What is the real life of international students from ordinary families in the United States?

Nowadays, among the international students, there are many who study abroad from ordinary families. Most of them come from middle-class families. A few of them have poor family conditions and rely on part-time jobs and scholarships to maintain their lives. Let’s talk about those from ordinary families. What is the real life of international students in the United States?

| C Bacteria Coordinates: United States

During my days in the United States, I was very tired, but very happy. At the same time, I also experienced jealousy, despair, and struggle. But I survived in the end because I understood: Although I had huge financial pressure, I had priceless dreams. I set three goals based on my own situation:

1. Strive to graduate in three semesters, so as to save tuition fees in the last semester.

2. I have to take a lot of courses in the first two semesters, and I will only need to take two courses in the third semester. Because in this way, I can become a part-time student in the last semester, so I can save 60% of the tuition fees for that semester.

3. Get a job.

I study harder. Let me describe my situation:

1. I have never been to the city center of my city in the past two years, nor have I traveled to nearby big cities.

2. On average, I go to bed at 1:00 AM every day during the week, including weekends, not because I am very diligent, but because I am just a mortal, and the schoolwork is indeed very heavy. I need to prepare for the insecurities during the day. Efficiency pays the price.

3. I only choose courses that are difficult, useful, and have a lot of programming projects, because I know that mixing GPA is of no use in the computer field. (Of course, knowledgeable comrades say that I am a master with a GPA of 3.9 in ivy league, and I finally went to ORACLE. I respect you.) It doesn’t matter if your score is low, ability is the most important.

4. Among my classmates in a major, 70% work as hard as me, 10% work harder than me, and 20% are just dawdling. Students from other majors are quite different. Business students, most of them party, drive to travel on weekends, and fly all over the United States during summer vacation. ee students, there are half serious people and half dawdling people. Many want to switch to programming, but that’s just saying. This situation does not apply to other schools.

In the end, my GPA was terrible, but I still passed the minimum graduation requirements. I published an ACM paper. I failed at Google, Microsoft, and LinkedIn, and finally stayed in the state where I studied and got a 9W job. I am very satisfied with the other benefits.

I now send $3,000 back to my family every month to repay the money, and I can’t spend the rest. Since I only actually spent 45W, I was able to pay off my family's debt in two years. I am living a good life now, financially free, peaceful and happy.

But I am trying to describe myself: calm, persistent, and imperfect.

I also often wonder why I couldn't be born in a slightly richer family, so that I would be less tired. But after doing it long enough, I realized it was a very stupid thing to do. Forget it if you don’t get it, why bother worrying about it all the time? Instead of complaining, it’s better to continue studying and working and get closer to your dream.

| W bacteria coordinates: the United Kingdom

I feel very lucky to be able to go abroad despite a poor family background. Not every child from an average family has such an opportunity, since he is already very lucky , then try your best to continue your happiness. As for what life is like, if you study hard and work hard, life can still be very colorful.

Generally, they do not become friends with children whose family conditions are particularly good, as they are afraid of feeling low and unfair unknowingly. It's like scrolling through Moments and seeing them posting about the beautiful scenery and delicious food from all over the world, but you can only use your vacation to work part-time, which will make you unhappy over time.

I also have friends studying abroad who come from average families like me, and they also choose to work part-time during school. Compared with those studying abroad who come from better families, they just can’t go to high-end restaurants to eat or buy all kinds of luxury goods. , in fact, if you know what you want most, you won’t blindly compare.

Financial restrictions are sometimes an objective reality. They may not satisfy my desire to travel, but they can more inspire me to work hard elsewhere. I may not be as superior as them, but at least I can compete better than them.

| K bacteria Coordinates: Germany

I have been studying abroad for four months. In these four months, I have suffered a lot of pain and suffering, but also happiness.

My family’s conditions are average. I didn’t ask them to go abroad. I made my own money and went to study. Therefore, I am usually very frugal and try my best not to eat or drink outside or buy anything. More clothes, and I teach Chinese students through the Internet to make some money. Studying abroad is actually quite hard. Everyone’s family is similar, and others will look at you in a different light, such as When it comes to me, they don’t want me to spend my own money to study and still make money, so they are usually sarcastic. There are people like this everywhere. Therefore, when you study abroad alone, you still need to experience the cold eyes of others. . Also, if you have a girlfriend, it may turn into a foreign relationship. This kind of heart-wrenching discomfort cannot be described in words. Whoever studies abroad understands it himself. You still have to rely on yourself to practice everything, the spirit of pony crossing the river.

| H bacteria coordinates: Australia

I went to study abroad four years ago. Like most international students, I also went out to work part-time because I didn’t want to put more financial burden on my family. I have washed dishes in the kitchen, worked as a waiter in a restaurant, and done layout work in a newspaper. I have been squeezed by my compatriots, and I have suffered a lot of dumb losses... But these are the experiences of ordinary international students. Like most people, they are not the same. I feel like there's something special.

| Life is exciting and fascinating. Although the monthly living expenses are very tight, I still go out to parties every weekend and hang out with different girls. During holidays, I also advance the living expenses for the next month to travel.

When I was a junior in college, I met a very good girl. I started to calm down, study hard, and faded out of many circles. I turned into a nerd and studied every day and got tired of being with my girlfriend. During the summer, we didn’t even go back to China. , I still remember holding her hand and walking around the deserted campus every evening. This period was probably the happiest time since I studied abroad. It was simple and fulfilling, and my GPA also improved a lot.

Students studying abroad from ordinary families are often under certain financial pressure. Under financial pressure, the only reason for deciding to go abroad is: the benefits that will be brought to you after going abroad can be greater than the investment.

The economic foundations of study-abroad parties are uneven. After going abroad, they have their own lifestyles. Study-abroad parties with good family backgrounds can live unscrupulously and carefree, while those from average family backgrounds can also use their own lifestyles. Live an open and positive way. Every serious lifestyle and every person who works hard in a foreign country deserves respect.