While Binghamton University’s student population is mostly people from New York state, it does have a 16 percent international student population. These international students have a very different perspective on BU than the in-state students, and each of their experiences is unique to them.

Yiqing Lu, a senior majoring in linguistics from Beijing, China, said she came to BU to get firsthand experience in the country of her second language.

“You always want to go to the native English-speaking country to experience the culture here and get a better understanding of the cultures,” Lu said.

Khanh Linh H Nguyen, a senior majoring in accounting from Vietnam, said the academic requirements in her home country are extremely difficult, so coming here gave her some space to figure out what she wanted to do and explore her interests in a more relaxed environment.

Jiaxuan Yang, a senior majoring in linguistics from Beijing, China as well, said she originally chose BU because of a special program with her hometown school, which allowed her to come to BU from sophomore to senior year.

“I decided to come here because I knew I had to grab this precious opportunity, in which I could be exempt from my tuition and gain experiences abroad,” Yang said. “Otherwise, I will regret it. Although it would be a new challenge for me, this opportunity would open a new door for me.”

Coming to BU was an adjustment for many international students, but not all of these new experiences were hard to adapt to. Lu said there are a lot of international students at BU, which makes her feel more welcome in the community.

“All the students are so nice and warm to the international students, and we can always find people to share our own experience with,” Lu said. “A lot of people share the same identity, so we won’t be alone here.”

Nguyen said organizations for Asian students on campus provided her with encouragement and guidance and helped her acclimate to this new environment. However, she explained that the seasonal changes, especially the snow, were a big adjustment for her.

“[When staying at BU for winter break] I went outside only once just to get food because I was so lazy to go out because it is freezing here,” Nguyen said.

Yang, on the other hand, said the natural scenery of BU was something she had no trouble getting used to.

“My favorite part of [BU] is the natural view,” Yang said. “Trees are everywhere, scintillating sun on a nice warm day, fresh breeze, rabbits, squirrels, [deer] munching on the grass, running and resting. I would never see these scenes in the city where I grew up and stayed for 18 years.”

Nguyen expressed that her favorite part of life in BU was the late night activities on campus.

“I can really release my stress from class and hang out with friends,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen said one of her favorite memories was when the BU Japanese Association (BUJA) held a haunted house that she felt was really scary but realistic to the horror movies that she loves.

Lu’s favorite memory at BU was when she gave a TEDxBinghamton University talk.

“This was one of the most important experiences in my 21 years of life because it is not easy for international students to stand on a stage and give a presentation in English,” Lu said. “I think this TEDx Talk is a really big stage to show your own attitude and express yourself.”

Moving away from home is a big enough change that leads to growth for anyone, but moving to a different country is a huge step for these young students to take. Yang said this decision changed her as a person.

“Without this experience, I feel like I [would] never think out of the box and just jump on the bandwagon same as other college students in China, staying in my comfort zone, being dependent,” Yang said. “But right now, I’ve been through a lot of challenges and difficulties like loneliness, isolation, I’m getting mature and independent. I have confidence to say that I’m not afraid to face more, just bring it on.”