Post on 26-Jul-2020
WelcomeInternational
Questrom
Students
AGENDAStudent WelcomeSuccess Across BordersAcademic ConductAdvice From Past StudentsQ&A
WELCOME TO SENIOR YEARWELCOME TO SENIOR YEARWELCOME TO SENIOR YEAR
STUDENT WELCOME
KIMBERLY MARREROSCLASS OF 2021
KIMBERLY
• Sophomore• From Peru• Has studied on three
continents!• Speaks English, French, and
Spanish…and is learning Mandarin!
WELCOME TO BOSTON
UNIVERSITYHere you will…
1. Find opportunitiesClubs
Careers
Classes
2. Make important decisions Leadership positions
Making friends
BUSINESS
Finance MarketingConsulting
+1 +2 +2
SOCIAL AND SPORTS
Fraternities Dancing Sailing
And many more…
REACH OUT TO ME!
Kimberly Marreros
kimarch@bu.edu
Class: 2021
Concentration: Undecided (we have until Junior year to choose one)
Question me!
WELCOME TO SENIOR YEARWELCOME TO SENIOR YEARWELCOME TO SENIOR YEAR
SUCCESS
ACROSS BORDERS
FREDERIC BRUNELFaculty Director of the Undergraduate ProgramOffice HAR 659 Brunel@bu.edu(T) 617 353 4609
Nimes De Nimes Denim
And so what?
You have an incredible ability to adapt to new things and strive.
There is beauty and joy everywhere.
You are so privileged to have this opportunity, fully embrace it.
9/6/2018Presentation Title
9/6/2018Presentation Title
# 1 Ride the Culture Shock Wave9/6/2018Presentation Title
9/6/2018Presentation Title
Culture shock is a good thing. Why?
#2 Go Native9/6/2018Presentation Title
9/6/2018Presentation Title
For Class
9/6/2018Presentation TitleOutside of Class
9/6/2018Presentation Title
I’ve been there, I’ve done that, I understand what you are going through.
So reach out if you want to chat.
KABRINA CHANGClinical Assoc. Prof. Business Law and Ethicskkchang@bu.edu
ACADEMIC CONDUCT
You’ve come from a different
country. What does that mean?
Some things are obvious: language, culture,
weather, opportunities
Less obvious: Different countries have different
theories about education
Different classroom experience
Different expectations from teachers
Collaboration v. independent work
Different Educational Culture
Different classroom experience – we like and
expect you to get involved in what you are
learning
Most classes have participation as part of your grade,
some as much as 30%
Better understanding of the material through
discussing and teaching others
Arrive on time
Different Expectations from
Professors
Specific rules on exams
No cell phones, no notes etc.
Specific rules on assignments
Attributing others’ work, easy to do
Exact words (a quote) = “ … ” + citation immediately
Paraphrase = citation after paraphrased material
Collaboration v. Independent Work
Expectation is that all work is independent
unless told otherwise
This might be very different than your old school
Collaboration is great!
Learn concepts more thoroughly
Learn the language
Make friends
Success at Questrom
Understanding those differences and embracing
them will help you get the most out of your time
here
Tutors: It helps to hear things explained different
ways and you will learn from trying to articulate
your questions
ERC (Educational Resource Center): www.bu.edu/erc/
LOCK
Success at Questrom
TALK TO YOUR PROFESSORS!
It’s our job to help you learn
Can develop strategies
Can help avoid larger problems
We love getting to know you!
WELCOME TO SENIOR YEARWELCOME TO SENIOR YEARWELCOME TO SENIOR YEAR
ADVICE FROM PAST
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Prof Chang asked some former
students what they would tell you
The following slides have quotes from the emails I
received from those students
Keep these slides and read them occasionally.
You will find that you discover new things to help
you and new ideas each time you read them …
because you will be changing and learning and
adapting!
Different strategies will work for different people –
if one thing doesn’t work, try a different suggestion
How students felt at the beginning…
Remember – these are students who
did well!!!!
“The first class was a nightmare”
“The second after you threw out one question,
all the American students raised their hands. I
didn't even have time to process the question in
my mind, lol”
“everyone seemed to talk so fast” “there was so
much reading”
Suggestions from those students
“Don’t stress yourself too much”
Go to office hours
“After class, I couldn't stop worrying … However, I
came up with an idea. I went to you and explained my
situation.”
“After speaking with a professor, I felt like the distance
between me and the class became shorter.”
“Try not be shy or afraid, and try to participate in
class as much as possible.”
Suggestions from those students
“Never give up. I was struggling much because
of the differences in cultures, languages, and
education systems. I have to spend more time
on studying, and I asked for a lot of help from my
TAs and classmates. Now I am glad I kept the
class, getting a fair enough score in the end.”
Suggestions from those students
Study Groups (with students who speak other
languages!) “Booking a team room once a week and gathering a few
classmates (2-3 people) would help studying. We gathered the
notes that we took in class, took out repetitive parts, and organized
everything on a google doc so that we could all have it. Studying in
groups, for me, is much more effective than studying by myself.”
“Work with native classmates. You encouraged foreign students to
communicate more with classmates who are native speakers. I
tried and I got higher scores. Exactly like you said, when people
with different cultures and languages work together, they can learn
more from different way of thinking. Especially, I think this is more
helpful for international students because we can understand how
Americans think about things.”
Suggestions from those students
Talk to classmates
“BU has such a large body of international students. Almost
half of the SM131 class was international students. We
understood each other's concerns and helped out when one
was in need. So did the American students. They were happy
to explain the questions to us if they weren't clear.”
“Make friends with different people. Friends are extremely
important for foreign students. I made many last year. Some
of them are Americans, some are international students who
have been in states for several years, and some are first year
students in the US like me. For foreign students always
having problems in a new circumstance, they are our first-
hand problem solvers.”
Suggestions from those students
Lecture Slides:
“Be really serious about every slide. Don’t just try to
remember the content; that is just the first step. Use
your time to really understand each slides, and figure
out the logic between slides. You need to really learn that
stuff, not just think how to pass the exam.”
Class Participation:
“I was really shy to talk in class due to the reasons like
bad pronunciation, frequent grammar mistakes.
However, I pushed myself to talk no matter what.
University is just a part of experience in the life. I have to
leave comfortable zone to grow.”
Have a Great 1st Year