Advice For New UESL Students

                                                                                          Andy Zong

Hey guys, welcome to CWU! Here is the place where you will study and live in the future. I think this is the first time for most of you to come here. Maybe you feel nervous and afraid, but don’t worry, I am going to tell you some of my experiences about living on campus, making friends, and studying abroad.

Well, I think most of you will live on campus. So let’s first discuss about the housing. There are two kinds of housing in school: one is a dormitory, and most of the rooms in our school are dormitories. And another one is an apartment, such as Student Village. The difference between dormitories and apartments is, dormitories aren’t very big. They may only have one room to live in. And you may be living with roommates in the room. Does this sound uncomfortable to you? Then here comes the apartment. The apartment ! is bigger than a dormitory. They may have two or three single rooms, a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. It is good if you want to have your private place, and you want to cook for yourself. If you want an apartment, You may choose the Student Village. Either way, don’t worry because if you feel discontented with your room, you can change your dorm at the housing office two weeks after you arrive.

Once you know about some of the basics, you may want to make friends with other people. We have lots of students from different countries like America, Japan, Korea and so on. I think trying to make friends with them is the best way to help you to blend into this society. Maybe some of you will ask: How can I make friends with others? I reckon that there are two steps to making friends with others. First you should talk with each other actively, for example you can say “hello” to other people. They can be your classmates, ! roommates, or even strangers. If you greet other people, they may think you are polite, and they will consider making friends with you. After that you can do something interesting with them, such as playing basketball, going shopping and having dinner together. If you do these things, you and your friends may have a good relationship, so don’t be shy, go and make friends with them.

I think the most important reason for us to come here is not just playing and enjoying our lives, but studying. Studying in America might be different from studying any other country. Studying here will be interesting and funny. You can play games during the classes, and you will interact with your classmates. You can learn the knowledge from the entertainment. But study is not just for fun. We should work hard not only in class but also out of class. In class, you should listen to the teacher carefully and take notes, and after class you should finish you homework in time. If you have some problems with your homework, you c! an go to the office and ask your teachers. I think they will be happy to help you. I know many of you are afraid to ask the teacher if you have problems, but don’t be afraid to make a mistake, that is how we learn! Isn’t it? And you will be proud of if you study hard and get a grade”A”. You can also improve your English skills by talking with your conversation partner or other American students.

In conclusion, now, you know about living on campus, making friends, and studying abroad. These are the three pieces of advice I would like to give you. If you follow these suggestions, I promise you will have an unforgettable experience in CWU. I hope you will enjoy the time you stay in the UESL program as much as I have.