5 Culture Shocks Entering USA from India | Graduate Student, Columbia University
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2018
- **BIG NEWS**
A book I had been working on for eight months now, titled Admitted, is launched on Amazon! It is a guide for those of you who dream to study abroad. In 350 pages, you will learn everything there is to getting into your dream university and preparing to study abroad. Topics include: choosing universities, writing the SOP/Resume/LOR/other essays, applying for scholarships, picking the dream university, getting your visa, setting up an online profile, and more! Go ahead, purchase, and come be part of my private Slack group: goto.admittedthebook.com/order :)
**ABOUT THIS VIDEO**
It's been over 13 months since I came to the US for my Master's. I entered the US first in 2016 as part of the S.N.Bose Scholarship program. There have been many culture shocks that I observed since then, and I thought it would be useful to talk about some of them. Thank you for watching and hoping to hear about your culture shock experiences! :)
Blog article: www.bsoundarya.com/internship...
P.S. Yes, I shot this video in Mumbai during a vacation ;)
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the biggest difference i've noticed is that in India, they treat college students like children with curfews/attendance/dress code etc but in the US they treat college students like fully grown adults.
I’m from the US and it’s interesting to hear the other perspective. Cause I get a culture shock when I go to India
Hey, I am Indian but I have never been to USA but I as much as i have seen through internet, Vlogs and movies I think can guess the cultural shocks from your perspective, let me know if I'm right, These are the differences which I observed through internet.
Good things:-
-Food
-Spiritual
-Architecture/ monuments
-Clothing
Bad things:-
-Less Globalization
-Traffic
-Less Cleanliness
People in India pay more to eat at Mc D while vegetables are so cheap here.
Amal Dev It is GMO, not real food in USA.
But veg r poisonous now a days bro..
Mc Donald fans justifying...😂😂
Thank god for that!!
Everyone wanted free lunch without cooking.We must learn the value of cooking.From Agriculture to F&B
First major cultural shock for me was throwing food away. .. when i first time stepped in US out of airport, we stopped at Dunkin doughnuts on our way home. I ordered a chocolate doughnut along with coffee but the lady gave me plain doughnut. Without even touching it i told her that she gave me the wrong one. She immediately threw first one away in garbage and gave me the one i wanted.
And other shocking thing is use of one time plastic and paper... US use probably 100 times more plastic and paper than India.
@@AbhiChede09 but we don't throw it in the street
@@astoria791 so where does it go.. throwing in dust bin doesn't vanish it
@@AbhiChede09 they actually recycle it bro
@@wolverineiscool7161 one time use plastic.. like thise plastic bags u get in every grocery stores. Thats why India has banned those plastic bags. Only bags with more than 10 micron thickness are allowed.
The best thing abroad is that they truly believe in having a balance between personal and professional life. It's not only work work work or the opposite.
@Thanos Mighty yeah but that's the person's choice. The establishments don't exactly force the students unless it's a big one that has a reputation to uphold. So yeah, it depends on the person.
P.s and i realise that's exactly what you said..oof...
You aren't a student for long. 😄 ...Many Corporations and Universities etc. will try to save money by putting two jobs on you. Someone leaves and they don't hire a replacement, you get that extra work. I see it all the time. If you are good at what you do the company thinks you can always do More!
This is so not true in the US!
@@aprilblossoms4 how is it then?
I guess India has a good work life balance compared to the US!
In india most of our time will be spent on classrooms we don't have time to work our system is totally messed up
True..
One reason behind this too much knowledge sharing.Example you are a computer student, the course started from Atom, EMF, I= V/R and so on.They must teach the core subject and commercial application.
Yeah and those classrooms really teach nothing. Students have to cram all those things just before the exams only. That's why we produce so much unskilled workforce. Our theoretical knowledge is top notch due to cramming but practical knowledge zero.
Yeahhh😫
Indian education is all about rote learning, and puke them all in the answer script. Not much thinking is involved there.
