Tweet

“I had a couple of offers but Grand View was the best,” Caden Beaton said. 

Beaton is an international student at Grand View University, currently in his senior year. Beaton spoke about his experience at GVU and what made him come here all the way from Scotland. The answer is quite like what many other international students have said about GVU.  

Studying at a university level is different in the United States than it is in most European countries. The one specific reason is the athletic programs that comes with attending American universities.  

Beaton also talked about what it is like studying in the United States, and the difference between Scotland and here.  

“You have modules in Scotland, so you have two to three modules per semester, but they are highly intensive, but you do like five hours of class per week and there is just homework all the time. Here it’s more like in person and on hands learning which I prefer,” Beaton said. 

Coming to GVU was a big change of scenery for Beaton. It has been four years since he came here, and it wasn’t an easy start for him. He was thrown into it all and he did not have any sense of how things worked, where to find classrooms, or how to navigate the online platform Blackboard. Beaton was only eighteen years old, and everything was just one big culture shock for him. 

“Freshly turned eighteen, got thrown into the freshman dorms, didn’t know anyone, having to adjust to new things, I didn’t understand Blackboard in the start, so I missed a lot of homework assignments,” Beaton said.  

GVU is one of many universities across the United States, and it’s not easy for international students like Beaton to pick and choose where they want to study because of many factors. For example, Beaton had to consider location, major, athletic programs, and how to make it work financially. 

“It’s a nice campus. I like the dorms, currently where I live right now in the L apartments. I like it small as well, I like small classrooms and if you need to ask questions you can get them answered. That’s a big part for me,” Beaton said.  

Beaton enjoys GVU because of how the school is on the smaller scale, and how it is easier to get used to and more quickly feels like home.  

Beaton is not the only international student enjoying his time at GVU, though.  

“I really like the liberal arts education, small classrooms and you know your professors,” Luka Brandic said.  

Brandic is an international student from Croatia and Bosnia, and he came to GVU because of many of the same reasons as Beaton. The athletic program attracts a lot of international students, and GVU has had a lot of athletic success across many of the school’s sports. Not only did Brandic come because of the men’s soccer program, but he also explained how he enjoys a smaller community where he can be by himself, and he doesn’t have to be social and around people all the time.  

“Back home I am an introvert and I love to be by myself,” Brandic said.  

Brandic talked about how coming to GVU made the transition easy for him as an international student. He said that a school like it allows different people to feel comfortable because it is a smaller school in the Midwest.   

Brandic did not experience any major culture shock because he had a different start to his experience than Beaton did. The freshman dorms do not allow you to have much privacy, and Brandic quickly realized that he wanted to change that. He enjoyed being able to be by himself, so he switched between buildings multiple times. 

“I like to cook my own food, do my own stuff. Back in Knudsen and Langrock I had roommates in the same room as me so you cannot study. I didn’t have my own shower,” Brandic said.  

At a smaller school like GVU it’s possible to have more freedom and it was easy for Brandic to switch to an apartment with more privacy. That is why the start of his journey of studying abroad didn’t affect him as much as Beaton, who was overwhelmed by not knowing much and having to be ‘on’ all the time. 

Most international students have different experiences because they come from different places and cultures around the world. Every single experience is a valid experience that might help the next international student coming to GVU.  

Many international students come to the United States with the intention of staying here for at least a year, because they don’t know anything about it before they arrive here. Ludvig Hordegard is an international student from Sweden who did not expect to stay here for more than a year, but the experience he had changed his mind. 

“My initial plan was to just stay for one year and then go back home to Sweden to study, but as I said, I liked it and I enjoyed it very much, so I decided to stay,” Hordegard said.  

Studying abroad is a big decision and it is tough to know what to expect before you are in it. Hordegard and Beaton are now seniors, and they would do everything to get these four years back because it has been a great experience. Living in Sweden his whole life and then suddenly living and studying in the United States was a big step for Hordegard, and he explained that he had to get used to a different culture. 

When Hordegard was a freshman, he took some time to get used to expectations for addressing professors.  

“Back home it’s not as formal, so you can just say the first name,” Hordegard said. 

 The first couple of months are not always easy, but Hordegard talked about how he wouldn’t go back and change anything, because both the good and the bad experiences define you as a person.  

“I think I enjoy making mistakes, because you live and learn from it.” Hordegard said. 

Hordegard has had a great experience at GVU and in the United States in general. He talked about how it’s important for a freshman to try not to get overwhelmed and take it easy as best they can, and to welcome uncertainty because it is what makes you grow as a person. 

 “Freshmen must be very patient with it because it takes time to get used to both the athletic side of it and the school side of it. Just be patient and take it for what it is, because it’s a short but sweet experience, so enjoy it,” Hordegard said.