My First year at university was harder than I anticipated; the year was full of learning and adapting
As an international student just arriving in the United States, during a difficult time of immigration laws, it was hard, not just getting to the country but also going through security. I got taken into an immigration office and questioned: “Why was I here? Where am I going? What are you studying? Can I see your documents?” etc. Normally my parents are the ones answering these questions. It was extremely nerve-racking being on my own and answering these questions.
Despite being scared I had to push on because no one was going to do it for me. Thankfully everything went smoothly, and I was able to leave the airport. I called my parents and described what happened and they were very happy that I was able to continue and said, “you’re in the big life now, we are no longer there to hold your hand through this process of a new life.” They further congratulated me as they thought that not many 18-year-olds could have handled this situation.
Over the next couple of days, I visited my family before heading to SMSU with my brother and Uncle. Upon arrival it was overwhelming. Despite it being the first day of orientation there were a lot of things to do: Getting an I-94, opening a bank account, taking a tour, signing up for classes, moving into my room and much more. My brother and Uncle made this process easier to handle as they’ve been through this before and were asking the Center for International Education (C.I.E) and the Mustang Market great questions that I didn’t think of at the time. Then the time came when I had to say goodbye. As the sun set that day and shined through the window highlighting the empty room it made me realize I was on my own.
The first few days of orientation were lonely and extremely cold because it was winter. Everyone already had their friend groups or knew each other growing up. I felt like I was the only one that didn’t have friends. It was especially difficult because those friend groups I saw all spoke different languages, so I had no clue what they were saying. The C.I.E staff were the only friends I made during that time.
When orientation was over that’s when my roommate arrived on campus. My roommate was a great help who showed me around Sweetland Hall, pointing out where the laundry and kitchenette was. He also showed me some cool things like the Esports room. He introduced me to some good friends that I’m still in touch with today.
When classes started, I walked around not really sure of where I was going but eventually, I gained the courage to ask people to help direct me to my classes. This small question helped me realize just how friendly people are here. Not only did they direct me to my class, but they also took the time to walk me to my class and assist me in navigating the campus map. Which was an extremely kind gesture and with that gave me more confidence to open up and talk to people.
The first couple of months the weather got colder, which wasn’t great, but I was making new friends, getting connected to events, and club activities which kept me warm. Unfortunately, this is also where I hit an all-time low in my life. My grades started to drop, new immigration laws got passed and I was feeling homesick. With these new immigration laws, I was extremely scared and worried I might get taken away, even though I have all my documents and everything is all good. I couldn’t focus on classes and kept calling my parents telling them how much I miss them.
It also didn’t help that I was having issues paying my monthly tuition. That’s where I almost fully broke down into panic and chaos. But I knew that it was not going to magically fix itself and I had to take action. I went to the C.I.E office, the bank, and the SMSU financial aid office asking for guidance on what to do. Whilst walking to these places I felt stupid, angry and sad. Stupid for making this mistake, angry about how I could make such a dumb mistake that was easily preventable and sad about how much this mistake costed my parents who work hard to put me in the position I am in today. Luckily, with the help of the financial aid office we fixed this issue. However, for it to be fixed I had to wait for 1-2 days for it to be processed. With me having to wait I now felt anxious and constantly asking myself “What if it doesn’t get fixed?”
Thankfully the issues got resolved and I felt relieved, however, that was only one of my worries fixed. I still had to get my grades back up and start focusing on classes. I went to my professors and C.I.E telling them my struggles and asking for help with what I should do. I had also asked my parents and other family members for further assistance.
With their help I made changes that better helped with my struggles. I started limiting my use on social media, because it was having a negative effect on me and I needed to ignore it. I reached out to my classmates asking how they study for their exams and learning from their experiences. I even joined Bridges International to be with other international students, which helped me realize that I am not alone in this time of chaos during these immigration laws.
After socializing more, I became more positive about my surroundings which boosted my overall morale. Having this boost, I was able to get my grades back up to where I was happy with them. Even though I was happy with it I still knew that I could do much better over the next semesters. During the final weeks I took my final exams and prepared for summer saying goodbye to SMSU for summer break. I was and still am extremely thankful for all the friends I made during that time and how they helped me during my low times.
I mainly wrote this story to express what I learned, adapted and experienced at SMSU as well as to show how helpful the SMSU community is and how friendly they are.
I leave you with this message: do not be afraid to open up and ask for help. You never know how much it’s going to help you.