8 tips for studying in the US from IDP

To have a solid study abroad baggage, students should refer to 6 Experiences of studying in the US by experts and alumni from IDP shared below.

1.1. Get to know America well

Before setting foot in the land of flowers for your study abroad trip, you need to find out detailed information about this country. Means such as books, newspapers, social networks or the Internet will be useful information channels to help you learn. The information you should refer to is the weather conditions, climate, communication and behavior as well as the personality of American people. The unique American culture is also an interesting topic if you learn. It can be the culture of cuisine, the culture of festivals, sports, transportation... The political situation is also a concern when you study abroad.

In addition, students can also search for famous and interesting tourist destinations here to visit and have fun to reduce stress. In particular, international students should have the necessary knowledge and information about American education so that their studies can take place more smoothly.

The above useful information will help you fully prepare your luggage and accumulate the necessary American Study Abroad Experience for your study abroad journey, and at the same time be able to quickly adapt and integrate into the living environment. From there, you will overcome difficulties in terms of cultural differences and climatic conditions.

1.2. Have a firm grasp of the conditions for studying in the US

Before you go to study abroad, you need to firmly grasp the necessary conditions and requirements from the Embassy and the school to ensure that everything is prepared, avoid unnecessary mistakes that delay your admission time.

Here is the experience of studying in the U.S. about the conditions students need to ensure before studying in the U.S.:

1.3. Experience in preparing luggage to study abroad

According to the experience of studying in the US, preparing all the necessary utensils and tools makes it more convenient for you to study and live in the US. You should start preparing your belongings about 2 weeks before studying abroad to have enough time to replenish the necessary supplies if you are missing. Besides, you also need to comply with US baggage regulations (food, baggage scale,...).

Here are the essential luggage to prepare:

• Documents and identity documents: passports, visas, air tickets, citizen IDs...

• Necessary school supplies: pens, rulers, dictionaries, personal computers...

• Some cash and bank card: you should consider the amount of cash you bring, do not bring too much cash to avoid risks and losses

• Clothing: thin clothes, winter clothes, socks, underwear, shoes/sandals, glasses... Note that you should not bring too many clothes because in the US there are often sales of very cheap and quality clothes

• Personal items, cosmetics

• Food and medicine

• Electronic devices: smartphones, computers,...

1.4. Experience in preparing documents to study in the US

Preparing a study abroad application in the U.S. involves a variety of paperwork and procedures as well as a different time. Therefore, IDP's experts would like to share with you some experiences of studying in the United States during the application preparation process.

Firmly grasp the application deadline

Universities in the U.S. often have different enrollment times. In particular, depending on the industry or training program, there is also a different time to submit documents. To avoid missing the application time, international students need to carefully study the submission deadline and regularly monitor and update information on the school's website. You can also make a note of the time in the notebook or note paper to paste it in a conspicuous place.

Prepare the necessary documents

Many students have been rejectedU.S. Study Abroad Profiledue to the lack of necessary papers and procedures. Therefore, readers need to pay attention to fully and accurately prepare the following types of documents when studying in the US:

• Application for admission

• Medical examination records

• Proof of financial documents

• Student visa application

• Personal Profile

After you apply to a U.S. school and wait for the school to approve you, if your application is approved, you will receive an offer letter (I-20) in about 3 weeks and will be sent to your home. While waiting for the offer letter, you need to prepare your application for a U.S. student visa with the documents in the table above. Next is the step of carefully preparing for the interview with the Consulate. You should answer in the most confident, clear and honest way to be able to pass this final round!

Interview experience

To have a good interview, you should keep the following in mind:

• Psychological preparation is comfortable and confident

• Neat and neat outfit

• Clearly and concisely present your intentions and plans

• Prepare specific reasons

• Proof of financial transparency and adequacy

• Express your desire to return to Vietnam to serve after the end of the study abroad program

1.5. Experience in hunting for scholarships to study in the US

Due to the difference in development level, tuition fees as well as living in the US are quite expensive compared to Vietnam. To minimize the cost of studying abroad, IDP would like to share your experience of studying in the US to help you huntscholarships to study in the USAeasier.

Actively seek information about scholarships

With the development of the Internet today, you can completely search for scholarship programs and projects to sponsor students on social networking sites such as school websites or educational institutions, non-governmental organizations (World Bank, etc.). AAUW, Aga Khan...)

Actively searching makes it easier for you to grasp the information so that you have more chances to achieve the scholarship.

