If you are thinking about applying to HGSE as an international student but aren’t entirely sure what the experience will be like, I hope this post will put some of your concerns at ease whilst also giving you advance warning of some things you might want to think about!
When I received my admissions officer, there was disbelief, excitement and tears! Over the weeks that followed, these emotions took all sorts of turns. I was so looking forward to coming to Harvard….but the paperwork kicked in! I naively hadn’t anticipated the amount of paperwork there would be to come and study here. It was like a path of hurdles that each had to be jumped over to get me to Cambridge. First, there were copies of transcripts to be sent over, then there was gaining financial certification, then there was applying for the visa…I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was stressful, but on the plus side, I can say how supportive the various Harvard departments were when I emailed with questions. It all gets done eventually and then you wonder why you were ever worried! Finding accommodation was also a concern for me – looking for somewhere to live from the other side of the world when you don’t know the Cambridge area at all was daunting. Fortunately, there are lots of options. I ended up going for Harvard University Housing, for the simple reason that it was easy. There are many furnished places available, which is a massive advantage if coming from afar, the bills are generally all included and there are frequent mingling events held which are great for helping you meet some people. I also found the webinars that the university run incredibly helpful for giving me an idea of what to expect once I arrived.
So what is it like to be an international student now that I’m here? Firstly, I was genuinely surprised at how many of us there are! Just in the Ed.M. program, we have around 175 this year. International students are invited for an induction day prior to the full HGSE orientation week where we could take a tour of campus and learn about Cambridge. That day was really helpful, both for meeting people and for finding out more about cultural norms and things to expect when living in America. Something I hadn’t prepared myself for was the culture shock. I thought that as I’d seen loads of American movies, been on holiday here a couple of times and had a few American friends, I knew America. Turns out, I didn’t really! There were tons of linguistic differences between British and American English, a load of acronyms to do with the education system that I wasn’t familiar with, and there was the clicking fingers when you agree with someone in class. It was the first time I had introduced myself with my gender pronouns and I found myself wanting and needing to know more about the country’s political and historical past to engage in discussion. Then there were little things like not being able to find stock cubes in the supermarket and the fact that no one uses the 24 hour clock (that one blew my mind)! However, none of these things were big once I realised that all I had to do was ASK. People are super friendly, and, even though this is Harvard, no one expects you to know everything!
We are also really lucky to have Andrea Le, who works for the Office of Student Affairs and is in charge of the international students. She organises regular events, both for us to socialise together and to help us out with topics of interest. I went on a boat cruise down the river in my first week and there have also been trips organised to go apple picking, a popular fall activity and to visit Salem in time for Halloween! Every week, there is a Lunch and Learn session for international students. So far, we have discussed topics like how to present our resume for the American job market and how to engage in the upcoming elections even though you can’t vote over here! It’s also really nice to just be able to touch base once a week with the same group of people. I know that some of my peers who had English as a second language were also able to go to writing workshops to help with that. Soon, we even have a trip to an outlet store to get ready for the cold weather, which I think will be a shock for most of us international students. They really do think of everything!
It’s been a great start to what will, I know, be a very brief yet challenging and inspiring year! I am so glad that I made the decision to apply, and I look forward to taking all that I am learning back to support my work in education in the UK.
Blog written by Sarah Winser. Photo provided by Sarah Winser.
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