American students are in huge debt for college, that is why parents put kids to work early in states so they develop a sense of responsibility..... whereas education in India is highly subsidized by the government
True👍
Acute observation
Also India have such huge population and competition that even masters degree or phd holders fails to get decent job that they deserve , India definitely doesn't even have half proper jobs compared to population.
@@exevil2056 extreme population is the hub or like the glacier of all the problem streams in india be it corruption, lifestyle, competitiveness and the list goes on and on........
Teenagers r always high in America 😂
Work in India is also subsidized
Not cultural shock , but price of internet there also gave shock to me .
You know you're in the wrong country when a burger costs more than a salad.
Ginijkumar Vaishnav well no not really. Fast food Burgers cost less because fast food is just cheap in general. Salads are expensive because they have many fresh, organic ingredients. Organic food, or just food that is good for ur body costs a lot more and u can see that when u go to organic grocery stores. It costs a lot of money compared to your regular Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, Trader Joe, Whole Foods, etc.
@@user-fl1hu1op5u You just composed a nice essay of exactly what I said.
Organic food doesn't have to costly unless the seller wants it to be costly.
Hence, wrong country.
@@ginijbond well yeah but it depends on what country you're in. In America organic food is usually more expensive
even in india, fastfood is cheaper than fruitdish !!
@@mansipatel1
Go to Mcdonald or kfc and then to a fruit shop. See the difference
As an Indian American that grew up in the US, this was super interesting. A lot of the things you mentioned, such as working throughout school, and cooking/cleaning for yourself, seemed so normal to me. I didn’t realize it was so different in India! But it’s very cool to see the contrast of environment.
Yeah that needs to change. But let's not Shame an entire gender.
@Shivani B men always kings
I am amazed at the way I see the younger generation in India. They want ALL the freedom that their counter parts in US enjoy. However the concept of getting their own place, paying their own rent, buying and cooking their own food , doing their own laundry and THEN get the freedom to do whatever they want is completely alien to them. They want Mummy and Daddy to pay for everything but want all the freedom that younger generation has in Umreeka...
@Shivani B Completely agree
It is not about India really, it is about staying away from your parents, except for working.
My culture shock:
1.No jet spray, people use toilet paper. I do my Indian way.
2. No human resource here. People are totally dependent on electric and metal items.
3. Too much use and throw culture,hence waste generation is too much.
People now use toilet paper everywhere.
people depend on electric items everywhere .
Neither of this is a culture shock lol. You can buy Bidets in America too.
I know, when I went there people used paper plates on daily basis like that’s so much waste
No wonder USA is on the top five most waste generating counties, more than India which has a higher population
@Alter Ego yes,now I am only using my 'lota'😄
That guy at the back is doing a lot of stretching :P
Over-stretching can lead to muscle sprain.
Hahaha that’s funny
:-) LOL
couple of them actually...lol
Lol
A nice reflection with in-depth observation and exp. Enjoyed the video. Yes in college the responsibility that comes with independence can be a blessing and a curse. The importance of self discipline cannot be over looked.
Hi Soundarya,
That's precise information and very nicely narrated. I had been to USA from 1999 to 2005 and I can easily relate to what you said and advised. Well done, keep it up and all the best!
You speak very well for your age . I myself living in US and already knew all these stuff what you said but I still watched whole video
Can’t agree with you enough! Came here in 2001 from Chennai to the US to do MS Biology. Huge huge huge cultural shock. So much reminding of my old days here. I was so naive and had no clue what I was getting into but today I am so thankful for my parents to have sent me alone. They are proud and I am proud to be independent.
For your friends traveling to other places in the USA, prices vary widely across the USA. New York City is on the high end as is Seattle, LA, San Franscico. Texas cities, Dallas and Houston, and Wheeling West Virginia are in the middle of the range. Food prices are lower in suburbs and rural areas than in the city centers where ever you go in the USA.
