U.S. Culture

Congratulations and good luck as you embark on a great life experience!

By choosing to study in the United States, you will join a community of international students and scholars from around the world, who study and live here in the U.S. This international community consists of more than half a million students, making the U.S. host to the largest number of international students anywhere.

Students who come to the U.S. enhance our colleges and universities through their scholarly contribution. All across the United States – in classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and campus communities – international students make significant contributions to the quality of American academic life. Therefore, international education has become a proud U.S. tradition in colleges and universities through out our country.

For most international students, preparation for study in the United States has involved hard work and sacrifice. American life as depicted on television or in movies is not an accurate picture of what you will find. Even when you think you know what to expect, there will be surprises. You will certainly encounter diversity. In the United States, there is no single type of national behavior, no one life style, no one culture. Individual differences, ethnic customs, regional traditions, the size and type of higher education institution – all these variables will affect your own experience of American life.

From this section, you will have a chance to learn about some unique features of American Culture that will be extremely helpful for international students to adapt to the new life style in the U.S.

This information is provided by Lanie Denslow, Mary Tinkham, and Patricia Willer from the U.S. Culture Series: Introduction to American Life, NAFSA – Association of International Educators 2004.