your favorite part about being an international student at ASU?
1. Giulia - ITALY
“I love being introduced to such a diverse culture, not only the American culture but being able to meet other students from around the world. It’s cool to meet people from different parts of the world who are still having some of the same new experiences in the States as me.”
2. Koen - NETHERLANDS
“The international community is great here and all the different cultures I get to experience. ASU also has beautiful weather and is a good education. Plus, everything is exciting to me here, such as Sedona, career fairs, professional sport events and being so close to Los Angeles (the ideal vision of what America is like).
3. Christina - CHINA
“The relationships I’ve made here with people from different parts of the world is really cool. I started to like America because of the bonds I made.”
4. Harry - ENGLAND
“There are so many opportunities. It’s already hard being an international student trying to get a job or internship, but people have been really keen to help and show how amazing this country is.”
5. Dani - MEXICO
“Feeling unique and like an individual because I’m fluent in Spanish and grew up religiously watching soccer. I enjoy watching people learn about me and the differences of our cultures.”
6. Morgan - AUSTRALIA
“Maybe that everything in America is so cool to me. Baseball games, pretzels dipped in warm cheese, spring break in Mexico – all of it is a thousand times more exciting to me because it’s new.”