Preparing for "achievements"

A set of documents to study in the US with good achievements helps you impress the school as well as make it more convenient to apply for a student visa. Therefore, readers should prepare well the following:

• Academic Grades: If you have high academic results, it will be an advantage to consider a scholarship to study in the United States. Therefore, parents need to orient their children to a long-term study plan if they intend to hunt for scholarships to study abroad

• Social activities: In addition to academic achievements, participating in many social activities is also a factor to be highly appreciated in the process of reviewing scholarship applications. Readers should actively participate in extracurricular activities such as volunteering, sports, art, etc. to easily apply for a visa as well as a scholarship to study in the US

• English: In addition to IELTS, TOEFL is also a necessary English certificate to "hunt" for scholarships. International students will need IELTS 6.0 to 6.5 or TOEFL 500 to 550 to stand a chance of winning the scholarship

If you have any questions or concerns about how to apply for a scholarship to study in the US, you can completely contact IDP for free advice!

1.6. Experience of flying through the US

If this is your first time traveling by plane to the US, you will need to note a number of things as well as need to learn about the experience of studying in the US in advance to make your trip more convenient.

Items that are not allowed on board

When flying through the U.S., you are not allowed to bring seeds or seedlings. Unprocessed foods, fruits or foods from processed meat are also taboo It is necessary to limit the carrying of food, raw materials, and smelly foods such as coffee, durian, fish, dried squid, fish sauce, etc. and all kinds of pet fur products.

International students need to pay attention to the above to avoid trouble and even be fined if violated. The maximum fine is up to $10,000 for violating one of the above. To find out more details and accurately about the items and products that are prohibited to be carried when flying to the US, readers can visit the FDA's website for reference.

Carry-on baggage must not exceed the prescribed quantity

Before studying in the US, students often prepare the most complete tools and tools necessary for a convenient life. However, you should also be aware of the number and volume of baggage allowance on your flight. Depending on the different fare classes and airlines, they have different baggage rules.

For example, if you buy a business class ticket with Vietnam Airlines, you will be allowed to bring 2 pieces of luggage and one accessory with a weight not exceeding 18kg. In addition, you can refer to the baggage size requirements on the airline's website.

What to do if you lose your baggage

Although this case is rare, it is still possible. If you lose your luggage, you need to calmly inform the staff at the airport. The staff will then direct you to the Lost and Found counter to declare and then proceed to find your luggage.

To avoid losing your luggage, when preparing to do so, you should tag your name and leave personal information on your suitcase as well as remember the characteristics and types of items in your suitcase. You also need to keep your flight documents carefully so that it can be more convenient in the process of declaring and searching for suitcases.

For young people, especially those who are going abroad for the first time, living and studying independently in a foreign country will definitely face some difficulties. Being exposed to a new culture and way of life can be surprising at first.

2.1. Experience in choosing accommodation when studying abroad in the US

The first problem when living in the US is choosing a place to live. There are many ways to choose accommodation for international students depending on your needs and price.

Forms of accommodation for international students in the U.S.

In general, regarding the experience of studying in the US when studying in the US, students will have 3 options to choose from: Homestay, dormitory and rental house:

Notes when choosing accommodation in the U.S.

In the process of choosing accommodation in the US, international students need to pay attention to some things according to the following experience of studying in the US:

• Carefully check the security around you: promote the safety of your accommodation.

• Get to know your housemates carefully: avoid conflicts in the process of living.

• Consider the distance from school to home: you should not choose accommodation that is too far from the school, which will take a lot of time to travel.

• Carefully save the information of the homestay owner and the landlord: before renting a house, you should carefully research the owner's information to see if they are reputable and reliable.

• Carefully research the price of rent or homestay cost in the US: the price of renting accommodation is different in each region, so you need to carefully research the rent price or cost of homestay to choose the most suitable accommodation.

2.2. Experience in solving financial difficulties

Sometimes financial pressure during study abroad makes students unable to study with peace of mind. Here are 4 useful experiences to study in the US to help readers solve these problems.

Apply for Scholarship

In addition to study abroad scholarships, American universities often have annual scholarships for students. Therefore, according to your experience studying in the US, you need to make a reasonable study plan to be able to hunt for scholarships!

Plan specific spending

Besides tuition fees, students should make a detailed and specific spending plan for their monthly living expenses. You need to divide the money in a reasonable proportion for different purposes.

Example:

• Necessary needs fund: 60% (housing, electricity and water, food, transportation...)

• Long-term fund: 10% (in case of unexpected circumstances such as illness or illness)

• Beneficiary fund: 10% (additional needs, self-reward)

• Education fund: 20% (books, school supplies, supplementary learning...)

Choose a cost-optimized field

Each university in the US has a different tuition fee. Depending on your family's financial conditions, you should decide to choose the right school and major. American colleges usually have cheaper tuition fees (8,000 - 10,000 USD/year) than universities (18,000 - 30,000 USD/year). Majors related to law, business administration, arts and media generally have higher tuition fees than the rest of the disciplines. Besides, you can choose schools in states with low living costs such as Alabama, Kansas, New Mexico,... to save expenses.

