Most importantly plan for times for yourself...

Students go to college for different reasons, it's either for the experience or for the academics. International students come for both therefore time management and adjusting is crucial to an international student’s life in the US. Plan ahead because things move very quickly. If you know what you want to do after college, take your major classes early and then save the last few semesters to take or explore classes of interest. If you don't, that's also okay, but plan accordingly in a way that ensures that you will graduate in time just to be safe. Plan when you’d wanna be studying, when you wanna be spending time with your friends, and most importantly plan for times for yourself. It’s important to be sound with yourself just as much as it is to be sound with everything around you. Obviously, it's okay to not have a plan but it does pave a smoother transition into this new chapter of your life. Also, it is good to be aware that when your plans fall through everything will still be okay and it will all come together if you have faith, and trust in yourself. One important planning I would strongly advise to be on top of, is planning them taxes. We all come from different countries that hold different treaties with the US, so figuring that out sooner than later is gone save you a lot of stress when it comes to tax season. Expect good things, enjoy it to the fullest, and PLEASE figure out your taxes before tax season. Love, Berty

Bertine Lakjohn '23 is a junior Environmental studies and Sociology combined major. She is from the Marshall Islands.