Q&A with another international student

Yuchen Wen, who goes by Vince, is the IU Chinese Students and Scholars Association president.

He participated in an email interview with the Indiana Daily Student to discuss what it was like to be a new international student at IU.


IDS: Where are you from?

Wen: Mainland China.

IDS: Why did you decide to come to IU?

Wen: Because of the great Kelley school, pretty campus, typical American life and friendly environment.

IDS: What was it like when you first arrived?

Wen: Honestly, the first impression was not that good, as I arrived here in December 2008. You know, the winter here is just horrible.

Even though it was my first time seeing such a big snowy place, after 2 days of excitement, I started to get stuck on it. I knew nothing about here before, so I rarely use public transportation.

That is true for most of us international students. So, I almost walked everywhere in the snow. You know, in China, we always use air conditioner in winter instead of the heater. That’s totally different.

I always put on too many clothes outdoors and took off most of them when I went indoors. Even though my speaking was fine, I had no idea about some local slang. I spent some time and worked it out.

IDS: What did you choose to get involved in and why?

Wen: As an international student, of course I prefer to get involved with people from my country. So, I hooked up with IUCSSA at the very beginning.
After that, I also got involved with some dorm clubs or sports clubs. But obviously, being with IUCSSA was the most convenient.

IDS: What’s the best advice you have for new international students?

Wen: I think I got a bunch of advice since I had a really tough time being here at the very beginning.

The best one I would say is don’t worry too much about everything. Just take it easy. Be confident, and you will attain what you wish to.