Just sharing my experience


I'm studying in U.S

People: Most Americans are friendly, but this depends on where you are. If you're in New York or Los Angeles where the demographics are more diverse, people are more friendly. Racism therefore will tend to be less. On the other hand, if you're in some small cities, where the populations of immigrants are low, you probably will experience more racism & stereotype. If you're in big city, don't worry about racism, people there are friendly as they are more exposed to the world & they meet more people. Your friends will be apart from you & you have to do anything on yourself & for yourself. Don't expect to be spoonfed when you're abroad. The fact is, nobody is gonna give a shit about you when you're overseas. Trust me, this happened to me. I gotta do everything myself, but on the bright side it made me a strong person & made me realize independent.

Friends: When you study abroad, it is another transition in your life. You have to realize that you WILL lose some of your best friends or buddies. No doubt about that. Don't expect you new friends to be the same as your old friends. I realize this, I still miss those times that I hung out with my college buddies in Inti. Those were the days. You will meet people from all corners of the world, but again don't expect them to treat you the same as your high school buddies treated you, it ain't gonna happen. Meeting new people is always fun. You get to exchange ideas & share your culture. I always like to share our M'sian culture with Americans & I would learn their culture. Most of my friends are M'sian & they are the one that I hang out the most. I've got people saying that when they're abroad, they don't mix with M'sian. That is just WRONG  . You WILL tend to mix more with M'sian because we're of the same background & culture. Please don't try to be different by only hanging out with local (i.e British, Americans etc) just to be cool or you hang out with them because you're in their country. I don't believe in this bullshit. I think you should mix with whoever you feel comfortable with.

Culture: You will learn different cultures & practices. You will see guys kissing & holding hands, you will see girls kissing & touching backside, you will see people making out in the airport. These are just some of the culture shock that you will encounter when you're abroad. It will widen your perspective IMO. Let you see the world & not only hide under the shell (Katak dibawah tempurung). Once you see these kinda culture, you will slowly get used to it. Every country have different jargons for everything. For example, in M'sia we call it toilet, but in U.S we call it restroom, toilet refers to the toilet bowl. These are just some things you will learn as you progress. As much exposure as you get from abroad, I always tell my friends please DON'T forget your root & where you came from. Don't try to be different when you're back in M'sia by speaking British accent or American accent, this pissed me off. Just be yourself. Studied in overseas doesn't mean you're more superior than people who studied local.

Homesick: Maybe the first month you'll feel home sick & lonely. But as you progress & get to know people, time will fly. Before I know it, I'm already 3 years here in U.S & will be graduating in Dec. Its what you do to overcome homesickness. You will get over it over time & your parents will also leave you alone & don't call you every night. I'd say don't worry about this issue too much. I'm sure as you know more people, things like clubbin, traveling, partying, meeting chicks  will keep you busy & forget about home. I don't mean totally forget but not think about home for while.

Financial background should be your first consideration above anything else when you are deciding whether to further your studies overseas. If your parents can afford without much burden, then you are fortunate enough and may take this opportunity to broaden your mind. If you have to undergo a tight budget when studying abroad (like you need to take part-time job, parents sell a house/ loan), then you definitely should not.

In my opinion, being able to study oversea is the greatest experience in my life so far. There are just a lot of opportunities and resources which are not available in Malaysia. For instance, most of the lecturers I had are experts in their respective fields. They had their own researches and wrote their own textbooks. Having them to teach you what they know is incredible, but of course, just like any other places, there will be some profs who are not good at teaching.

Americans are really into what they are interested in learning. I have been exposed to so many different classes which have no direct connection to my major. This is actually part of the requirements to graduate. Unlike in Malaysia, we have tried so hard to predict and pave our paths since high school. We are usually more afraid of exploring other opportunities and interests.

Working in teams is another awesome experience. You get to work with so many different people from different background (majors, countries, races, religions etc.)

In term of academy, in my opinion, classes are much tougher here but of course, this varies according to the schools you go to. Personally, I definitely feel that I have been challenged much more than I would have been if I were in a local university back in Malaysia.

Overall, it is definitely an experience which makes you grow as a person and re-think your way of life. We have been spoon fed by our education system for way too long (yes I know, cliche), so studying oversea can really open your eyes to how you should approach your future.

Of course, all of the above will only happen if you are willing to open yourself to possibilities. If you choose to cling to your old self and only mingle with other Malaysians in your school, it will just be the same as studying in Malaysia, just at a different location.

But how can you not "speak" like them in the accents when you're actually stuck there for years to study??? I've got loadsa friends and relatives who were influenced by the foreign cultures, some so bad that they seem to be gwei-lous and no longer Malaysians alry...