Attention Parents ...

Till now I was writing blogs for my friends, students or future students. But today I thought of writing something for parents.  I know your kid is coming or planning to come to the U.S.  Now he is planning to leave his home to conquer his dreams! Lots of you, must be worried regarding how things will turn out for him or her. 

But trust me, things will be perfectly fine. I am saying this because they turned out pretty good for me and also for other current students.The first thing you should always keep in mind is that your son/daughter deserves to be there. 

In today’s competitive world, it is really hard to get an admission, as there is so much competition. In those thousands of applications, s/he got selected so s/he must be smart enough and also talented. So, the first important thing you have to do is to give  SUPPORT.The second thing is TRUST. I know most of the mothers must be worried about their kid and have questions like, How will he stay alone? What will he eat? There is no one to take care of him!  So many questions… I know this, because my mom was also worried about these things. But you know something?  I am glad that I am out of my shell. 

 I learned and experienced so many different things and met so many different people that now I am more confident. It helped me to grow as a good and responsible person. And most important, I learned to value my family.  When I was in India, I barely talked to my dad. Also, I kept on fighting with my brother and boyfriend. 

But now, I miss them so much and also those fights as well. Being away from them helped me to know the importance of the people in my life.So, trust your kid, s/he will be just fine and also will learn and experience so many things which will help him/her to grow as an individual.  Dear parents, you have to just trust your son/daughter and support them in their decision. Your kid is now grown up and can make his own decisions. 

Now, he needs a friend with whom he can share his feelings and also take advice from you, if needed.  So stop being torturing mom and dad, and be good friends and help them when they need you the most.

Cheers,Vidya 

Examinations - Sleepless Nights Won’t Help

Examinations… every student has bad dreams about them and is scared of taking exams. But let me tell you one thing, in the U.S. education system if you do not procrastinate in your work then, believe me you will get good grades. The big change I faced after coming to the U.S. is the change in the academic culture and whole education system. I am glad to say that this system is really good and does consider foundation to be very important in any course or any subject, whether it be Accounting, Algebra, or Economics etc.

It will sound funny but the most valuable lesson I learned because of this system is DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. Here, if you delay your work and if you are not up to date with your studies, then staying awake studying all night will not help you to catch up with your studies. (Now you have a better idea why I called this blog “sleepless nights.”)

But you know something, I first used to hate this whole thing bacause, I am the person who usually will start studying at the last moment. I am not proud of it, but I am honestly accepting the mistake and trying to improve itJ. But frankly speaking, procrastination didn’t help me much, so now I have improved from procrastinator to proactive person.

You know something; this whole process of coming to the U.S. will teach you so many different things. Believe me, you will learn a lot and have plenty of experience which will help you to be more successful in your life. First, you should be proud of yourself that you are dreaming high and also ready to do anything so that those dreams will come true. As there is a saying, “If you Dream something, you need to protect it” (movie: In Pursuit Of Happiness) so get ready to protect your dreams and trust me you have the talent you just need to find it and pursue it.

Back to School Again...

Summer classes started… Ohh no.. Again… (Just kidding) This will be my first time studying in the summer. I am little bit excited about it but also worried that I will miss nice weather outside. It will be so good, just like my place Mumbai. But I guess that is the life of a graduate student.

Anyways, my summer break was really good. I went to Shipshewana. It is a small place in Indiana, USA. It is well-known for the Amish County. I heard about Amish people, when I first came to US from my American friend and I always wanted to meet them. At the start, I was not ready to believe the way they live. She told me that, “Amish people live in rural areas, refuse to use electricity and other modern things, and dress very plainly. They are, perhaps, the most visible of all religious “dissenters” in the United States – those who endeavor to fully isolate themselves from wider American society. They don’t vote and they don’t enlist in the military, but they do pay taxes.”

At last, I got a chance to get to know the Amish culture and it was simply amazing. How they choose to live their lives is totally different from our lives. I was inspired by their dedications towards their culture and also faith in their religion and values. I learned one thing after meeting and talking with them is the DEDICATION towards your goals and beliefs. They believe in what they feel is right and just follow it. You really need to have courage to do that.

Their life is totally different and one important thing is they choose to live like this because of the religious beliefs. It’s a choice and not enforcement. I was quite inspired by their way of living and also their culture.

I am so glad that I got a chance to know something excellent and inspirational and I feel new experiences are very important in your life, they teach you a lot. One important thing I discovered after this small tour is that, “The dedication towards your goal is the most important key to be successful.”

Here is the link for more information about Amish people: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAgSCTdnrhk

Cheers,

Vidya 

Missing Snow :(

If anyone of my friends is reading this blog, they will surely kill me. Because, I was the one who used to hate Snow and used to say, “I miss my place L I hate this snow and cold! When will it be summer and just the Sun in the Sky.” But the truth is; now I am really missing snow.

I discovered one thing: once you spend a little bit of time at any place, you will fall in love with that place. You become part of it and also that place becomes a part of you. Believe me, once you are here in the USA, after some time, it will feel like HOME.  You will feel that you know this place very well. Just imagine, a girl like me, who is out of her home for the first time and has fallen in love with Bowling Green. I really love it here, and if anyone asks me, I am ready to say that Bowling Green is my Second hometown. This will be the first place which will come into my mind if anyone starts talking about the USA.

