Most Memorable Culture Shock Experience - Essay Example

I realize that the help and pre-placed systems that served me in my school days were not there anymore. Group study replaced solo study with parents and teachers. I do not come from a wealthy class therefore I had to support myself in college with tuition funds and my pocket money.

I come from a middle-class family. My parents and family members expect a lot from me. For this reason, they gave special attention to my studies while I was in school. This soft authority and system made me comfortable and dependent on it. Unfortunately, this is not nurturing or helpful in the long term. Eventually, a child has to open his wings and fly to leave the nest. Freedom, independence, and choice were alien to me regarding life-changing decisions. I always had my parents and family there to guide me through difficult decisions. But college life is where parents expect their children to prove that they are capable of taking care of themselves. It was a whole different challenge for me. I believe that my family life was an educational ground for me to be ready for college life. My family background supported, nurtured, and raised me in a secure and relaxed environment. College life challenges people and they need to come out of their comfort zones.

College life is where students do not care about laundry; bunking classes is the norm and having no money for anything is the story of almost every student. While at home, one is expected to live ‘normally.' Obeying parents is the law. It is not just me, my fellows also feel this cultural shock. Some fall victim to this stark change while some adapt and refine themselves. I do not believe that one should consider college life as the ultimate test where the penalty is either life or death. This way of thinking can turn average students into ‘useless’ bookworms. I have used the term useless because if someone learns nothing after spending hours reading something, he/she could have spent that time in more ‘useful’ ways. The illusion of acting well is worse than behaving badly. The cultural shock in college is a reality, but it should not be changed into a debate about heaven and hell. Those who have fun while acing their exams are the real college heroes. College is the prime time of one’s life. A person remembers this time for the rest of their life.

I would also like to reflect on coping with this cultural shock. There is no right or wrong way. Each person has to craft their personality to readjust and get the best out of their abilities. I appreciate the cultural shock at college as it has given me the necessary freedom to find my path. I can develop my personality through my independent thinking. No father figure points fingers at the ‘best ways’ anymore. College is the place where I decide what is right and what is not. Every person comes into this realm with a unique DNA. This blueprint never existed before, and it will never exist again. Each person is an unparalleled combination of skills and ideas. Blindly following other paths believing that they will lead to redemption (success in college and career) is a fool’s dream. College is the testing ground for my philosophies. This is where I learn my life lessons.

I learned that a person never knows his strength until he puts it to the test. I had to check it to find out for myself that I am competent to take care of myself and become a good citizen of my country. I also learned that when you choose good friends they will be very rewarding. They support you in bad times. They also prove that one is capable of finding good people to interact with and share their thoughts and experiences with. College life tests every individual on their freedom and independence. Those who do well in this test carry on their course to obtain their goals in life. Those who crack under pressure or abuse their freedom tend to go wayward from their life plans. Living in a dormitory, eating from the mess, paying for my tuition, carefully choosing friends, managing studies with fun, and interacting with the opposite sex are just some of the testing grounds in college life. This life is entirely different from the comfort of the family life that I have lived. Read More