My journey from the small town of Shimoga to the college town called Tempe was the first time I left the country. Arizona State University (ASU) is one of the biggest universities in the United States with its huge campuses and large, multi-cultural student body. This sophisticated university baffled me with its 24x7 libraries/labs, multiple food courts, book stores, and many more. On-campus police department, health services, and counselling services are common for American universities. Despite being in a desert and having extremely hot and dry atmosphere, Tempe is cool because of ASU. With its affordable cost of living and free transportation, Tempe is consistently rated as one of the best college towns in the United States.
The American education system differs largely from the Indian one. ASU offers wide variety of majors, including engineering, business, law, journalism, and has many other schools. Students are encouraged to take minors too. This results in students’ interaction with peers from other fields. With this versatility at its core, ASU focuses on research and innovation. Being a computer science graduate student, I have taken several project-oriented courses under highly experienced professors and also have access to proprietary software, virtual laboratories, infinite research papers and the constant help of research assistants. Generally, students have the freedom to choose the courses and the concentrations they like. However hunky-dory it all sounds, graduate school is hectic and demanding. Originality is expected as every submission is investigated for plagiarism and if found, is dealt with severely. Like me, the majority of students work part-time. It is common that they feel over-burdened and drop a couple of courses, extend a couple of semesters and sometimes even drop the degree because of this. But the focus on a well-rounded student life is laudable. ASU is always alive with activities and is home to over a thousand student clubs. Everyone can find a club that matches their interest and, if not, ASU encourages them to establish one.
Joining one of these helped me immensely in adapting to the foreign environment. It was not an easy transition for me as I found it difficult to find new friends. Even though I was acquainted with many people, I couldn’t find a sense of belonging. I joined an organisation which represents all international students at ASU. This put me in a multicultural group of determined students who work for the betterment of international students. After working with them for a year, I was elected its president. Doing a customer service (part-time) job helped me understand the American culture; acquire better enunciation and the skill of small-talk. Americans are used to international students, especially Indians. With a little effort and observation, it is easy to blend in here.
The writer has been studying at ASU for three semesters
