When I started to read Rebekah Nathan’s My Freshman Year, I could hardly put it down not only because the content was very interesting and plain to understand but also because it reminded me of my first semester at NDSU when I just came to the United States as an undergraduate. I was able to find many resonances with Nathan’s point of views.
The most surprising aspect of this book is that it truly revealed the opinions of international students about how they perceive American students. When reading chapter four, I could almost voiced the same opinions with what the international students said in the book. Nathan interviewed many international students and found that it was hard for them to make real American friends: Americans appeared to be friendly on the surface but it was hard to be their real friends unless you shared some hobbies with them. The surface greetings, such as, “how are you” and “what’s up” were plainly nothing but mundane. In the book, a Mexican student thought American students would only say sorry instead of helping when she met trouble. This reminded me one of my awkward situations on my freshman year. I said I was sick when greeted by my American classmate. She simply said sorry and showed no care. I felt strange so I repeated my words again. She then laughed at herself and said, “Did I look indifferent to you?” It surprised me that Americans were so used to this indifference by kept asking strangers how are you. Nathan also pointed out American’s ignorance on knowing so little about other countries. She seconded her statement by listing the stories shared by the international students who kept being asked dump questions about their own countries.
The least surprising aspect of this book is when she talked about the dorm life and the interesting relationship between how school emphasizes on community and college student’s individualism. Since I once lived in the dorm together with my three American roommates, I’ve seen so many of their pictures depicting their personality. I’ve also witnessed how they brought in a bunch of friends and started a little party while I tried to study. Nathan’s description about these posed photos was quite amusing. It is quite true that the underlying values of these photos are fun, expressiveness, individuality, freedom, and spontaneity. I also understand why students preferred to watch Superbowl with their “individual community” members while refused to show up at the “movie night” arranged by the RA. Because to them, community was “a somewhat naïve amalgam of love, belong, sharing, and togetherness” and they seldom realized that community also comprised of obligation and responsibility (Nathan, 2004, p.49).
Nathan also highlighted some challenges and problems students were facing continually, such as, sharing with roommates or dorm mates; being ego-centric; packed time schedule; heavy off-campus workload; and the rule of avoid being too noticeable in the classroom. I would recommend the new college students to build a good relationship with your roommates and resort to the RA when you need help. You have to learn how to live in a community and get involved with the big group instead of hanging out with a certain number of friends. American students should abandon ego-centrism and try to make friends who are different from your race or cultural background. Regarding to time management, take appropriate credits and work less if they want to graduate on time. When it comes to the discussion in class, be active and don’t be afraid of being noticeable because this is what truly being called the individualism.
I also have some suggestions to the new college instructor. First, don’t panic when you notice students sleeping in your class and ignoring your questions because they may study until 3 am last night and are obeying the hidden rule. Instead of asking students questions with fixed answers, relate to the students better by adding cultures they are more interested to know. You can use the free writing strategy to get to know them well. Focus more on their content instead of getting them to speak. Also, assign appropriate assignments and adjust the deadline according to the student’s situation. Lastly, understand that students usually won’t visit you during your office hour but will find you when the semester is winding down.
I think Nathan did a good job on depicting her college life and observing student’s behaviors. Since I have been through what she has experienced, I know most of what she depicted in the book. The undergraduate students portrayed in her book matched with my current perspective on them. Thus, it did not change my perspective on the undergraduate. In fact, I start to feel them more because I used to be an undergraduate, not a long time ago.
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