For living spaces, New York is super expensive vs other places. For example, in 2000, my sister had a two bedroom apartment in the SoHo area of NYC that was 660 square feet for $2500 per month. At the same time, I paid $850 for 1300 square feet in an apartment close to downtown Dallas. Like food, prices per square foot are generally higher in cities than in suburbs or rural/small towns for comparable neighborhoods.
In 2020, my office is in a rented out house (about 4,000 Sq.ft). I believe the rent is about USD500 per month. 😁😁😉 This is a city about 200km away from the capital.
@@freecommentor you believe or it really is 500$ ?
@@TheMartianMan I checked from admin and its just USD340 per month.
Plus : Excellent infrastructure to promote travel and tourism, Extremely rare electricity outages, Very good disaster management/preparation, Lot of integrity at the consumer level
Minus : Too much of 'replace' instead of repair causing a lot of waste generation, High resource usage (electricity/water etc)
In India it is not safe to drink tap water we drink it only after boiling it but in New Zealand people directly drink the tap water. This is the thing which I couldn't believe at first.
Same in Singapore too
Yeah it's a shame that India cannot provide safe/clean tap water to it's citizens and people have to rely on filtering systems to clean their own water.
I'm from UK, we drink tap water too, but it's not direct tap water, we have water purifier (RO) in the main water inlet, thus the making the water clean and safe to drink. I have been to the US and Singapore too, it same way there too. [Don't drink direct tap water]
So sad to tell this: In the area I live, many people suffer from a "Chronic Kidney Disease". (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6409411/) Although the reasons are still unknown, many believe it is related to the drinking water.
So noone dares to drink from a tap. Even day labourers use to bring a bottle of drinking water. Personally I buy bottled water (19 litre bottles) which are bottled from sources at safe areas. 🤑🤑😥
bro , in new delhi , india tap water is drinkable
I worked part time while doing my graduation in Ahmedabad, India. I am proud of myself for doing so.
What type of work u do.... I'm college student at Gandhinagar and I also do some part time work can u sugges me...
Good to know that hardly anything changed for the past 29 years when I first came to US in 1990. I only spent the money brought from India for the first semester from then onwards I paid for the rest of fees myself for the next 3 years and completed dual degree in Masters. Responsibilities and freedom go hand in hand.
How much do you bring?
u were really good in telling all this things sometimes I feel iam not doing anything thing when I hear such things it's just the environment which change u instantly. my frnd from us Kel is work twice as much nd she is only 16
I am an engineer working in railways.
Recently I attended a Road cleaning campaign, there was a doctor present there. When the doctor introduced himself, everybody started clapping.
That is the first time I felt insecure about my job, from then on I kept thinking why I didn't become doctor.
I hate Indian traditions sometimes.
I think it is not tradition but the way of thinking of people here.
I didn't get what tradition is here?? Every field has down and up side. Even doctors are beaten at some place.. What were you expecting? If u want people to clap for you first clap for yourself.
everything has it's own pros and cons
learn to find good in all the things !!
being insecure happens to most of the people !!
Indian culture is totally fucked up.
@@nandhakishor103 it isn't. It's few bunch of people misinterpreting everything! And unfortunately such people are more in number.
I watched your video before moving to the US and it really helped me out, especially about the fact that you get to choose your classes. Thank you Soundarya!
I found the independence and responsibility part (8:22 onnwards) the most insightful. Thanks for sharing
Great video! I moved to India from the US for a year (2017-2018) and love your country. I actually prefer your water hoses to our toilet paper, haha. It's really interesting to hear a young person from India talk about what it is like coming to America.
Maggi N that's so sweet❤️ Also, I'm so glad you liked it better than toilet paper😂
Hope you had a great time here Maggi.
Starkly said! Each and every word of it.
Great:)
Really appreciate your efforts into making such a well organized video. Kudos. :)
Nice vid. My eyes were on the uncle Ji in the background 😂 Good one to make ppl stay till the end lol
Haha
Lol
Hi oldo :)
600 is also costly for umbrella.