I agree, it is a small town. We don’t have fancy clubs and bars here. But I think this is the best place for students…No distractions at all!  J  At this time of the year, I am in love with the recreation center (Gym) of the University. Anyways, this blog is about snow, I started missing that cold weather, when you plan to come here everyone will scare you about the cold weather but you will love it and if not at the start, still you will miss that weather after some time, the way I am missing it now L. I think I changed a lot, as someone has said, “Change is the only constant in life.”

So, trust me, once you are here for some time, you will experience that you know this place and you will fall in love with BG for sure. There are so many reasons for that. For me ,most important reason is I am surrounded with nice and helpful people. This is a small town, so I became familiar with roads in a very short time, so I feel like I know this place very well. Hence, I don’t feel like I am an outsider. So, if you are really planning to come to the USA, mark BGSU as your first option. I am telling this to you because I feel, coming to Bowling Green was the best decision of my life.

Cheers,

Vidya

Culture of Friendly Professors !!

For American students, this blog is simply the normal thing and it won’t make sense. However, my international friends know what I am talking about. So dear friends, ask yourself … Did you ever call your professor by his/her first name?   No sir/madam and not even sometimes Dr/Mr…. 99 % – 100% of the international students’ answer will be…. NO….Are you kidding me?   How can we take their name? Where is the respect? No way… not in my 20 years of education!   J

But now, I welcome you to the culture of friendly professors.  In the USA, you don’t have to say Sir/Madam. At first when I came here, nobody told me this and it was a big shock for me.  Here, we have to call professors, by their last name with Dr. or Mr. in front of it. But most of the time, they ask you to call them by their first name!  Once asked by them you can call them by their first name.  No SIR or MADAM… Funny, right? But trust me, it is very HARD to implement.  I know that very well.  You just can’t get used to it and you feel it is not good way of addressing them.  But you have to keep in mind, it is all about CULTURE and now you are in different culture.

Also one more thing:  I love this culture as, if you have a question you can directly go and ask the professor. These professors are so friendly;  however, back home students are scared of professors. I didn’t even think of going and asking questions to my professors until I come here.  They have what is termed “Office Hours.” Office hours means the professor will be in his office for a set time to answer the questions from the students. If you have any question, just go ahead and stop in during his office hours and meet him! This concept was totally new for me but this is, I think the best way of communication and also professor can give personal attention to the students who are lacking in that particular subject.

I agree that, these things seem small and may not matter much. But it is better to know in advance, right? J

So, Welcome to the culture of friendly professors!  I am glad to be a part of this culture and education system now.

Cheers,

Vidya

Flash Back

I still remember the day, when I received admit letter from Bowling Green State University with tuition waiver for the MBA program…

After reading the letter, my mom almost started crying as it was a big achievement for her as well. I am from very traditional family which believes in their own traditions and also respects the others. So for my dad it was a big deal that his daughter is going to the USA which is far away from the Mumbai and also visiting me was quite impossible and expensive. As a result, everyone was little bit scared because of their own reasons, but still happy for me.

The person who was most scared after thinking about studying in the USA was me. Next day itself, I asked my brother “Do you think I will be able to take this big step; we don’t have any relatives in the USA. Most of my friends who went to the USA for study or anything they have someone there already.” My brother was positive about it so he was trying to encourage me. But at last my mom was able to read my mind and told me, “Vidya, we are already proud of you so be positive. I don’t want my daughter to be scared of something or lose her confidence.” That really motivated me and hence, I was ready to feel that fear and still was ready to go ahead and complete my dream.

I was getting ready for next big challenge of my life. After getting the admission letter, I had so many things to finish, first and most important thing was completing visa process. I knew if I am not getting visa then I cannot go to the USA. I was not able to complete shopping, visiting friends and everyone and also was not able to resign from Accenture. Everything was piled up until my visa was done.

At last I got the Visa and then race began. Shopping, putting resignation, meeting everyone and applying for educational loan and so many other things. Those two months were crazy but really great. So one advice, if you are planning to come for studying here, you will be fine if you plan ahead of time and the most important thing is, “Believe in yourself because people believe in you more.”

Vidya 

Lost in GPA

This blog may sound juvenile to you people but this is a big transition. I thought about writing this blog when I received my first grades and I was totally lost trying to calculate my GPA and was not sure what “GPA” is.  I am from a country, like many other countries, where we use a percentage method. However, in the USA we have the “GPA system.” GPA (Grade Point Average) is the method of calculating performance of the student in academics, and it is a four-point scale, meaning 4.0 is a perfect grade.  It goes like this:

4.0 = A

3.0 = B

2.0 = C

1.0 = D

Anything lower is an F, or a failing grade.

Trust me guys, GPA is the most simple and efficient system to plot the progress of the student. I agree that every system has some drawbacks but I like this system because for employment purposes, GPA is not the only consideration for everything.  Employers also consider your extracurricular activities.  Imagine you are working on some good profile; you will need all other skills other than just your academics.

I am telling you this because at least you will know now how things will work otherwise. When I came here I was utterly lost in the new system… you might say “Lost in the GPA…”

And one more thing, here is the link which shows how to calculate GPA. I thought it might be helpful to you some day. J

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhLMTaExzOs&feature=related

Cheers,

Vidya