Friday, June 30, 2017
Healthy Habits for the Summer
It’s summer here in the US and for most students that means a time to relax, hang out with friends and just unwind. For some though, it’s a time for self-improvement. With all the sunny weather and free time at hand it’s a good idea to focus on yourself and create healthy habits for the summer before the rush of fall begins.
If you’ve decided to make this summer about establishing healthy habits that improve your mental health, fitness, eating habits and overall wellness, below are some of my tips to help you start those healthy habits this summer!
Manage Stress
Everyone gets stressed out from time to time and during this summer, when things are a little slower, it’s a good time to practice how to manage your stress. If you feel stress approaching, take a few deep breaths to help you slow down your thoughts. Try to control your breathing by breathing in and out, slow and deep. Once you have your breath under control start mindfully thinking of positive thoughts and outcomes. It takes practice but each time you take a little break for yourself you’ll feel relaxed, peaceful and better than before. Now is also a good time to find an activity that you enjoy and that helps you relax like meditation, yoga, music, drawing or writing.
Eat Well
This summer is a great time to start eating healthy! Remember to eat every meal of the day, and don’t skip. Your meals this summer should be full of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and proteins like fish, chicken and beans. Become a master chef and practice cooking some healthy meals that you can prepare when you’re in school this fall. If you’re new at cooking find simple recipes that have a small ingredient list and watch cooking videos to help. By the end of this summer you’ll have healthy meals that will impress your friends!
If you are ever eating at your school’s dining hall or out with friends, try to keep in mind how big the food portions are and ensure you pick options that give you a well balanced meal. A good way to make sure you’re eating a healthy meal is the more colorful your plate is the more nutrients and vitamins are in your food!
Exercise Daily
This summer explore how you like to exercise. For some people, staying healthy can mean going to the gym and focusing on exercising different parts of their body on a cycle. Look online to find workouts that you can do at the gym or at home, and don’t be afraid to ask trainers that work at the gym for help. If you’re on campus this summer go explore your school’s gym. If you don’t have a gym membership keep in mind that some gyms give discounted rates to students.
You could also do a sport or activity to stay healthy this summer. Play soccer or volleyball with friends, like an on-campus intramural club, so you have friends to help motivate you to stay active. You could go for a swim or take long walks which are also fun ways to start your healthy habit!
Hydration Habits
It’s a hot summer, so drink more water! Drinking water is important to your body and health. Water helps your muscles stay energized, improves your mood by preventing headaches, and helps circulate nutrients and bacteria in and out of our body. This summer try challenging yourself to drink as much water throughout the day. Each day try to drink more water than the last. Eventually you’ll notice that your body will naturally need more water.
Sleep More
Even though you probably have amazing fun plans this summer that last all night, you shouldn’t skip out on a good night’s sleep. This summer try to sleep at least seven hours each night. You’ll not only be in a better mood but improve your heart, weight and mind. A good night’s rest can improve your memory. Sleeping more is a useful healthy habit to have right before school begins. You’ll perform better than your sleepy classmates!
Try a few of these healthy habits this summer so you’ll be ready to hit the books come fall. Remember that staying healthy takes time until it becomes a healthy habit. Fortunately you have all summer to practice your healthy habit.
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Thursday, June 29, 2017
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Friday, June 23, 2017
Volunteering as an International Student
Summer can be used as a time to recharge your batteries and relax until the next school year comes. Although taking time for yourself is important, when you study abroad you want to make sure you are maximizing your experience. You may accomplish this by traveling, working or taking summer classes. However, the US also provides great volunteer opportunities that allow you to give back to the community. Volunteering as an international student will expand your horizons and introduce you to a new part of the US culture. Not only does volunteering help you meet new friends, but it shows potential employers or scholarship panels that you care about your community.
Here are a few tips on choosing a volunteer program and some examples of volunteer activities.
How to begin?
- Play to your strengths: What interests you the most? Do you like the outdoors and environmental conservation? Would you prefer to be helping children, women, or the elderly? Or are you interested in community development and politics? Decide on an area of interest and find out what skills or experience you could offer these groups.
- Gather information: Once you’ve decided on what type of organization you’d like to volunteer for, start calling around. Locally, you will find many groups that would love to have you as volunteer. You can also use United Way to find groups near your house or campus. As you contact organizations, ask if they have any specific policy around international students volunteering and what type of skills you’ll need to help them. If you aren’t sure where to start, your Student Union should have more information on student volunteer organizations around campus and will be a great place to begin your search.
- Figure out the “why?”: Volunteerism, or community service, is highly valued in the US. However, really think about what is driving you to volunteer. Some volunteer projects are more attainable than others. Find out if you are willing to put more effort into obtaining more challenging opportunities. Also, be honest with yourself- how much free time will you have to invest in community service work?
