LACs for Middle Eastern Studies +Arabic

Grcxx3
Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:37:35 +0000

Most of the kids I have know who grew up and graduated overseas have had a rough start in college, even if they had visited the college before enrolling. So, not having stepped foot on campus makes it even tougher. Altho - in the “old days” (like when I went to college), I know lots of people who never visited the school they ended up going to.

The kids I know who have been the happiest/most successful early on are the ones who (1) visited the campus at least once,
(2) had realistic expectations of the “culture shock” they would be dealing with,
(3) picked a campus that had a good % of international students or a good diversity of students (from all over the US, not just in-state), and
(4) immediately got involved in a campus group or activity that gave them a base group of friends and made them feel “part” of something.

We moved back to the US when my older son was entering 11th grade, after 7 years overseas. Joining the band and participating in Band Camp for 3 weeks before school started was a HUGE help. On that first day of school, he didn’t necessarily have “friends” but he knew people. That made all the difference.