Part-time work for international students

For F1 visas, international students can work 20 hours/week during the semester and 40 hours/week during vacations at campuses in the school. You can completely find part-time jobs at school facilities such as canteens, libraries,... For M-1 visas, students are not allowed to work part-time during their studies.

For students who want to increase their practical work experience, they can participate in programs such as Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Curricular Practical Training (CPT).

2.3. Experience rapid integration into American culture

Encountering cultural shocks of international students when coming to the US is a frequent problem because Vietnamese and American cultures have many differences. Therefore, IDP will tell you 4 experiences to be able to integrate into American culture more easily.

Connect with social media

Social media is an incredibly useful tool to help you get to know and connect with your friends. This way, you can easily have a conversation with them, which in turn leads to more close relationships as well as an expanded understanding of their culture.

Learning from predecessors

You should go to the sharing pages of international students at your school to hear their sharing about their experiences and majors. From there, you will have information as well as knowledge to prepare your luggage.

Change some time habits in daily life

The time zone difference can lead to difficulty adapting to your living and study activities in the United States. Specifically, the average time zone difference between the US and Vietnam is 12 hours. Therefore, before studying abroad, you can gradually practice the lifestyle according to the American time zone so that you can get used to it before studying here.

Take the initiative to start a conversation

You should actively seek relationships by starting conversations with friends, neighbors, teachers, etc. This will not only help you have more good relationships but also improve your English ability. People can also share more about each other's lives, which in turn helps you get acquainted with their culture.

In the first days of studying in a new country, encountering difficulties in studying and living is inevitable for international students. Especially, for young people who do not have relatives or relatives in the US, living alone may encounter inconveniences that they cannot adapt to.

3.1 - Language barrier

In the process of daily communication, you are still likely to encounter many language barriers when you are in direct contact with American culture and native speakers. Situations that are easy to encounter, such as not fully understanding or misunderstanding what the other person is saying or not knowing how to express your thoughts.

Communicating with native speakers gives you a very good opportunity to understand their lifestyle as well as their culture. Give yourself many opportunities to communicate with teachers and friends to improve your listening and speaking skills as well as flexibility and proficiency in this language.

3.2 - Cultural differences

Vietnam and the United States are two countries on two different continents, so there are big differences in culture and life. For example, Americans are very comfortable in dressing and communicating; Students and teachers can call each other by first name while this is considered disrespectful in Vietnam.

Therefore, in the process of studying and working, sometimes you will feel unable to adapt and lost, leading to homesickness and homesickness. To overcome difficulties in cultural differences, when studying abroad, you should carefully learn aboutAmerican culture. It can be the customs, lifestyles, thoughts, or beliefs of the American people.

3.3 - Different weather and climate

Although there are 4 seasons, the humid tropical monsoon climate in Vietnam is very different from the climate of the United States. Winters in the US are often harsher as well as much colder than winters in Vietnam and there are often snowstorms, summers are also hotter, making it difficult for your body to adapt in the first year of studying here. For example, the Northeast region including New England and the Mid Atlantic has a special storm form of rain, hail and snow that occurs at the same time, while the Southwest region includes states such as California, Colorado, and Utah,... It is a hot and humid area all year round in the desert, and the high mountains have very cold weather regardless of the season.

International students should choose a university in the weather area that suits them. Besides, you need to train yourself to be healthy as well as have a reasonable diet and lifestyle to adapt well in harsh weather conditions!

3.4 - Part-time jobs

Students studying in the United States often find it difficult to find part-time jobs because the US government sets very strict regulations on part-time work for international students. In addition, international students often have difficulty balancing their time between study and work. If students spend too much time working, it can affect their academic performance.

3.5 - High cost of living

The cost of living in the U.S. accounts for a significant portion of your study abroad expenses. Compared to studying at university in Vietnam. According to the Numbeo data site on the cost of living, consumer prices, and health care quality, if the cost of living index of New York (USA) is 100 points, Vietnam's cost of living index updated to June 2022 is 37.48 points. Therefore, it can be seen that the cost of living in the US is nearly 3 times higher than in Vietnam. This causes many difficulties for students studying in the US in terms of financial issues.

Students can reduce financial pressure when studying in the US by applying for scholarships, cooking for themselves every day, buying used books or working part-time according to regulations to save costs as well as increase income.

IDP has been established in the world for more than 50 years and has been present in Vietnam for more than 25 years. Playing an important role in international education, IDP has helped more than 450,000 students successfully study abroad at schools in Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland.

Students or parents with children who are preparing to study abroad and still have concerns about the application process or want to learn more about the experience of studying in the United States, you can contact our consultants to answer all questions completely free of charge!

Contact IDP's consultants through the website: https://www.idp.com/vietnam or hotline: 19006555 to receive the most detailed and suitable study abroad advice in the US.

See more:

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