In the last four blogs, we have discussed a lot about the hurdles faced by international students, starting from English as a second language to difficulty in getting internships and jobs because of U.S. regulations.
Young journalist Sanjana Bhambhani graduated from Columbia University in 2022 and works as a freelancer for three companies including BBC Multimedia. She visited our campus as a guest speaker on April 9, 2024. During the question-answer session, she suggested to international students how they should view language differences as a strength and not a weakness.
“Do not think English as a second language is an obstacle for you, but I would say, it’s a plus point for you because you know multiple languages. It’s always up to you, how you judge your situation, and how you sell yourself to others,” said Bhambhani.
Bhambhani said, she was always passionate about TikTok and she used the platform to show her talent and she did it successfully.
“I am not sure, how for others this would work but for me, social media helped me a lot to demonstrate my talent,” she said.
It is not only about international students but it’s the success story for everyone who believes in themselves.
Many articles advised international students on how to get success. An article https://tinyurl.com/y7z7v559 published in BRIGHTSPOT has some valuable suggestions for the students.
So, the final tips for international students who are planning to join in the upcoming sessions are :
Your University is your first resource: The learning process and networking begins right on campus. Utilize the opportunity and learn as much as you can from your professors, library, and guest speakers. Show up in a maximum number of programs to build relations and elevate your confidence level. The campus should be the most comfortable zone for an international student to learn maximum. So use the opportunity.
Be positive: Positivity is the key to success. Only you can understand the potential that you can put in your resume. It’s not about the resume but to get a job, and crack the interviews it’s important to be positive. A negative mindset neither can believe in themselves nor compel others to believe them. Take the criticism as an opportunity to learn.
Make it a habit to improve every day. Even after setbacks, grade falls, and refusal in interviews instead of being despaired, take each of them as a learning opportunity and to perform better next time.
Everyone is different in a unique way and you know yourself better than anyone else. Don’t compare yourself with others. It would make you confused and insecure. Rather you see the positive sides of yourself and go ahead with your plan to bring the difference.
Become a club member: This is the first place where your networking begins. I learned more from guest speakers about career and success than from classes. Attending events, and participating in clubs would make you feel a lot of happening.
Create own website : Almost all the guest speakers who came to my college advised us to build our website and keep it updated every day. It is not for business but a portfolio. Suppose you will be studying Chemistry and this website would help you to keep publishing your works.
It’s a kind of resume that you can share with any company where you want to work. If you are planning to move to the U.S. for education, you can prepare your website before leaving your country.
