a To help with the transition of living in the US, most schools offer orientation sessions that introduce students to the school environment as well as the surrounding neighborhood. My institution, Wentworth Institute of Technology, provided a week-long international student orientation, specially designed for international students and separate from the regular orientation. I thought that it was especially helpful since being an international student entails a lot more than just taking a plane and picking a school. Being together with a group that is in a similar situation, it definitely made me feel like I was not alone in this. It also gave me the chance to get a head-start in making friends and familiarizing the campus, so when the first day of class arrived, I did not find myself lost in campus and eating lunch by myself. Wentworth provides international student with individual attention to help with the documents and legal paperwork that is necessary to be able to study here. For a teenager who has had to already deal with jet lag and a complteley new environment, the task of understanding US government regulations can be especially burdensome and confusing. With their help, I was able to focus onthe academic and social adjustments I had to make, without worrying about if I was going to get deported or arrested. |