- Still having trouble? Here are some volunteer suggestions to get you started:
- Working at a food pantry or soup kitchen
- Tutoring students
- Presenting about your country and culture at events or schools
- Cleaning a beach or park
- Walking or playing with dogs at a shelter
So many options!
Once you’ve narrowed it down to a type of volunteer work you’d like to do, make sure you try different organizations within that area of interest.
For example, if you like teaching, Teach for America is a great program that accepts international students and exposes you to a challenging classroom setting in low-income communities. If you prefer to create awareness for earth’s natural resources, Appalachian Trail is a group that offers many environmental workshops throughout the year. If you are an animal lover, Petfinder can help you find local animal shelters that will welcome your eagerness to help pets in need.
Remember:
There is much to be gained from any volunteering experience. You will help improve a great cause, develop your leadership skills, strengthen your English and communication skills, meet new people and make new friends!
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Thursday, June 22, 2017
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Friday, June 16, 2017
10 Iconic American Movies You Should See Before Studying In The US
Adjusting to life in the US is more than just learning English or eating American food. If you really want to learn more about American culture, what better way than by watching popular American movies!
Your new friends in the US will most likely surprise you from time to time by quoting their favorite movie lines or make references to iconic American cinema. To be in the loop when they do so, you’ll want to make sure that you understand the joke, quote, or reference, which means you’ll need to watch a few popular movies.
While there are hundreds of famous American movie quotes, here are 10 films from a variety of genres and decades, that you should watch. Let’s start with one of the most classic films in American cinema:
1) Gone with the Wind (1939) – This movie tells the hardships of the American South during and after the Civil War in the 1860s. This film is filled with action, romance, adventure and arguably the most well known line in film history. If you’re into history this a great film to immerse yourself into one of America’s defining wars.
“Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” – Rhett Butler
2) Apollo 13 (1995) – Based on real life events this film tells the story of the Apollo 13 mission to the Moon back in 1970. These three astronauts safely navigate their way back to Earth after enduring many hardships in the vast emptiness of outer space.
“Houston, we have a problem.” – Jim Lovell
3) The Godfather (1972) – An American crime film which chronicles the fictional leaders of a New York crime family from 1945 to 1955. Highly regarded as one of the best films in the world, it’s a must watch for any film lover.
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – Vito Corleone
4) Forrest Gump (1994) – Hangout with Forrest as he tells his fictional life story on a bus bench to strangers in Savannah, Georgia. Throughout the film you’ll see some of the most defining events of the latter half of the 20th century. This movie will make you laugh and possibly make you tear up a little bit. As the saying goes…
“My momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” – Forrest Gump
5) Mean Girls (2004) – Despite being 13 years old, this film really showcases the structure of high school cliques in the US. You’ll get a firsthand look at the social groups in American high schools. While this may be a high school film the experience is still relatable, even in college. So buckle up because…
“Get in loser. We’re going shopping.” – Regina George
6) Clueless (1995) – Talk about being the Polaroid of perfection. Cher Horowitz has it all in this teen comedy that shows the epitome of 90’s culture in Beverly Hills, California. From start to finish you’ll see character development and teen culture that’s still relevant today.
“Ugh. As if!” – Cher Horowitz
7) Star Wars IV – A New Hope (1977) – Star Wars is an epic space tale that quickly became a cultural phenomenon with many sequels and prequels spanning over the past 40 years! Out of all of these films though the “must see” Star Wars film to kick start your sci-fi obsession is the original film “A New Hope.” Always remember…
“May the force be with you.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi
8) The Dark Knight (2008) – When it comes to superhero movies, it’s hard to top Batman. The Dark Knight is part of a trilogy series and is regarded as one of the best superhero movies of all time. With Heath Ledger giving an amazing performance as the “Joker.”
“Why so serious?” – The Joker
9) Elf (2001) – If you don’t know one Will Ferrel movie, you certainly will want to before studying in the US. Elf is the story of Buddy the Elf, who was adopted by Santa and meets his real family in New York City. Learn about the American Christmas experience from an outsider just trying to make it in the big apple!
“Santa! Oh, my God! Santa’s coming! I know him! I know him!” – Buddy the Elf
10) Toy Story (1995) – This list isn’t complete without at least one Disney movie on it. In addition to having an iconic quote, this movie also has a great song promoting friendship, “You’ve Got a Friend In Me,” and will bring out your inner child and open up your imagination to new heights.
“To infinity and beyond!” – Buzz Lightyear
I hope you’ve enjoyed this crash course in American cinema! While this list only scratches the surface I encourage you to sit back, relax, have a pre-study abroad movie night and explore the land of American films! For more movies, AFI’s 100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time is a comprehensive list of quotable films.
