To international students who just began their grad school: the first few months are transforming in a new country. Here are 3 ways you can stand out by doing simple things in the first few months.
Context: I moved to the U.S. in 2017 for my master’s at Columbia University. Fortunately, I documented my initial experiences in the form of public articles. Looking back, I wanted to share some insights with you.
✅ SAY “YES” TO THINGS, AT FIRST
You’re gonna be invited to a TON of networking events, class mixers, and boat parties.
Say “yes” to all of them, at first.
“Get a lay of the land,” one of my professors says.
Once you know all the opportunities and options on how you can spend your time, aggressively begin weeding out the ones that don’t add value.
Example: There were 2 networking events happening every week during my time at Columbia.
At first, I went to ALL of them.
Later on, I realized I had no time to thoughtfully prepare for the event, look up the speakers, read their history, & go in with a compelling pitch.
So why waste time sitting through a talk only to walk away after it?
Your *time and attention* are your most valuable assets. Spend them like you spend your $$.
✅ SET ASIDE ONE HOUR EVERY WEEK TO PLAN
Most people spend their lives feeling “busy” only to regret it later on.
Because feeling “busy” is NOT = creating meaningful output.
Start investing time from NOW to build a weekly routine where you set aside an hour to just reflect & plan.
A routine where you consistently prioritize the “important” over the “urgent.”
A routine that gives you time to reflect on the past week & make minor adjustments for the next.
A routine that will become your superpower as you progress in life.
Read this article of mine where I share in-depth insights: https://rb.gy/lyg5r
✅ GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY
I got involved in the #Entrepreneurship, #Leadership & #Consulting club at Columbia University.
Eventually, I became one of the Vice Presidents.
This gave me a chance to meet top PMs who we’d invite as speakers, make friends with fellow PM aspirants, & help people in my class.
Go look up a list of all the clubs / orgs at your college.
Reach out to the heads of each with a compelling pitch.
Join them. Organize events. Help people.
In the end, standing out has less to do with being overly exceptional and more to do with being exceptionally thoughtful.
If this helped you, please re-share it so it helps more students! 🙏
Finally, join 8000+ international students & immigrants who get my weekly newsletter packed with resources like this: https://lnkd.in/gAHngsbu :)
#america #studyabroad #students #immigrant #immigration #unshackled #freeresources
Ex-Chairman of the EBS Symposium
7moThank you all and I can just agree with Lucie. And sorry for having that little time speaking with you ;)