Nice work Soundarya. Love from Tamil Nadu 😎 . I'm also gonna do MS in America 🤗
Any update. Even I wanna do msc in usa
@@jayanthk9632 any update, even i am also want to do
It's really very comprehensive way to tell in short time for the student who think about abroad study.... Very nice.... It's very informative.
Great video. Ninja Uncle doing the standing asana kinda steals show. There are so many horrible videos with meat-heat Americans explaining culture shock in India, but really this video is just as informative about India as it about America. I'd like to see more.
Yes do let us know whats going on in Columbia.
Ur videos are very informative 👍🏻
Genghis DA2 Absolutely! Will soon make one to show you all the campus!
Beautiful video! I have lived in the US for more than 20 years and I loved this young girl's honest observations. Very matured and very intelligent observations for such a young girl.
To summarise it:
In India, people will 100% judge you by your grades and your profession (Atleast this is what I've clearly observed)
For instance : People will give more respect a doctor compare to teacher !!!! :|
Even an accountant or a student of commerce and arts is looked below an engineer or doctor.
And I don't believe any profession or course is less or doesn't require efforts. Any area of study needs equal concentration and dedication to excel it.
@@patriotic190 I'm an engineer... Thus I can relate to this bro
@Jagga Daku ok I agree with you that to get a stable job and a status our parents wanted us to get into engineering or mbbs. Because there weren't much opportunities back then.
But what about now. Even this generation is like that. There are so many opportunities for each and every stream. If you do a commerce with MBA from a reputed institution you are good to go ahead. You can do CA, CS, CWA , Economics. Etc. As the industries and opportunities increase people should be flexible enough to accept any field.
India doesn't have any certification courses that's the reason people don't try something new.
Soon after 10th when someone says that they got into commerce or arts society looks them as criminals or useless. This trend should change.
Ronak Macwan very true
Jagga Daku everyone deserves respect regardless their profession. There shouldn’t be any discrimination. So what if someone is a doctor or an engineer? So what if they have studied a lot? There are people out there who might not have a uni degree but they have gone through extreme hardships in their lives. This mindset in India has to change. Parents want to see their children becoming doctors or engineers like the other jobs aren’t good. I personally know someone who’s got an engineering degree, hasn’t found a job in his field yet and he doesn’t want to do any other work because he’s afraid of what the people will say. He’s afraid of people judging him that he does this job while having an engineering degree.
You explained it all so well.
Thanks for the honest info:)
This is a very informative video for me as I am attending the UC Berkeley summer sessions in a few days time. I really look forward to spending 2 months in the US. Nice to know your perspective regarding the lifestyle in US. Cheers
Very helpful👍thank you very much for sharing your experiences. Accepting the daily life challenges is a great learning experience & are also lessons for life to be your best in all situations 👍
Same assignment culture exists in IITs and that's why they are so good. My BTech(private college) CGPA was 7.4 and my MTech(IIT Kharagpur) CGPA was 9.3. This difference in CGPAs are due to assignments and hands on experience IITs give.
Wtf lol, iit professors sucks and sucks students...
Yes agree with you .. IIT DELHI 8.7 CGPA
In which company you are working now, and what was your m tech branch if you can tell please
LOL Matkas explaining IIT is hilarious
@@mr.rachetphilanthrophist601 CSE
The little things are always the most important. Thanks for the video, it was really helpful!
Great to learn good things which I know but never think in such way you thought..I really appreciate for your time to make this video.
Really want to know more from you about UW,Madison college culture for a new student for undergrad for Computer Science.
your descriptions are spot on. Good job!
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Thank you for sharing yr stay in us. Salute from Malaysia
Good video to learn for people going to other countries. I would like to add few more points: Self help (or self service). Following queues, that is first come first serve concept. Adjusting to weather conditions and change in food habits to suit local weather conditions. Respecting others and government rules and law of land.
