Unlike most of the other SAF correspondents for Fall 2019, I have been in the United States for nearly two months, long enough for me to embrace the sunshine and ocean breeze in California, ramble around the forests and counties in North Carolina, and gradually tune in to the way of living as a “New Yorker”. I spent the whole summer exploring the country as a student, a tourist and a keen observer, trying to figure out as much as possible about the shared ethos and diversity across America to be better prepared for my upcoming semester at Columbia University.

After the summer session at UC Berkeley ended, I immediately headed toward the eastern coast to wander around the campuses of several renowned higher education institutions in the United States, including Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake forest University, New York University and of course Columbia University in the city of New York. Except for Columbia where I was going to stay until next year, I spent a limited amount of time on each campus, focusing on their distinctive style of architecture and the overall atmosphere of the people within. To be honest, the journey greatly helped me clarify the different vibes for public and private schools, newly built and historic colleges, and urban and rural campuses.
 
The spirit of the whole community’s well-being prevails in flagship public universities, based on what I have experienced at UNC and UCB. The fall semester begins relatively early, and the students scattering everywhere on campus are largely comprised of in-state population, which could be told from their frequent greetings towards others around them, calling out one another’s names or even nicknames without hesitation since they might have been homies for years.
 
At public universities, the sheer volume of students means a comparatively higher student-faculty ratio. Thus, the scale of classes is larger, and the sports facilities are often crowded with enthusiastic players. However, taking into account the public higher education systems they are in, affordability and mobility are viewed as significant characteristics, which could compensate for their shortcomings. In the classroom, you can always hear someone describing himself or herself as having fought a long way through community colleges to the top universities within the states. There are indeed distinctions among students’ academic or socioeconomic backgrounds, but when everyone is in the same classroom, the distinctions are erased. Students could also enroll in the courses taught by other branches in the systems, meeting with new friends or groups.
 
For private colleges, the decency of their architecture and horticulture always fascinates me. For instance, famous Sarah P. Duke Gardens opens up for visitors from dusk until dawn. Indigenous or exotic herbs are either exuberant in the wilderness or attended carefully by assiduous gardeners working in the gardens all day long. The symbolic buildings for Trinity College at Duke combines solemnity with the particular pastoralism native in North Carolina, leaving an extraordinarily great impression on me.
 
Furthermore, students at private colleges enjoy many advantages brought by abundant funding. They enjoy instruction and tutoring with fewer cohorts, having greater space and equipment for recreational purposes, so on and so forth. In addition, they normally share a more exclusive understanding of their identity with honor.
 
Things I have discussed above are way beneath exhaustive. Based on my personal observation and superficial interpretation, there is still a long way to go before I could draw up a general map of the higher education in the United States, which could help shed some light on the higher education in China.

It is well-acknowledged that the British generally have shown great interests in going to the theatre on a regular basis. From award-winning musicals, cutting-edge plays to classic productions, West End Shows are famous for their amazing and sensational performances. Therefore, several musicals nearby were included in my list of ‘must-sees’ in London.  

The best choice I’d ever made was to watch a Broadway musical comedy, the Book of Mormon, made from South Park creators, which was the winner of four 2014 Olivier awards including Best New Musicals. The Book of Mormon allowed me to completely immerse myself into it, since the musical had well-organized plots, contained profound meanings, and was performed by brilliant performers having a great sense of humor.  

By being exposed to such an environment with well-developed art and literature, I was somehow inspired and was more willing to learn further expertise of musicals. From my perspective, those meaningful intercultural experiences enabled me to enrich my extra-curricular life to leave more vivid and indelible impressions on myself.  

Moreover, what should be equally worth sharing were my unique academic learning experiences gained in class. In the process of doing research, our group were supposed to accomplish a report consisting of several parts, and an essential section of that report was methodology, which implied that there had to be someone who with critical thinking ability can accurately justify and evaluate our overall approach to the research. Though I normally lacked the practice of thinking critically, I was assigned to embark on the methodology part. And then, as expected, I encountered numerous obstacles due to some obscure definitions that I was not familiar with, which made me upset once. However, I strongly dedicated myself to that process and put much effort into addressing important issues of our report, which finally generated my passion in critical thinking practice.  

