Back to School

I have received a Bachelor Degree in Physics in Russia. Now I am a BSU student. I must say that American college was a very different experience. If you are non-native English speaking student then you may be interested in my experience and some of my advice can be useful for you.

My first observation is to pay more attention to the rules. The rules are different. The idea of partial credit was a very new thing to me. Even if you did part of a problem wrong then you could still receive some credit. It's called partial credit. It took me a long time to learn to remember this because in Russia you either did the problem right or wrong. So, try to answer every question. You may get some credit even if you're not 100% right.

Secondly, trust in yourself. If you do not know English as good as native English speakers it does not mean that you do not know the material as good as they do.
The most important thing to remember is if you have any questions (about new terminology for example), you should go and ask your professor. In American colleges, they are very helpful and ready to answer your questions. During my first week at Boise State University, I had lots of questions and needed lots of help from my instructors. They were always very helpful.

Try to be active in your classes. In Russia, I used to be a very active student. I was always asking and answering questions in class. When I started to study here I was quiet in my classes. I was afraid that if I started to speak then people would not understand me and would be confused. Fortunately, BSU classes forced me to talk. Due to this, I am getting better and not so shy of my English. Again, be an active student, which is very important in any University.

I found that it is very difficult to study in a different language. For example, in Russia I used to never spend more than 20 minutes to read a chapter and I remembered all that I read. Here, I spent five hours to read my first chapter. After I closed the book, I realized that I was very tired and did not remember a word from this chapter. It was like all my brain got used to Russian language and did not want to take any information in English. Later I heard about the same problem from my non-native English-speaking friends and classmates. You may know how to read, write, and speak in English, but you still need time to get used to this language. I am getting much better in this, now. I think that only experience can help you to learn new material in English easier and quicker. So, if you have decided to go study here work on your English.

I really recommend you to take English class 123. This class will give you more experience in working with English and will teach you to write correctly.
In conclusion I would say that it is amazing how many silly problems you have in school if you study in a language other than your native language. However, it is still possible to study in American college for non-native English speakers. If you want to do this then try it and you will get used to it and, even, find this pretty enjoyable, sometimes.

-Marina
English 123