1 step out of the comfort zone
离开舒适圈

Chinese students like staying together possibly because they are not confident of their English and do not have much common language to talk with American students. Moreover, Chinese students often choose to be in the same classes, like Math, Economics, and Business. Therefore, they meet more frequently and always do homework together, which leads to fewer chances of getting in touch with Americans.
中国学生喜欢扎堆可能是因为对自己的英语不自信以及与美国同学没有共同语言。另外，中国学生经常选择同样的课程，比如数学，经济，商科。所以，他们见面更频繁也总是一起做作业，这就使与美国人的交流机会更少。

There’s no doubt that people feel more comfortable with friends from the same culture. This gives them a strong sense of security, especially in a different country, where people often feel lonely. Eventually you will have to step out of the comfort zone so that you can make progress in comprehending English and expand your social network with people of diverse cultures. If you plan on just staying with Chinese students and not getting involved in the diverse atmosphere, you are better off going to a Chinese College with less tuition.
毫无疑问，人们和同文化更相近的朋友相处会更舒服。他们将有很强的安全感，特别时在异国感到孤单之时。但你不得不离开舒适圈，这样英语能力才有所进步，也扩大了交际圈，结识了拥有不同文化的人们。如果只是和中国人待在一起而不感受多元化的氛围，你还不如去学费更少的中国大学读书。

I suggest taking part in more unfamiliar activities, like formal dances, music festival and joining more groups, like sorority or fraternity, not just Chinese students association. You should also pay more attention to American popular culture to acquire more common topics to discuss with Americans. In that way, you can blend in American environment and gain the true value of studying abroad.
我建议参与更多不熟悉的活动，像舞会，音乐节，也应该加入更多组织，像姐妹会兄弟会，不仅仅只加入中国学生会。大家也应该更关注美国流行文化来获得更多与美国同学讨论的共同话题。这样的话，你就可以融入美国的环境，同时也获得了出国的真正价值。

2 keep in touch with your parents
和父母保持联系

After kids go abroad, parents will face the “Empty nest phenomenon”. They can’t adapt to a family without you at first and maybe feel very anxious, lonely and depressed. On the other hand, they will also worry about your health, study, and etc. But even if they miss you so much, they do not want to bother you.
孩子出国后，父母会面临空巢现象。 他们不能适应没有你的生活，也可能会感到焦虑，孤单和抑郁。另一方面，他们也会担心你的健康和学业等。但哪怕他们很想念你，也不想打扰你。

So remember to call your parents frequently and tell them about your current situation to make them relieved. Also, you will feel homesick and lonely being in a different country. At first you will also face many difficulties and setbacks but still remember to contact your parents. Whenever you feel helpless, they will always be there to support you. They will also provide a lot of useful advice but you have to pay attention to the time differences. Make sure not to Wechat them when they are sleeping.
所以记得多联系父母，告诉他们你的现状，让他们放心。另外，在异国你会想家和孤独，也会在一开始遇到很多困难和挫折。此时，仍不要忘记联系父母。无论何时你感到无助，父母都在背后默默支持你。他们也会给予你有用的宝贵建议。但切记你们之间有时差，不要在他们睡觉的时候微信找他们。

3 manage time well
好好管理时间

Homework in American colleges is often shown in the syllabus, which means you can know each deadline of homework at the beginning of the semester. Using an example of writing a 10-page essay, if you are an incurable procrastinator and start working on it three days before the due, it will be really tough for you. Most likely you will stay up late writing through the night to finish the essay.
美国大学的作业通常都写在教学大纲里，所以在学期之初你就知道每个作业的截止期限。例如，你要写一篇10页的文章，如果你是一枚拖延癌患者，在死线前三天才开始写文章，那么这将会十分困难。你要熬夜，甚至通宵去完成。

As we all know, the brain won’t move fast and learning efficiency won’t be high after midnight. Therefore, even if you submit the essay on time, the quality of the essay won’t be great. For the review before midterms and finals, you will suffer from the same situation if you procrastinate. You will even stay overnight in the library to cram every exam.
我们都知道，大脑在零点后无法高速运转，而且学习效率也将变得低下。所以，哪怕你按时交了文章，质量也不会好的。同样，在期中期末考前，如果你拖延，也会遇到和交作业一样的状况。你甚至需要在图书馆刷夜，在每门考前临时抱佛脚。

Actually you can avoid being rushed by working on homework and reviews in advance, maybe a week before. You should make a good time management and push towards yourself, like making a plan and not leaving work behind. Additionally, don't waste so much time in chatting, watching videos, playing games, and etc. because you will regret wasting time before each due date. More importantly, always staying up late will negatively influence your health. In all, please don’t be a procrastinator or a crammer and start working ahead of time.
实际上你可以避免这样的情况，比如提前做作业和复习，比如提前一周。你也应该做好时间规划来督促自己，比如做个计划并且今日事今日毕。另外，不要花太多时间在聊天，看视频，玩游戏等活动上，不然每个截止日期前你都会悔恨万分。更重要的是，熬夜伤身体。总之，不要做个拖延症患者和临时抱佛脚的人，一定要提前开始做事。

4 take diverse classes
上不同的课

American colleges do not force you to confirm your major in the first two years. They focus more on general education so that you can determine your major in your junior year. I suggest taking classes in diverse subjects, not just the courses you are interested or major in. You should explore more so that you can know which subject you like most and which one fits you best. Some subjects, like anthropology or philosophy, you probably think is not useful in your future or cannot help you find a job. Unaware that these kinds of social science subjects will challenge your critical thinking and give you the ability to think rigorously and deeply. I hope you try more classes of different subjects in the first two years and you can gain more precious knowledge and make a wise decision of your major.
美国大学不要求你在大一大二定下专业。他们更注重通识教育，所以你可以大三再定专业。我建议多上不同学科的课，不只是你感兴趣的或者专业课。你应该去探索你最爱的以及最适合你的学科。一些科目，像人类学或者哲学，可能你认为对未来没用或者根本没法让你找到工作，但这些人文社科可以锻炼你的批判性思维，也给予了你严谨和深度思考的能力。我希望大家在大一大二时多上些不同的课程，你将收获宝贵知识，也能对专业做出明智的决定。

5 Be independent
要独立

Obviously, American colleges are totally different from your previous Chinese schools, which follow the examination-oriented education. In American colleges, professors do not pay much attention and supervision on every individual because undergraduate students have grown up and professors cannot focus on such a big number of students. Therefore, you have to work hard and take cautious actions or you will let your parents down and waste the valuable four years of college. In daily life, no one will help you deal with trivia like buying living goods, cooking, and washing. When you are sick or in any trouble, you have to take care of yourselves and overcome every obstacle. You cannot rely on anyone so you have to be independent, even if it's challenging.
很显然，美国大学和以往采取应试教育的中国学校完全不同。在美国大学里，教授不会关注和督促每个个体，因为大学生已是成年人，教授也没有办法对这么多学生上心。所以，你不得不自觉努力学习，否则你会让父母失望，也会浪费宝贵的四年时光。在日常生活中，没有人会帮助你处理琐事，比如买生活用品，做饭，洗衣服。当你生病或遇上麻烦时，你也要自己照顾自己，去克服每个困难。你不能依靠任何人，所以一定要独立，哪怕很有挑战性。