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International Waters: Exchange students from China discuss life at UConn

Alexis Angelini
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Nikki Harris
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter.

Coming to college can be a difficult transition regardless if a school is 15 minutes or 15 hours away.  It’s a big step to leave the comfort of your hometown with support from friends and family behind to start a new journey. International students travel across seas and settle in a foreign country. Typically, they don’t know a single person when they get to where they’re going. About 4% of UConn students are from another country and have a unique perspective on coming to Storrs. Here’s what three freshman foregin exchange students have to say about life at UConn compared to life at home in China.

From left to right: Yanyu: age 18, business major, from Shanghai, China.   Jiayi: age 18, nutritional science major, from Beijing, China.   Pingxu: age 18, nutritional science major, from Xi’an, China.

 

Q: What made you want to travel to America for college?

Yanyu: I want to achieve great things, become successful, broaden my horizons, gain more power, and help people.

Jiayi: It seems that the top one hundred schools are always in America. And if I chose to study abroad, I’d have more opportunities to get a better education.

Pingxu: I really wanted to get a different experience and study nutritional science. The major in China is not very popular and we don’t have a lot of resources. Studying abroad is very cool.

 

Q: What is your favorite place so far in the States?

Yanyu: It is New York because it is the global financial center of the world. New York is full of opportunities and challenges. Also, it is beautiful at night.

Jiayi: I’ve only been in Storrs so far.

Pingxu: Boston because there’s a lot of history.  It’s different from other cities- very clean, pretty, very good environment.

 

Q: What made you want to attend UConn?

Yanyu: I wanted to find a different style of living and meet new people. I want to have a better understanding of my future. It’s my duty.

Jiayi: When I was searching schools on the internet back in China, I saw that they have a great program for biology.

Pingxu: They have a really good nutritional science program, and it’s a safe campus. It’s a very united and friendly campus. I came and visited and loved it.

 

Q: Favorite spot so far on campus?

Yanyu: It’s the Student Union since you can meet a variety of different people.

Jiayi: Mirror Lake is my favorite place.  Especially at the nighttime.

Pingxu: Horsebarn Hill is my favorite spot- especially with the sunset. It’s peaceful and quiet!

 

Q: How has the transition been between the two countries?

Yanyu: Some of the differences include the ways of thinking, different food (taste), and different activities. For example, in China, we play ping-pong and here we play tennis.

Jiayi: It been going pretty well so far. I’m lucky that I’m in the Leadership Learning Community, and if I wasn’t in this LC I couldn’t have this many friends. Since I have all of these new friends, I’ve been transitioning very well.

Pingxu: In China, people are more willing to do things independently but here more people are more likely to be social and join clubs.

 

Q: How does the food compare?

Yanyu: American food is different but worth trying. I thought that American food could only be hot dogs and hamburgers but it’s so different but really awesome.

Jiayi: If I can say the truth, it’s not that good. The Chinese food here is definitely not Chinese food.

Pingxu: Honestly I think when you eat out at a restaurant it’s cool. It’s very diverse- lots of options; French, Italian, etc., instead of China where it’s just Chinese food. You can get fat really quickly here- there’s more calories! Junk food is popular here too, like fries and hamburgers.

 

Q: How was your first day on campus?

Yanyu: I was nervous but also excited. I was nervous about the new circumstances but excited to meet new people.

Jiayi: Honestly, it was a little overwhelming. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to understand what a professor was talking about but I felt better after my first lecture. I’m still a little exhausted, since I have five classes.  

Pingxu: I was kind of nervous but people were really nice to help me out. The whole campus is so large so I got lost a couple of times but people helped me out which was good.

 

Thank you to Yanyu, Jiayi, and Pingxu for chatting with us, we hope the rest of your time here at UConn is wonderful!

 

 

Cover Images Provided by Alexis Angelini

Collage Image Sources: 1, 2, 3

Alexis Angelini is a fourth-year student studying English and Communication. When not working as a Social Media Content Producer, Alexis is heavily involved on campus. She currently serves as the President of UConn Yoga Sangha, the Marketing Director of Her Campus UConn, as well as a Peer Educator in S.H.A.P.E. Her love and interest for social media is reflected in her experience, as she has worked with brands such as Aerie, Rent the Runway, Hallmark, Neutrogena, The Economist, Uber, etc. Her social media experience has helped start-ups to Forbes-featured businesses to Fortune 500 companies with their social media.
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Nikki is the Campus Correspondent & Editor in Chief for Her Campus UConn.  She is a senior majoring in Communication with a minor in HDFS.  Nikki wishes she was BeyoncĂ©, worships Adele, eats more pasta than is probably recommended, and is a Ravenclaw at heart.   If you have any questions or concerns regarding Her Campus UConn, you can email her at nicoleharris@hercampus.com.