Upon arriving at university, many students are unaware of what to expect in their first year, but imagine coming from a different country altogether.
Graduate industrial engineering major Romy Misra and graduate entomology major Ana Dal Molin became the only two students to place from the same university in the University Language Services essay contest.
Dal Molin was awarded with first runner-up and Misra was given honorable mention.
“University Language Services helps students around the world apply to and succeed in college,” said Diane Erwin, content manager of University Language Services. “ULS specializes in the translation of academic transcripts, records and personal documents in more than 150 languages.”
With 25 years of helping international students, ULS wanted a way to collect stories these students had to share, while giving them a chance to fund their education.
ULS has received over 200 essays within the last two year from students studying around the world in every continent besides Antarctica. Erwin focused on finding students with a unique perspective on education in the U.S. and other countries.
“That’s the advantage of going to a school like Texas A&M, which has one of the largest number of international students of any college in the U.S.,” Erwin said. “It gives all students there, no matter where they are from, the opportunity to see U.S. schools, classes and even social activities from a different angle.”
Dal Molin and Misra found out about the contest through a listserv that all international students are placed on.
Dal Molin, an international student from Brazil, wrote in her essay that one of the main advantages of being able to attend a school like Texas A&M was having access to equipment and a library.
“I was surprised – it was welcome news,” Dal Molin said. “I got some feedback from friends, including friends in my home country. They liked what I wrote, and it was honest.”
Although Dal Molin wrote of all the advantages that schools in the U.S. bring, she also highlighted how different the social environment was compared to Brazil.
Dal Molin works to help the Brazilian Student Association maintain a website to serve all international students.
Misra, who is originally from India, wrote in her essay that for her, the biggest difference between school systems was that U.S. schools were much more flexible then the Indian school in which she attained her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
“I have had a really different experience and it has been wonderful,” Misra said. “I just thought I would give [the contest] a try.”
Misra said the United States educational program is really different from the Indian system.
“It’s a place for creativity and innovation, and it has succeeded my expectations to what I had coming from India,” Misra said.
Misra’s and Dal Molin’s essays are available to read at http://www.universitylanguage.com/scholarships/