This is an excerpt of an interview with international student Weiwei Zhan from China. For the rest of the interview, go to Study in the USA.

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST SURPRISE about studying in the U.S.?

The biggest surprise about U.S. life and education is how studying at Santa Rosa Junior College has helped me build my confidence. It is very easy to make new friends in classes; my classmates want to get to know me, and I can get to know them, with all their various backgrounds and interesting experiences. Faculty care about everyone’s opinion. They encourage everyone’s opinion in discussions, and everyone’s voice is important. Moreover, outside of the classroom, there are all kinds of different student-organized clubs that I participate in. It is a great experience for me to join these interesting groups and take on leadership roles.