<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I’m collecting some information for a student film I’m making about international students.</p>
<p>But honestly, I can only imagine the challenges Int. students face in USA and the questions prospective students have a college life.</p>
<p>So if you were an international student what would you want this doc to tell you about going to college in the USA?</p>
<p>thanks again,</p>
<p>Questions we have about college (i.e. college admissions) or about college life?</p>
<p>About college:</p>
<p>Financing options, how to find out which colleges are a “reach”, “match” or “safety” (considering that foreign grades and class ranks are not easily comparable to American norms, and that international admission rates and standards are often significantly different from those for domestic students), the relative significance of test scores, grades and ECs (will I be at a disadvantage coming from an educational system where I was expected to spend 10+ hours a day with school work and ECs were viewed as a waste of time?), how to write The Essay, how to complete the school report if half of the questions don’t apply to your school system, how to ask teachers for letters of recommendations and what directions to give them (assume the teacher has never written a recommendation before), how to translate all official documents into English without spending a fortune on an official interpreter, how to apply for a visa, how to transfer money to the US. Oh yeah, and finances.</p>
<p>About college life:</p>
<p>What are fraternities? How much work should I expect to invest into my classes? How do classes work: are there just lectures, homework, tests, papers, is attendance mandatory etc? How do I find summer internships? How do I apply for a social security number, open a bank account and get a cell phone (possibly before getting a SSN)? Will I be able to find friends or do Americans dislike foreigners who speak with an accent? How do I ask a professor for a letter of recommendation? Do I make an appointment to see a hairdresser or should I just walk into the salon? When should I tip, and how much? What are the most important holidays? In particular, on which days am I expected to get presents for close friends?</p>
<p>I never thought about the greek life questions. Thanks a lot, those provide a lot of information.</p>