Obstacles Of Being A Successful College Student In The US

Pedro Cassoma – Journal 17

It is not that easy to be a successful college student here in the US. It is very hard not only for resident students, but also, and mainly, for international students. In my case, as international student for instance, the the biggest obstacles that stand in my way to college success is the reason that English is not my first language, and my shyness.

I have been learning English for almost one year and a half and my English proficiency is getting better. However, there are still some words that I have to look it up in order to understand the meaning. Sometimes is hard to understand what a teacher or a classmate says. First, some teacher or classmate speak very fast that I can’t catch some words. Second, some teacher and most of students use a lot of short forms and slangs that I’m not familiar with. Nevertheless, I have found ways to combat this obstacle. Most of the times that a teacher explains something and I didn’t understand what he means, I write notes down and at the end of the class I ask him or her what he meant. The same thing happens when I’m speaking with somebody who speaks very fast, or use slangs. I wait until he or she finishes, and then I ask what she or he means.

Before, and maybe until now, I use to stay on my side, not make friends, and not ask teacher when I have doubts about something. I used to feel scare of making mistakes while I’m talking. In addition, I was aware that shyness doesn’t help me to be a successful student. However, I’ve found two essential things that is helping me to overcome shyness, which is the group work. Since the group work requires students to share their opinions, it allows me talk and to meet classmates. I this way, it brakes my shyness and make me feel more comfortable with people. In addition, this solution builds my confidence on