Most universities have a lot of international students. They travel from very far just to graduate from an American university and have their dream job. International students face a lot of difficulties in their university and in our society. A lot of their issues are common to every university, and most universities have an international office to help international students.

The most common issue is the English language. The English language is the world’s first language, but a lot of international students struggle with the language. The second issue is homesickness. Homesickness is very hard for the international students because they have to spend every holiday in the United States away from their families. The last issue is their traditional holidays. A lot of students have traditional holidays, such as EID and Ramadan, which are not observed in the U.S. Sometimes these holidays are in the middle of the semester, which makes their holiday hard to observe.

Here are some suggestions to do well as an international student on an American campus.

1. Find American friends. This can really help with both the academic and social aspects of your college experience. You might even spend holidays with your American friends.
2. Take advantage of campus resources for international students. Most universities provide support in such areas as English preparation, tuition payment challenges, and other areas of difficulty.
3. Watch TV in your spare time. This is a good way to pick up the English language in a more conversational pattern. Use close captioning features, when they exist, to help you.
4. Be careful to observe American cultural traits with respect to class attendance, turning in work on time, making and keeping appointments.
5. Ask to borrow class notes from an American student so you won’t miss key points being covered.
6. Ask for more time on tests if you think you need it.
7. Let your teacher know of any religious observations that are important to you. Many campuses will recognize these.

If you do the things listed above, you should have a very successful college experience..