My name is Li, and I'm an International Student

Meet Li, a current sophomore at Fordham and a student from Shanghai, China.

Can you tell me a little bit about your school in China and how you first became interested in Fordham?

Well, I went to a key high school in Shanghai. Initially, I decided to go to a college in Shanghai. However, some of my friends were enthusiastic about applying to American universities and invited me to take the TOEFL and the SAT. I took the tests to get a taste for the prestigious ETS standardized tests. My parents thought that studying abroad experience would help me broaden my worldview and be beneficial to my personal growth. My father helped me choose some universities near New York where my aunt lives. My father’s friend who is very familiar with American universities recommended Fordham to me and this was the first time I heard about this school. After I did some research, Fordham’s famous business program attracted me. Further, its beautiful campus and great location in NYC impressed me a lot. Finally, I decided to apply.

That's a pretty drastic change--wanting to go to school in Shanghai and then coming to Fordham. Were you worried at all?

Honestly, I do not know what my biggest worry was, because I had too many confusions and I was not sure whether I would be able to adapt to another culture and the new life before I came here. I had never been to the US before I started college. Therefore, I had limited knowledge about everything in the US, including going to school there. It was the riskiest thing I did in my life to come all the way to America alone without knowing anything.

Without any preparation, I came here with thousands of questions about everything. What housing should I choose? How can I pay for the tuition? What classes should I register for? Where can I get cheap textbooks? Even more importantly, what is a meal plan? However, fortunately, there are always students or people here to guide you and help you. After several months, everything became smooth to me.

What was your biggest challenge?

Since American classes are very different from Chinese classes, I spent a period of time adapting to the classes here. It is easy to understand the lectures in English. However, classes like history and philosophy focus on participation and sharing your own opinions. American students are very active and are encouraged to question and engage in discussion with their professors. In addition, I lacked in backgrounds and vocabulary in some subjects like theology and western history, I had difficulty joining the participation. Thus, I studied hard after class, and I turned to professors for extra help. My professors were very accessible and friendly, and really helped me out. Now, not only can I participate in class discussions, but I also feel free to share my knowledge of Chinese culture and history with students and professors in class.

What are some things that you have been involved in at Fordham?

One of the most rewarding experiences I have had at Fordham was a Global Outreach trip to San Diego. Global Outreach is a student-led program at Fordham, facilitating service and learning immersion experiences for students. After a competitive application process, I was selected as a member of San Diego team. Initially, I was seeking a relaxed trip to California for spring break. However, everything changed afterwards. Six months before the trip, our team started to hold all kinds of fundraising events. To prepare for the trip, we joined a midnight-run in Manhattan, reaching out to New York's homeless population. Faced with such social injustices, I suddenly felt the responsibility on my shoulder to contribute much as I can for social equality. Eventually, we were in San Diego working with and helping homeless kids. Those kids were in a great need for love, and their stories inspired me to continue my volunteering journey. I am now continuing community service at LIFT (a NGO for individual client meetings for find jobs and applying public benefits) in the Bronx.
The Global Outreach trip not only helped me get to know more about the social environment of American society, but also allowed me to help others within my own abilities.

Thanks, Li!