Written By: Madison Garner
Contributor | Aston American University
College isn’t just about spending all day studying – that would be exhausting! It’s also about opening up your world and creating new experiences. A big part of college for American students is creating a social life. Students meet up with each other for a variety of activities and build lasting friendships. Below are common parts of an American college student’s social life.
Watch Sports Games Together. Many American colleges have their own sports teams, and they compete against other colleges. On game day, students dress up in the teams’ colors and perform team chants. Before the game, they often meet up in a “tailgating party” where they enjoy food at the stadium parking lot. While Aston American University doesn’t have a sports team, you can still enjoy the fun of watching games! Get a group of friends together to watch games from professional American sports leagues (or sports games from your home culture). Wear colors of your favorite team and cheer them to victory. Most sports bars and many restaurants will show the game if you can’t watch the game at home.
Chat Club: Tell us what your favorite sport is. Describe the main goal of the sport.
Enjoy Meals Together. Food is a big part of American culture and is a common social activity for college students. Get a group of friends to go out for dinner, or a late night fast food run. You can even cook a meal from your culture to share with everybody.
Chat Club: What is your favorite restaurant? What kind of food is served? Describe your favorite dish.
Study Together. Make studying more fun by getting a group of students together. People taking the same class can help each other with assignments, but you don’t need to be studying the same things to make a study group. You can all meet up at a local coffee shop or someone’s house, taking breaks to chat with each other and build relationships.
Chat Club: Where do you do your best studying? Why?
Share Hobbies Together. Hobbies are an important way we can find fulfillment. They can help keep your life balanced and add fun to your day. If you play an instrument, see if you can find others to make music with you. If you play a sport, get a group together for a game. Find others who enjoy the same thing you do, and do it together.
Chat Club: What is your favorite hobby and how often do you get to do it?
Explore Your City Together. Part of being a college student is exploring the place you live in. Go for a hike at a nearby park. Find the best local sandwich shop. See a local concert. Getting to know your city is a great way to feel connected to the place you live in, and it can make for some fun adventures. You can try activities like Geocaching or look at your city’s local events calendar to find new places and events.
Chat Club: Which city and country are you from?
Are you wondering how all this applies to you as an online student? You can still have an active social life no matter where you are in the world! You may be surprised to know that social experiences can have a positive impact towards your learning. Try out these different activities to see what parts of American college social life you like best.
But what if you want to try these experiences in the United States? Aston American University’s US Career Prep Certificate program can take you one step closer. This program will introduce you to the process of obtaining an I-20 visa so that you can experience life in the US before immigrating. Create your American experience by learning more about the US Career Prep program.
