By Ava Lee, South Korea<\/p>\n
Having grown up in large cities my entire life, I always thought I would end up going to college in a big city as well. I ended up choosing Notre Dame out of all the schools I got accepted into because I wanted to challenge myself. I knew ND was a Catholic university with very little diversity, but thought I would have the chance to meet new people and share my experiences with them as well.<\/p>\n
It was challenging in the beginning because people around me simply didn\u2019t understand my international background. The more time I spent with them, they started having more appreciation for my experiences, and I felt grateful that I had a chance to share this in a new environment. I was prepared to take on challenges and so from the beginning, I took the initiative to make more friends and step out of my comfort zone. I knew I was different, but felt proud of this difference. I would like to tell all international students to embrace their uniqueness.<\/p>\n
I went to an American school for most of my life, so the adjustment process wasn\u2019t as difficult for me, but I realized that there are certain aspects that I am clearly different and the only thing I can do is to simply accept this fact. I learned not to feel bad that I can\u2019t fit in at all situations, but feel grateful that I have other experiences that can make up for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Ava Lee, South Korea Having grown up in large cities my entire life, I always thought I would end up going to college in a big city as well. I ended up choosing Notre Dame out of all the … Continue reading