Student Voices: I'm an International Student at Barnard

At just about 2,400 strong, Barnard's small student body offers an astounding diversity of thought and background. In addition to those students who represent almost all of the fifty states, about 10% of our students were educated abroad and students hail from 53 different countries around the world. While international students contribute their rich and varied experiences to the fabric of life at Barnard, they often face some unique challenges in adapting to life and education in the U.S. 

We asked some of our international students to reflect upon their transition to Barnard and how their experience has aligned with their expectations. Take a look at what they had to say.

Margot Théocharidès ‘16

Margot Théocharidès ‘16
Paris, France

Moving to New York and attending an American women's college wasn't as dramatic a change as I had expected. I was nervous to move away as I thought I could never live away from Europe – it had been my home for the past 18 years. I was nervous that I would be forced to integrate into a culture that was so different from mine. But I was relieved when I realized that was not the case. The professors and my peers are all fascinating, intelligent and cultured people who share the same curiosity for life as I do. I never felt alone or an odd one out. New York and its inhabitants embrace you the second you get here and you can't help but fit in among the hundreds of nationalities represented.

What is funny when you arrive in America, though, is that everyone you meet is so fascinated by the fact that you come from anywhere that isn't America. They question you and ask you if you know their one relative who lives in your country. But you smile and embrace it, because you know that you ask them the exact same questions about their homes. I'm as foreign to the state of North Carolina as my friend is to Paris, and those conversations have made me realize that most of us at Barnard - international or not - have left home to be here. Most of us have taken a big chance by moving somewhere new to experience this amazing college.

Maybe I have been extremely lucky because, except for having to get my F-20 visa stamped biannually, I have had the most wonderful experience here as an international student. The people are kind, the classes are riveting and I have never felt as if I struggled with a language barrier, nor have any of my international friends. Now that I am here I cannot imagine being anywhere else. New York, and specifically Barnard, is my home away from home.

Asami Odate '16

Asami Odate '16
Japan/Singapore

Coming from an international school in Singapore, I thought I was prepared. After moving schools three times in my middle school years, I thought I was prepared. After being in a place where no one spoke my language and surviving just fine, I thought I was prepared. But I thought wrong. As with any transition, there have been some ups and downs. I didn’t think I would miss my third culture kid community that much, but at the same time, I didn’t think I would fall in love with New York City so instantly. 

Despite being the source of endless bustle, it was Barnard that got me back on track after the transition. Barnard’s academic rigor kept me safely away from homesickness and the dance studios became my second home. It helped me a lot to join the dance community here at Barnard; to be able to continue my passion seriously and not just as a regular extra-curricular. Before I realized, I had my own spot on campus. When having a spot on campus is not enough, there is always a magical place called New York City, Mecca for any self-identified artists, to wander around for a while.

Photo credit: Asami Odate '16

Shezza Abboushi Dallal '16
Beirut, Lebanon

In November of 2011, when I sat down to write the supplement for Barnard, I found myself stuck on the question about what it was about Barnard that influenced my decision to apply. Essentially, that was because I had such grandiose expectations of the Barnard experience, and I didn’t know where to begin. 

Academically, I hoped that Barnard’s approach to liberal arts and sciences would recreate education for me as being—above all else—an interaction. Growing up in both Casablanca and Beirut, I was fortunate enough to be educated in excellent American and international schools. Still, my interactions with my classmates and teachers did not consistently maintain intellectual depth and substance. One of the most wonderful things about being a student at Barnard, as well as a resident of New York City, is that I find myself constantly challenged. I never stop being a student or stop being intellectually stimulated. For the first time in my life, inspiring conversations and learning opportunities are not just scheduled into an hour-long class. Instead, I find myself engaging on a day-to-day basis with a variety of insightful and worldly individuals—be that a professor, a guest speaker at a lecture, a classmate, or a friend.  

Shezza Abboushi Dallal '16

Socially, I did not know what to expect. At first, the experience of moving away from my family and hometown, no matter how grand the experience, seemed daunting—and it was. For several months of my freshman year I felt like I was an alien to American culture and too different to ever be truly integrated into Barnard’s community. The more people I met and opened up to, the more carefully I listened in class, and the greater the effort I made to immerse myself in campus-wide opportunities, the more I realized that this alienation was a construction of my own misconceptions. I started to realize that I was not just a large contributor to the international population at Barnard, but also a small contributor to Barnard’s immensely diverse population. 

In short, I would say that my experience at Barnard thus far has taught me two main things. The first is that global experiences and ethnicity do not create worldliness or diversity; individuals alone can do that—regardless of where they are from and how far they’ve traveled. The second is that education is a life-long endeavor. Barnard’s community, as I have experienced it, embodies both of these concepts and, as such, I am perfectly at home.