In my opinion, that challenge I confronted also functioned as a crucial role in improving my professional skills, such as listening, presenting my ideas, persuasion, self-monitoring and team working. As a result, I was able to absorb a whole lot knowledge from the report we accomplished, and reap the maximum benefits. ​

Food connects people; the smell of it, the shape, the taste, the color, and all the ingredients that make up our memory will company us all along no matter where we go. In China there is an old saying, "when you think of a specific food, actually you are thinking of the person you share that food with." The food in Edinburgh will be very different from the food in my hometown. Even though I believe I will love them both, I know that no meal in the world could compare with those I enjoyed with my beloved people: my parents, my granny, and my best friends. ​

I am Heeyeon RYU, who will study at American University during fall semester. On the one hand, I am excited to study in U.S, which is famous for social science and the end of capitalism. Also, I love traveling and meeting new people. On the other hand, I am little nervous about adjustment to new environment. I have never lived abroad or traveled more than two months.  

I am writing this for memorizing my feeling and experiences and to share useful tips for someone who wants to study abroad. I want to tell you some small but important things before you leave your country. I saw many posts about visa, packaging and expenses, but there’s no post for small things. 
 
First, unlocking overseas logins. Some sites block overseas logins for security. When I traveled to Europe, I didn’t know about it, so I couldn’t use my Facebook and email. It was a really serious problem, so you must check it before leave.  
Second, preparing offline dictionary. In my case, English is not my first language. Sometimes, I need a translator or dictionary, but in some place, LTE or WIFI does not work well. For example, I visited a shop to buy bedding, and I didn’t know what is a sham. I tried to find in online, but my internet didn’t work.  

This is connected with the internet problem, downloading an e-book is a good idea too. The speed of reading your first language is faster, so before class reading e-book written in my first language can help.  

Third, bring more than two cards from different banks. When you arrive, you will buy or pay for something, so most students bring credit or debit card. Sometimes one card doesn’t work; one of my friends experienced yesterday. Also, just in case you lose the card, it’s good to bring two identical cards. 

Lastly, bring scheduler and housekeeping book. I arrived at American University two days ago, there’s so many programs for international students, so to organize your busy schedule bring scheduler. Also, I was surprised at Washington’s prices, even though I had expected it. I bought many things for living like desk lamps, tissues, laundry bags, slippers…etc. I spent a lot of money than I expected. For checking payment, housekeeping book is very useful.
​   
I think American University is very good opportunity to meet diverse students and challenging myself! I’m looking forward to a dancing party tomorrow!   ​

​Academic performance is beyond doubt one of the most important issues during college years. Basically, what grade a student can obtain for a course depends on how much efforts he or she has personally spent on it. Hence, it is of crucial importance to find an optimal place for individual reviewing and studying. Unlike in China where most universities have flexible policies which allow students to access empty classrooms or even officially assign several rooms to overnight study purpose, at UC Berkeley these rules are rather uncommon especially during summer. Instead, students resort to other alternative places and resources. Libraries are ideal options, but the open hours are much shortened compared to fall or spring semesters. So where should one go for study during the summer session at Berkeley?

First, your dorm room. One is free from worries such as important documents or notes being left out or electronic devices running out of batteries. One can post whatever gestures or facial expressions while devotedly finishing their work without being afraid of acting weirdly, if only one has reached consensus with his or her considerate and quiet roommate(s). Another downside is that sometimes the temptation of quilts and pillows is too hard to resist.
 
Second, study lounges or residential academic centers. At on-campus housing sites like Unit 2, there are study lounges on almost every floor of Davidson Hall and a joint academic center which stays opens till 12.00 am on weekdays. The public study place shared by residents creates a preferable atmosphere, but meanwhile the competition for electricity outlets aggravates, potentially reducing the efficiency of studying to a certain extent. When one heads for a spot with all their nitty-gritty belongings but finds no power points, it is very frustrating.
 
The same thing could happen in libraries and cafes, but both of them have their respective edges thus being considered as good places to go. In libraries, people not only attempt to find unoccupied desks and chairs, but also busily locate additional services and resources. And for cafes, it is nice to sip a cup of coffee when one is quickly typing or to take a grab-and-go meal five minutes right before the class begins.
 
These are all fantastic choices one could turn to if needed. However, what I want to say that to succeed in getting an A does not necessarily rely on wherever people kill their time dealing with assignments. Rather, it lies in one's understanding of the true focus of a meaningful summer session, i.e. whether it's study-oriented or for entertainment purposes. My summer session at Berkeley in 2019 has now approached to an end, but for those prospective visiting students, adjusting their mentality to the right track matters a lot.
 
Hope everyone gets through their tasks with flying colors! Good luck!