The "Culture Shock" video was very interesting since I am technically an international student. Even though I was born and raised in Switzerland, I am a dual citizen and travelled to the United States a lot when I was growing up; therefore I have been well exposed to different facets of both the European culture and the American culture. This has made me not suffer to big of a culture chock.
When I came to the University of Richmond in August of my freshman year, I remember being very concerned about whether or not I was going to make new friends in this new school and country. It was not until we started the General Orientation (for all students - after International Orientation) that I noticed how much more Americanized I was compared to my peers I met during the International Orientation, which enabled me to make new connections a lot more easily. Eventually I drifted away from the international students because I found that their inability to integrate was holding me back from experiencing the “real American experience” that I came to experience in the United States.
Looking back at my experience at the University of Richmond after having watched the movie in class, I think it would have been a good idea for the non-international students to see the movie early on freshman year. This would have allowed Americans to better understand how they can better integrate with the international students and make them feel more comfortable during their time in the United Sates (whether it is for an exchange or for all four years).
The different teaching techniques students are accustomed to and the different grading systems the students are used make the process of adapting to the American lifestyle more difficult; therefore, in order to increase the number of international students wanting to come to the United States to obtain their college education, it is important that Americans work to minimize the impact of the culture chock experienced by international students.
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