For international students who have just arrived in the United States, it is important to adapt to the new environment, but at the same time there is a more important thing to do, which is to integrate into their new life circle.

When living and studying abroad, opening up a social network is sometimes not only to increase the fulfillment of studying abroad, but more importantly, one day in the future, your social network may provide you with Very helpful. But at the same time, it is indeed difficult for our international students to integrate into an unfamiliar language environment in a short period of time.

So, how can we truly integrate into local life and have our own social network? Perhaps, you need to do the following:

Language is not a barrier

Many international students think that language barrier is the biggest reason why it is difficult for them to make friends with their American classmates. Most international students are unwilling to participate in American student activities. The real reason is not necessarily that they don’t understand, or that they really can’t express themselves in English, but more because they “don’t dare.”

Worried that others will not understand what they say, worried that they will make mistakes when speaking, worried about being laughed at by others for their accent, etc. Various reasons lead some international students to hold the attitude of "Speak less, make fewer mistakes, don't speak at all" during their studies. Live with a good attitude.

In fact, if you have ever boldly tried to study abroad, prepare well before class, write down what you want to say on paper, practice it several times in front of the mirror, and then go to class and be brave Raise your hand once and have the courage to express your opinion. You will definitely find that no matter how slow you speak or how unstandard your pronunciation is, American professors and students are willing to listen patiently to what you have to say.

Language is just a tool for communication. If you use it well, you will be more confident that you can mingle with American students. If you want to integrate into a local group, establishing a "dare to use English" mentality will definitely help you take the first step to success!

Understand cultural differences

And if you dare to speak English anytime and anywhere, will you be able to make good friends? This issue also needs to be considered.

Generally speaking, American students really like to make friends and are generally friendly to foreigners. American colleges and universities have many international students and are more accepting of different countries and multiculturalism.

However, there are always more or less differences between various cultures. If you do not pay attention to these cultural differences, you may inadvertently lose the opportunity to make friends. For example, Asian students like to hang out with friends and "gather together" when doing things or participating in activities. However, students who grew up in American culture value individualism, privacy, and personal space more. Therefore, to make friends with American students, you need to understand the principle that "friendship between gentlemen is as light as water".

In addition, when making friends with Americans, many things require a certain degree of "friendship" before you can talk about them. For example, for Chinese students, we always feel that before making friends, we first understand each other’s family background and ask about each other’s parents’ occupations, which seems to be a normal question. However, many American college students who value privacy may feel that such questions seem like It was a net worth survey that made them feel very uncomfortable.

The most important thing in making friends is sincerity

Friendship knows no borders, even if it is a different country or culture. Of course, making friends too purposefully may make American students unwilling to associate with you. Don’t rush to find people to be friends with just to practice your language, and don’t think that making foreign friends can help expand your network. Don’t assume which kind of friend can help you more, because there will be something worth learning from any friend.

As long as you correct your mentality when making friends, understand and respect each other's differences, I believe everyone will repay you with a friendly attitude~

For more information about studying abroad, welcome to move here Campus-abroad(～)～