If you’re a big movie fan, have you ever thought about taking your fandom a step further? Full Sail University’s state of the art campus has it’s own movie studio where you can work on actual films! You’ll gain valuable insight into the film industry from taking courses in directing, film production and digital cinematography. Full Sail is about unleashing your creativity and developing skills that will be life changing.
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Thursday, June 15, 2017
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Friday, June 9, 2017
How to Get Answers to Questions on Studying in the US
Summer is already here and it’s a great time to start making your plans to study in the US. As you start to gather information, you may have numerous questions that arise, and you might not be sure how to get answers to questions on studying in the US. However, we’re able to help you answer questions like:
- What it’s like to study a certain subject
- What it’s like to live in a certain state
- How you can prepare for your visa interview
Luckily, at InternationalStudent.com we have a ton of free resources to help you find the answers that you need! Below are a few ways you can find answers on InternationalStudent.com. We are always here to help and ready to answer your questions!
Ask an Advisor
Each month on InternationalStudent.com we have a guest advisor on our Ask an International Student Advisor page to help answer your questions. Each month there’s a new advisor that works at a school in the US, and has the experience and knowledge to give you an accurate answer. If you have a question you should write a comment on the advisor page and very soon it will be answered. If you’re not sure what questions to ask, a great way to learn more information on studying in the US is to see the answers that were given to other students who asked questions. You can browse to the pages from advisors in previous months to see what other students are asking. You never know, you might have the same question.
Social Media
We are always on our social media! We want to connect, share and like what you have to say on our social media channels. Everyday we are checking and posting on our Facebook, Twitter and Google+. If you ever have a question we are happy to answer them on any of our pages. Social media is a great way to communicate with us. We also post a lot of resourceful articles and feature schools that might be a good fit for you.
Blogs and Forums
Our International Student Blog is for you! If there is ever a time you want more insight about a certain topic such as staying on a budget when you travel or how to make friends in a new city, we have the answers. Not all of your questions about studying in the US are going to have a step-by-step answer, so our blogs are a great resource for many answers to one question. Take time to browse through some of our blogs and read the ones that stand out the most to you.
Our International Student Forum is open for you to post a question, and for your question to be answered by other students. The forum is broken down into different sections and then into even smaller subsections. For example, if you have a question about getting a calling card you can search in the communication section. In the communication section you’ll find a subsection for calling cards. Check the forum to get an idea of what other students are asking, and you may find your answer!
Videos and Hangouts
Need more answers? We have many different videos and Google Hangouts to help you learn more about the US education system. Our videos include guest from schools around the US, as well as visuals and examples to help you. There are a lot of different videos that cover topics such as “Tips For Writing a Great College Admission Essay” and “Working in the US as an International Student.” To learn more, browse through the different videos that we offer and if you have a question just post and we will reply.
It can be hard to figure out how to study in the US, especially if you have a lot of questions and aren’t sure how to have them answered. At InternationalStudent.com our priority is to help you answer those questions so you can become a student in the US. Gather as much information you can this summer by looking at the free resources we offer you.
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Tuesday, June 6, 2017
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Friday, June 2, 2017
Jussa køntri
Studying inside the US is an exciting experience, but it also requires a lot of work and preparation to make the journey happen. Finding a place to live and making sure you have the furnishings you need for the year can be one of the most stressful parts of all preparations- especially if you decide […]
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Find and Furnish Your Apartment With CORT
Studying inside the US is an exciting experience, but it also requires a lot of work and preparation to make the journey happen. Finding a place to live and making sure you have the furnishings you need for the year can be one of the most stressful parts of all preparations- especially if you decide to live off-campus. However, CORT knows just how stressful arranging these items can be, which is why you can make this process easier when you find and furnish your apartment with CORT.
When it comes to finding an apartment off-campus, CORT offers ApartmentSearch.com to help you find the perfect place to live during your studies. You can search the specific area you want to live, then take self-guided property tours, gather area information and acquaint yourself with the neighborhood including restaurants, stores, public transportation options and parks. Finding the perfect place to live in a neighborhood you enjoy can help ensure you’re able to experience the US in the best way possible.
Once you have the perfect apartment, the next step is to furnish it! Instead of purchasing big, expensive items like a couch, dresser, lamps and tables, and then later having to send them home or re-sell them (for much less than what you purchased them), renting is often a more convenient and economical option. CORT allows you to choose one of three student packages that include hand-picked pieces by their professional design team, or you can personally choose each item. All furniture can be chosen and rented right online, and your furniture can be setup before you even arrive to your new home. If you’re not sure how long you will need to rent your furniture, CORT offers leasing options to give you the flexibility you need.
Get more details on how CORT can help you find a place to live and make it feel like home.
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Thursday, June 1, 2017
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