A Report of Studying Abroad

Studying in Alliant International University gives me a brand new experience to another chapter of my life. Because of my personality of an extrovert, I have made a lot of friends from different countries here, from which I have better understanding of communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds. Besides, more importantly, the education of the United States is quite different from that of China. In America, it is believed that freedom provides more chances for students to manage their time on study. For example, I tend to have five courses once semester, which are all due at night time. Theoretically I have a lot of spare time to manage my own business. However, we are required to read books before class and what the professors talk about in class is associated with what we have prepared before class. After class, we have to do a lot of assignments, such as writing essays and doing projects. Therefore, we have the freedom but we got a lot to do. This is the process of managing time by yourself. I like this kind of education, because I am not wasting my time everyday. And I have learned a lot from what I have read, which is very helpful.

What’s more, the way the professors teach students in America is also different from that in China. Critical thinking is thought highly of by American professors. In class, we sit around with the professors. Everyone has to engage in class, which means that every student has to make a speech. This accounts for a large proportion in the final scores. Furthermore, teamwork is also valued much in class. Almost in each class, we have a team project. We need to use our spare time to discuss with our teams and everyone has to be responsible for their part of report in the project. At the end of class, we will give a presentation in front of everybody according to the group paper we have written. Speaking of presentation, this is also an important factor in the American education. We are required to write a final paper about 20-35 pages each eight weeks and give a presentation by ourselves. This process is very similar to the graduation paper and presentation in China. But we do it a lot and we have to finish by our own without plagiarism. It is commonly acknowledged that plagiarism is illegal in academic fields of study. Once you do it, you will be expelled from the school.

I enjoy the studying in America. The professors are very nice. They like me a lot and they have a very good impression on me. I am always brave to talk about my opinions and ask questions in class, which is what they like the best. Because of my outstanding study, I also got a complimentary letter from the university. My records of study were attached to the dean’s list, which I am very honored and please about.

Apart from study, I also take part in a lot of activities in the university. For example, last semester I gave a successful performance on the stage in front of everybody from school. During the Halloween, we had a large Halloween party on campus. These are things that I have never done in China but in America I am open to every new thing. I feel very proud of myself here.

Here are some pictures of my study on campus in America.

Academic Part:

This is a picture taken after class with my classmates.

This is a picture of me doing a group project with my team. By the way, we did an outstanding job during our final presentation and we got full points!

This is a picture taken in the middle of night when I stayed up late for assignments in a classroom at the library. The library is open for 24 hours for students to study every day, including weekends.

This the complimentary letter about my good performance of study that I got from the University.

This is a picture taken in the “Light Party” on campus.

This is a picture taken before my performance.

This is a picture taken after the performance for the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

This is the activity of carving pumpkins around Halloween. American people think highly of the festival.

This is the Mexican Worship Festival, something like the Qing Ming Festival in China, for worshiping the ancestors.