CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

12/02/2010 18:37

--Originally written by Hanlin Deng (Helen)

--Updated by Xinxian Ni (Eva)

 

Cultural Differences in the Classroom：

  • Attendance and Participation are different. Attendance means that you attend the class. Participation means that you answer questions or ask questions in class. The last one is more important. Even if you attend every class, you cannot get the full point without saying anything in class.

 

Cultural Differences between Students and Teachers：

  • Prefer to ask questions in class. In professors’ views, it is fair to answer your question in class, because everyone can know the answer.
  • Feel free to bring the laptop to the classroom. Moreover, most professors do not mind you bringing food and drink to class.
  • Take it easy and have group discussions with Americans. They may speak quickly, but they are willing to hear your voice and respect your idea.
  • Check your emails on time. It is common to communicate with others by email.
  • Make an appointment first, and then make a face-to-face contact with professors.

 

Cultural Differences between Friends：

  • The general greetings are “How are you doing?” and “How are you?” They do not really care about your answer. One of the best answers is “Good.”
  • Open the gift when you get it. It is not rude in America.
  • Party and sports are common ways to make friends. Generally, there are a lot of activities on campus. Do not hesitate to join in.

 

Tips about Cultural Differences：

  • Please speak English. Some Americans will think that you are not friendly, when you keep speaking Chinese.
  • Some Americans like drinking. In the law, a person who is 21 years old can drink.
  • Americans will say hello to everyone including the strangers, so feel free to say hello to them.
  • Most Americans do not use umbrellas.
  • Facebook is popular.
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