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Choosing Different Paths at George Mason University

时间:2016-07-23 15:45:49

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Choosing Different Paths at George Mason University

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is part of a new ongoing1 series about international student life at colleges and universities across the U.S. Please join us over the next several weeks as we bring you stories about these amazing individuals and the American higher education system as a whole.

Diversity has been a major concern at U.S. universities in recent years. Most schools try to attract a wide mix of students. They want students from different racial, religious, geographical2, and economic backgrounds.

Konstantinos Papageorgiou is from Greece. Nik Azmin is from Malaysia. And Soulin Reyes is from Venezuela.

The one thing all three students have in common is that they all study at George Mason University. The large university is one of the most diverse in the United States. It attracts students from 130 countries.

George Mason University, or Mason for short, is located in Fairfax, Virginia -- less than an hour outside of Washington, D.C. Mason was once part of the University of Virginia. But the schools separated in 1957 and now Mason is the largest public research university in Virginia.

In addition to the Fairfax campus, there are three other Mason campuses in Virginia, and one in Songdo, South Korea.

Papageorgiou, Azmin and Reyes all enjoyed the international feel of Washington, D.C., the U.S. capital city. So they wanted to stay close to when they started looking for schools where they could earn their undergraduate degrees.

Reyes first came to Washington, D.C. to improve her English abilities.

She heard of Mason from her uncle, who had studied there in the past. Reyes was pleased with Mason’s international feel when she started studying there in 2014.

"When I first arrive, I was hanging out with a bunch of Saudi people and they became, like, really nice friends of mine. And also, they start teaching me how to speak in Arabic. … Also now I have a best friend that is from Mexico. Even though we have the same language, we have different dialects. So it’s like I learn something from her and she learns from me."

Papageorgiou’s father worked in the Greek navy and his family moved to the Washington, D.C. area when Papageorgiou was in high school.

He began studying economics at Mason in 2011. He says he had trouble at first understanding some of the more complex parts of the English language. But sharing these difficulties with other international students helped him.

"It was hard for me to understand the native speakers. … If they were being polite or if they’re being sarcastic3, I couldn’t tell the difference. I was always questioning them. But there were other kids in my situation, so I had no issue adjusting."

Papageorgiou lived in housing provided by the university called dormitories, or dorms, for his first two years at Mason. Students live together in these large buildings at almost every university across the U.S. At George Mason University, most first-year students are required to live in the dorms.

Papageorgiou says living in the dorms was a very fun experience. He met and made friends with American and international students. He also says that he and his friends had some crazy parties. One time, one of his friends even cut off both of his eyebrows4!

Azmin joined her mother in the Washington, D.C. area when her mother came to work at the Malaysian embassy.

She says before she came to study public relations at Mason in 2012, she was afraid.

"When I knew that I was coming here I was really shocked... because of everything that the movies told me. These perceptions about university as party life and I wasn’t about that. ...But … what you see in the movies isn’t what you see in real life."

Azmin says some students focus more on their studies and others focus more on social activities. It may take time, she adds, but students can find their place at Mason if they try.

Now Azmin works with the International Student Advisory5 Board, a group of students and staff members who help international students find the resources they need. She also works as an orientation6 leader for new international students.

Reyes says that her education at Mason has helped her decide to open her own business in the future. She also says she found her passion by joining Azucar, the Mason student group that celebrates the Latin American style of dance called “salsa.”

The only problem she still has is with fully7 expressing herself in her classes, she says.

"Sometimes I feel nervous to talk. I know the answer and it’s killing8 me inside … but I’m afraid that when I talk it will be wrong or I will misspell it … and I will look dumb and I don’t want to do that."

Students should know they will grow with each problem they learn to solve, Papageorgiou adds.

"Every day is different. You don’t know what to expect… It builds up your own character. Each day you, kind of, evolve and you become the person that you are today."

Papageorgiou hopes to complete his degree in 2016. Most students in the U.S. finish their undergraduate degrees in four years and Papageorgiou has been at Mason for five years.

Yet, Papageorgiou says none of the time he has spent at Mason has been wasted. Every memory is like a lesson of how to be more of an adult and a better person.

Words in This Story

diversity – n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization

background(s) – n. the experiences, knowledge and education in a person's past

campus – n. the area and buildings around a university, college or school

undergraduate degree(s) – n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study

dialect(s) – n. a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations

polite – adj. having or showing good manners or respect for other people

sarcastic – adj. using words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation9, or to be funny

adjust(ing) – v. to change in order to work or do better in a new situation

dormitories – n. buildings on a school campus that has rooms where students can live

eyebrow(s) – n. the line of hair that grows over your eye

public relations – n. the activity or job of providing information about a particular person or organization to the public so that people will regard that person or organization in a favorable way

orientation – n. the process of giving people training and information about a new job or situation

class(es) – n. a series of meetings in which students are taught a particular subject or activity

nervous – adj. having or showing feelings of being worried and afraid about what might happen

misspell – v. to say, write, or print the letters of a word or name incorrectly

dumb – adj. not showing or having good judgment10 or intelligence

character – n. the good qualities of a person that usually include moral or emotional strength, honesty, and fairness

evolve – v. to change or develop slowly often into a better, more complex, or more advanced state


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1 ongoing 6RvzT     
adj.进行中的,前进的
参考例句:
  • The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
  • The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
2 geographical Cgjxb     
adj.地理的;地区(性)的
参考例句:
  • The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
  • These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。
3 sarcastic jCIzJ     
adj.讥讽的,讽刺的,嘲弄的
参考例句:
  • I squashed him with a sarcastic remark.我说了一句讽刺的话把他给镇住了。
  • She poked fun at people's shortcomings with sarcastic remarks.她冷嘲热讽地拿别人的缺点开玩笑。
4 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
5 advisory lKvyj     
adj.劝告的,忠告的,顾问的,提供咨询
参考例句:
  • I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
  • He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。
6 orientation IJ4xo     
n.方向,目标;熟悉,适应,情况介绍
参考例句:
  • Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
  • The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。
7 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
8 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
9 irritation la9zf     
n.激怒,恼怒,生气
参考例句:
  • He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。
  • Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说,但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。
10 judgment e3xxC     
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见
参考例句:
  • The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
  • He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

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