project 1 recording Lingyun Chen

The author shares their journey from studying in China to becoming an American college student. They were initially drawn to studying abroad after visiting universities in Australia and seeing a different education system. They decided to study abroad in high school and chose the United States due to their interest in American culture, including fashion and rap music. They prepared for their studies by joining the American football team and taking the TOEFL test. They eventually arrived in Minnesota for college, initially feeling confused but eventually finding a sense of belonging. They are grateful for the friends they have made and look forward to their college experience. Studying and living in another country was my dream, and now it has become a reality. In this article, I'm going to tell you how I went from being a student in Chinese education system to being an American college student. When I was a child, due to strict education at home, I really wanted to go to another place which can help me to keep away from my parents. And I hoped to live and study alone. The first time I had the idea of going abroad was to travel to Australia with the study tour group of my primary school. This is my first trip abroad. While there, we visited many excellent universities such as the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney. These magnificent buildings and strong learning atmosphere deeply attracted me. Then we went to a local primary school where I saw a way of education in other countries for the first time and I tried it. There are so many campus that is impossible to have in China. The area is very large and there are so many green plants in it. There aren't any very tall buildings and each building has only two or three floors. There are even commissions on campus where students can go to buy food. I asked a teacher who works in that campus why their school was built this way. He told me that because in their education philosophy, the primary goal of students is not to get excellent grades but to live healthily and happily in school. This saying made me very impressed and I gradually began to be interested in the education system and schools in other countries. The idea of studying abroad came into being. When I was in junior high school, I was so carried away by the Chinese learning system that I almost forgot to stay bored. Because in China, all students who are about to enter high school from middle school have to take a unified test similar to the elementary version of the SAT. When I was in grade 9 and I was about to enter high school, in China grade 9 is junior high school, not the high school. I had a serious discussion with my parents about whether I should study abroad. We made a deliberate decision to study abroad and go to an international high school because they also thought that studying abroad can help me in the future in working and living. After entering high school, in addition to academic problems, I was so faced with the choice of which country to go to in the future because it was related to what language tests I had to take in high school and what activities I had to practice, participate in my spare time. I started watching the NBA in primary school and became a LeBron James fan when I was 7 years old. In junior high school, I came into contact with American fashion culture. From then on, I began to choose what I would wear and pay attention to the release time of some fashion brands. Even fell in love with rap in high school. Travis Scott, Kanye West, and Tupac are some rappers I love. Because of these factors, I chose the United States without hesitation. Since then, in order to prepare for my studies in the United States, I joined the American football team of my high school where I became captain and quarterback. During that time, and because of the experience, I learned leadership skills and gained confidence. I took the TOEFL test in my spare time and finally got the result that I could apply to universities. In my senior year of high school, everything was ready and I applied to a lot of colleges and got a lot of offers, including the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. From the moment I decided to join Gophers, I was both excited and nervous. I was excited because I was finally going to live and study in this land that I had always been curious about. Nervous because Minnesota is known for its cold weather. After dozens of hours of flying, I finally arrived in Minnesota. On the way from the airport to the school, I was so excited because I saw a lot of cars that I couldn't see in China, which was my favorite model, Challenger. I moved into our apartment after staying in the hotel for two days. A few days later, we had orientation and course selection, and I finally felt the joy of choosing only the courses I like because then I would be more motivated and interested in learning. To be honest, when I first arrived in Minnesota, I was very confused because suddenly I felt that this place was not very similar to the United States in my impression, but it gave me a sense of belonging and made me feel that I had not been bored. During the first orientation days and course selection time, I was not in a good status. In the first week of class, I was at a loss and didn't know what to do. But when I took football lessons, the sport that would last me a lifetime gave me confidence and happiness again. In class, everyone thought I was a local because I used a lot of football jargon and was really good at it. Since then, I have gradually entered the status. Learning is more motivated, life has become more regular. This is my experience. I'm very grateful to all the friends I have met here, and I hope I can have a wonderful college life in this beautiful campus.