How Beginner Friendly is The UofM Really?
My experiences as a total newcomer to UMN and American life
Rodrigo Rivera
My first purchase in the US was paying for my taxi to go to the University of Minnesota. $50! I had no phone plan, no US acquaintances, and all of my money was in cash. I was carrying my suitcase, two carry-ons, and five layers of jackets, all of them weighing over 40 kilogr… No, wait! You guys use pounds. I just feel like 88 pounds doesn’t mean anything in my mind yet.
Anyway, I was alone, and even though I had done my fair share of research, being on campus (and America) for the first time was way different from what I had pictured. I even remember getting my keys and walking towards my room, thinking about how I’d get to talk to native English speakers for the first time, live in a dorm, and do all those cool things I’d only seen in American media.
Well, there is one thing movies and shows don’t really teach you, nor does anyone for that matter. I am talking about “The Hidden Curriculum”, a term that’s gained a lot of traction in my life over the past month.
What is the hidden curriculum, you ask? Well, I like to think of it as all of the things that you subconsciously learn over time while living in a certain culture or community, to the point that nobody bothers explaining them because they’ve become “common sense”. There’s just one problem; they’re not common sense to me! So let me tell you some not-so-obvious things that students like me—be they international, transfer, first-generation, etc.—may have found surprising, annoying, or downright confusing about the U of M, and what the people here, and the system itself have done to aid in this transition process full of trial and error.
Let’s start strong. You all are so nice! I honestly didn’t expect to feel SO welcome. I may be exaggerating, but I haven’t met an ACTUAL rude person yet (maybe I’m just lucky). I have definitely asked too many questions, but neither faculty nor students ever made me feel like that was ever a bad thing. Most importantly, the people here are very fond and accepting of differences; I mean it. Others think it’s cool that I come from Peru, that I enjoy singing, or that I get very excited about seemingly menial things that are new to me. You add the numerous student groups, movements, and policies on campus looking to promote diversity and inclusion, and you end up with an environment that makes one feel free and like they belong.
Let’s talk about academics… Nobody told me that 19 credits was too many! I had no concept of how the US system worked before I got here, and I couldn’t visit campus before committing, or even for orientation. The result? Not too bad, really; not because it is not a lot of work—BECAUSE IT IS—but because here in the US, professors are more like your friends, and there’s such a plethora of classes to choose from that you are bound to find things you actually care about. It’s baffling (and seriously cool) that for every reading and questions-from-the-book homework I receive, I’m also graded for “what’s your opinion on this?” or “what are you passionate about?”
Finally, the campus. It is BIG, like… so big that I’ve had no problem calling it my home. Google maps doesn’t do it justice. Every building is nothing short of beautiful, and there really seems to be a place you can go to for ANYTHING. Case in point, I’ve been here a month and haven’t even been inside one-tenth of the buildings.
By now you must be thinking, ‘aww, it’s great how easy we make it for those internationals’, but this is not always true. I simply know very well that you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. I’ve had problems with being an international student, sure, but even all of my documentation issues or cultural misunderstandings couldn’t trump the value I’ve gained from being here. I mean, I’ve met so many wonderful people, I’m attending so many events, and I’m learning a lot.
You belong here, never forget that.
I’ll close with some culture shock honorable mentions:
“You can drink tap water?!” “Why is tax not already on the price??” “SO MUCH GRASS!!” “Do I HAVE to tip?” “I don’t know a single place you mentioned, sorry.”