Author: Yttrium Sua

For the Prospective International Student Wondering About Comfort Zones

Posted on by Yttrium Sua
As the head mentor for the International Student Mentor Program (ISMP), I have always felt that the presence of international students on campus brings an interesting dynamic to campus life. We grew up in different environments and cultures (what Bourdieu calls habitus), and the things we do and say here sometimes challenge assumptions that students and professors make both in ...
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For the Prospective Student Thinking About Studying Abroad

Posted on by Yttrium Sua
The issue of study abroad has been discussed over and over again on this blog, probably moreso than any other single topic. However, it really testifies to the experiences and rewards that studying abroad can bring to a student, and today, I am going to provide my two cents’ worth on the matter. I studied abroad in Kyoto, Japan, and while many students choose to study ab...
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For the Prospective Student Wondering About Los Angeles

Posted on by Yttrium Sua
Coming to the US for college was my first time entering this country, and my eager mind was filled with preconceived notions and images of this place, notions created through a childhood diet of Sesame Street and American Idol. Los Angeles was a fantastical place for me, a glamorous city filled with celebrities in sweatshirts walking down sidewalks drinking Starbucks (or, as th...
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For the Worried Prospective Who Wants to Stay Substance Free…

Posted on by Yttrium Sua
When talking to international students, one of the things many were surprised by is substance use on college campuses. In many countries, Singapore included, the legal drinking age is 18 – lower than it is in the U.S. When we start drinking, it’s not with friends in a dorm room on a Friday night. It might be with our parents at a wedding, or at a bar with friends. There is ...
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For the Prospective International Student (Especially Those of Asian Descent)

Posted on by Yttrium Sua
I am Yttrium Sua, a senior double majoring in anthropology and environmental analysis. I come from the tropical island-nation of Singapore and I spent my junior year abroad in Kyoto, Japan. In my post, I hope to provide another perspective, to relate some of the things I have been exposed to during my 4 years in college and in the US – things I have experienced as a Pomona C...
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