Chestertown’s rural charm and vicinity to bigger cities pleases many international students.
Late August this year, 25 students from all over the world arrived at Washington College.
Now that students are already more than halfway through the term, they have formed an opinion on their temporary home.
Emilia Curatola Fernández from Peru appreciated that with only 1,200 students, WC has fewer students than her home university in the metropolis of Lima. However, she is already used to having smaller classes due to her major. “I study sociology, so the classes are usually not that big,” said Fernández.
Wafa Benkaouar said that in some classes at her home university in Grenoble, France, there can be up to “600 students per class, so I enjoy classes at WC. But the bad thing is that, with only ten people in a class, you really have to work.”
The good thing is that because there are only a certain number of students in a class, she feels she can ask more questions after class.
Many international students, such as Yuepeng Wu from Wuhan, China, did not experience any culture shock; they had done internet research on WC’s location and were prepared. “I looked at all the colleges’ homepages to which I applied very closely,” said Wu.
Nevertheless, the fact that there is no public transportation in Chestertown disappointed some students. “I am used to having public transport, such as either buses or trains. How can [no public transport] be possible?” said Wu.
The only form of provided transportation is the college’s shuttle which has a limited number of stops: the Annapolis Mall, the New Carrollton train station and the BWI airport.
Still, the internationals are impressed by Chestertown’s eastern shore flair, its charming stores, its cafes like Play It Again Sam, which looks like it is from a movie. The climate, strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean is another pleasing factor. “I enjoy the weather in Maryland, and Chestertown’s beautiful river,” said Benkaouar.
Just knowing that they could go to places like New York in three hours is a big advantage to students. “I have some friends [exchange students] who are in Ohio and Virginia, which is very far away from New York” said Benkaouar.
Although New York can be reached in three hours by car, most internationals do not want to go through the fuss of buying a car when they will be leaving after six or ten months.
Australian Brian Lau is one of the few internationals who has his own car. “I originally bought a car because I had an internship over in Washington. Expensive as it was, it has definitely been helpful,” said Lau.
When it comes to housing on WC campus, international students were asked if the place to live was East Hall (International House) or in an ‘all-american’ dorm?
Fernández stated that for the first semester, it is a good idea to live in the I-House, because “the [internationals] are in the same situation as you, but after one semester it would be a good idea to live in another house.”
Benkaouar agreed with Fernandez, but at the moment, lives in Minta Martin. “It’s a disadvantage not to live in the I-House. We miss lot of events and are not really aware of the international life.” Also, she does not feel that she experiences more of the American college life by living in a ‘regular’ dorm, which is why she wants to move into the East Hall for the spring semester.
Wu said that if students want to participate in American college life they cannot spend too much time in their room. “In which dorm I live doesn’t matter to me. Being on the campus gives you the chance to experience the American culture. I try not to spend that much time in my room and my dorm,” said Wu.
While the international students’ opinion differs on where they should live on campus, they all agree about the new student center and dining hall. “It’s lovely,” said Lau.
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