Much like Bilbo Baggins, I too lived in a hole - not a literal one, but a place of comfort, routine, and predictability. But unlike Bilbo, I wasn’t content to stay there. Comfort, to me, felt confining. I longed for challenge, growth, and above all, independence.

So, on August 15, 2021 (Indian Independence Day) I landed in New York City with two suitcases, a head full of dreams, and no idea just how transformative the journey ahead would be. My excitement to begin my master's journey in Management Information Systems at the Stevens Institute of Technology was through the roof!

✈️ Arrival & Survival 101

As a master’s student, you hit the ground running the moment you step out of the airplane. Very few international students have the luxury of being welcomed by family in the US, so you begin by figuring out how to reach your hotel/accommodation. For most, the first days are a crash course in survival: find food, secure an apartment, set up your life. That is Lesson One. Once the basics are handled, the rhythm of life begins: attending classes, making friends, and hustling for an on-campus job. This is easier said than done as each of this is a battle.

Finding an apartment close to your university, flat-mates to be able to afford the rent, grocery store near your residence, these are things you didn’t have to worry about in your home country.

💼 The On-Campus Job Struggle

Lesson Two quickly follows: on-campus jobs are scarce. A common misconception is that you tend to easily get an on-campus job as they are bountiful. That could not be farther from the truth. Getting one is not about waiting your turn; it is about initiative, persuasion, and a bit of luck. I learned this first-hand. While exploring my school’s campus, I wandered into the 3D printing lab. The man inside turned out to be the Dean. As fate would have it, my prior experience with 3D printing impressed him enough to offer me a position as a research assistant. Serendipity had struck, but only because I’d kept walking.

For those who are not that lucky, another aspect of this challenge rears its head - as an international student, you are legally forbidden to work off-campus. So, while your American peers might work at your local stores or restaurants, you need to figure out how to get an on-campus job. Rent won’t pay itself, and you can only go hungry for so long.

🎓 Rethinking Education

Your academic life is going to be vastly different in the US than in your home country. By the time I graduated with my bachelor’s in engineering in India, I had become convinced that I was a terrible engineer and I should not pursue my technical interests further. Ironically, it was only when I started working in India, I realized this was untrue and that I am actually a good engineer. The Indian education system, for all its scale, often promotes rote learning over actual understanding. In the US, however, things were different. The teaching was engaging, the discussions were open, and I was scoring near-perfect grades. It was a massive confidence booster.

One of the most liberating aspects of the U.S. system is the freedom to disagree. I could challenge a professor’s viewpoint - politely, of course - and be met with a thoughtful counterargument instead of a rebuke. The professor would not be offended that I “talked back” to him. I felt as though for the first time in my life I was actually learning things and that I was a good student!

📚 Course Selection & Ownership

You can also pick and choose the courses you want to take and this is can get confusing. In India, we do not have the luxury of doing this because of system constraints. We may be the world’s most/second-most populous nation, but we have a shortage of skilled labour, and that includes teachers. Even if the system were to allow you to pick and choose your courses, they may not have enough qualified teachers to actually teach the subject. This is not an issue in the US which is felt by the students, particularly at the graduate level.

An advise here is to realise that your choices are your own and that your journey will not be the same as other people’s. So even if you choose the same subjects as your friends, you may not end up understanding it or perform well in the evaluations.

🗣️ The Power of Speaking Up

Another advise is, speak up. A major problem with most Indian students is their inability of or shyness in speaking up. The class is usually silent, except for 1 or 2 students. Fortunately, I am not afraid of public speaking, but I would usually be the only one having a conversation with the professor. This is not a good look for the Indian diaspora and I hope it changes soon. Maybe I am generalizing, but I hope this changes.

🏛️ Exploring Campus Life

Enjoy this time. Attend the events your institute arranges for you. There are a lot of on-campus activities, make sure you attend as many as possible. Visit your institute’s library, not just for studying, but to learn more about the history of the place. Your institute will also have healthcare services (mental & physical), which you should utilize whenever necessary. Participate in the various studies your college conducts.

Make new friends, not just ones from your own country. It will take time because you are a stranger to them as well, but persist (politely). Go visit other local colleges and institutes, they are architecturally beautiful too!

🎓 And Suddenly... You Graduate

Time passes faster than you expect. Before you know it, the long nights, caffeine-fueled cramming, and silent study sessions will be behind you and you will  have graduated. Hopefully not just with a degree, but also with a deeper sense of self.