This was so helpful. Thank you for sharing this
So glad!
I don't even know what career am gonna choose, let alone my major. I mean I still got two more years, am a sophomore right know.
Hey hi , just found you channel. You explained everything so nicely.
Wonderful analytical info. Thanks a lot...
Well said n expressed really well. Thanks a lot!!!💐
You should totally change the cover image to include 1M+ views, Soundarya. Not for the vanity metric, but more people are aware of this content through CZcams's SEO. :) Awareness is the key.
When people have lot of trust on you, so that subconsciously you'll keep upto the trust , you won't do anything that breaks the trust 🔥
Thanks for this video...thts useful for me in future
I totally agree with you.people in the US are really friendly
Now I can imagine how the countries like Poland feel like they are on the top of happiness chart.
Scholarships include which thing like tuition fee,living expenses etc
Very well explained-Excellent, esp Point no 5 , Thanks Capt TR Retd
This is so true! Well analyzed.
Useful Content 👍
As a Indian who studied in Canada for several years I can relate to some of things you said, although I wish you touched upon some of the darker aspects of studying in a foreign country too, yes people are friendly but there is also a contrast, for example if you'r walking in the street and are in need of some help nobody will bother to really stop and help you, because most of them are mechanical and are always in a hurry, most of the things you have to figure out by yourself which is both good and bad. Also you form a lot of superficial relationships meaning people will try and use you to get what they want and then leave, I guess it happens everywhere but in places like Canada it does happen a lot because so many people from so many countries and even people from the same country.... everyone is in a competitive field and they don't have time to form real meaningful relationships with you.
@THYAGARAJAN T.R. You are correct sir, there is still some humanity left in India, it's very hard to find that in the west as everyone is constantly trying to survive and will get ahead by any means.
Pooja, a good document you had provided. Keep it up.
This video is so helpful ✨💕
Wow... you’re studying in a private Ivy League... that’s really cool... congrats and good luck
Masters karna is easy abroad
Ooo I didn’t know she was doing her masters... yes it’s easier abroad.. but not IVY leagues... no one can easily get into an Ivy League...
Columbia is not ivy league.getting into leage is easy depends upon your score and luck !! Extremely easy when compared to Indian institutes. !!!!!!
ester y ummm... Columbia is an Ivy League... the acceptance rate for Columbia is 6%.. Columbia is the third most hardest to get into in the US... it’s very competitive.. even with the perfect SAT scores and GPA, your chances are only 11% ... btw, who told you Columbia wasn’t an Ivy League ?
AT Star ya right .. it’s easy like typing a comment on Facebook .. go back your mom is calling you !!
"Small talk" is one of the major culture shocks I've witnessed in the USA.
Really? I small talk all the time with random strangers while just standing in line at a store waiting to be checked out lol . It's normal thing people do ..
Soundarya says people are friendly at USA. Actually speaking, people are friendly almost everywhere. It’s just the way how Americans do small talk that distinguishes from other guys.
@avani ivani Ohh I see , well come here and I'll small talk with ya hahaha😊
@avani ivani Haha thanks 😊
@@kellysuzanne976 I'm from Sri Lanka. Here most people rarely talk with strangers. Even when you see someone you know distantly, (like someone you have met few times, but don't know his name) people don't talk. But here there's a culture of smiling at anyone. We call that treating with a smile. So most foreigners find Sri Lankans are very friendly. (I'm not telling they are not. What I mean is, smile feels friendlier than small talks for most strangers' and that is what we excel at. 😁😁😉)
That was a lovely real talk. I know my daughter went through all those shocks, though she was on a work visa.
Very intelligent and well spoken young woman. This is an interesting video topic!
Great video for me...it gave me great information... thank you...
My life... point to point correct.. but I m now used to it..I m from U.k...here, there is lot of culture difference
Thank you for the information.👍
Just watched it here in 2020 and I can see you'have changed alot after seeing new post about admitted.
I love your accent and hair! Thank you for making a wonderful video! This was really informative!
U r words flow at ease d v true in thought..SD be helpful to many
This post is really nice and helpful to all willing to go US for studies
Soundarya, this was an excellent analysis of what you experienced in the USA. Clearly you are a very sharp person and will go far in life.
Sooo true! Nice :)
The guy in the black shorts 😂
Hahaha, I know right. Had no clue while shooting!
I really liked their classroom culture & doing a part time jobs & paying for doing higher education . Another thing you said doing all you daily chores of your own .
Great video!! I wish you the best!!
A great video... Thank you...
I study in New York since 2016. I would like to add that students here have lots of opportunities from volunteering to working full time. People here respect experience more than ur degree. I have few classmates and they always complain about their time management but in the end all matters for them is that they want experience in the field which they want to pursue. Moreover government here covers all tuition fees for students who have low or middle income. So it’s good at the end.
I got more shock back in my country with studies and people stare at you all the time
@rajesh maurya I am Bangladeshi
@@tahsintabassums don't worry about that guy he's obviously a creep who likes to stare at people and hence got offended LMAO.
@@mina0rahman thanks 😘😊
@rajesh maurya you're*
Bhai agar angrezi nahi aati toh Hindi me hi comment Kiya karo
@rajesh maurya an asshole spotted!!
The video was quite helpful 👍
I can kind of resonate with the second point. I mean not country wise but I did get a shock when I got the opportunity to pick my own courses in my university (Flame University) in comparison to the compulsory course pattern we have in high school. But I still hear this from a lot of my friends that they don't get a say in their course structure in their respective undergraduate universities.
You're so graceful and beautiful... And obviously intelligent. 🙏🏻😍
The first months is pretty shocking and specially when you get off the plane.
Everyone around you and the things are so different..it's like are you on earth or Mars....thankfully it is still earth
Lol
Kasganj Tube how is it now for you?
Nice video!! Great points!! Awesome!! 👏👏👏
Haha, thanks Kaushik! :D
Hi Saundarya, facts well said. These culture shocks can be good or bad. People who are open minded and adventurous will get use to it and will become stronger and successful.
Awwwww...u made this video in Sindhi society garden!!🤩💃
Why I'm watching this when I'm chilling in goa
Lol
Thank you for sharing your experience...😀
Very nice ! Good info for newcomers
When I went to India it was a culture shock. There were cows all over the roads.
Your voice made me Keep watching!!
Thanks for the information...very helpful 👍 tc
Hi, it's an useful content out thr. Apparently, you are absent from youtube for some months or so. Looking forward for more such useful videos. Keep posting, ha.
Hey could you help me to know the procedure to get scholarship....
Cultural shock is in every kilometres of india... I don't believe in the topic of people not being friendly in india and they are more friendly abroad. I have lived in 3 cities of india more than year at each city, had been friends with rich /poor my observation is ( world around you is not how world is with you... But it's how you are with world) except few exception s that are there everywhere
@AsiA I. This not true of course there are exceptions everywhere.
So generalizing this is not appropriate.
I have been in the US for more than 5 years now and i amazing friends here, who are well mannered and respect their family, friends and people around them.
The fact is people in US smile or say "hi" to strangers whereas in India people don't even make an eye contact. Indians are rude initially but once you break the ice they are very friendly and very helping whereas Americans don't go beyond the initial "hi".
completely agree ! i was wondering if everyone felt the same way as her.
@@RS-sr6nu so if I don't say hi to strangers I am rude...wow... great logic.
As a person who was born and raised in the U.S I visit India all the time and I always have a culture shock because everything’s cheaper and the water sprayer for the bathroom always bothers me but I love visiting my home country.
Hey! Thanks for the detailed video. Don’t know if you’ll see this. Just curious on what you doing now ? As in are you working in the US or came back to India ?