Each year, more than 1.2 million students from around the world choose to study in the USA. That’s more than the entire population of Vietnam. The USA is also home to some of the most highly acclaimed universities in the world. According to the World University Rankings 2019, seven of the top ten best institutions in the world are based in the USA, including Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University and the University of Chicago. But with so much choice, one of the biggest challenges that international students face is choosing the right institution for them.

To provide you with some insight into the finer details of studying abroad, we’ve spoken to international student, Trang Lam, who chose to study Accounting at Western New England University (WNE) in Massachusetts. Originally from Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam, Trang transferred to WNE during her sophomore year after having explored numerous options and changing her mind about where she wanted to study.

What inspired you to study abroad?

One of my special teachers in high school was my math’s teacher. He helped me a lot with studying and preparing my application to go to university. He is my mentor for studying abroad.

I remember him saying to me that I have the ability to study abroad and at that time I was like, I’m not really good at English. He told me that I would be ok, and that nothing is impossible and I should go to another country and experience more.

How did you find your university?

I am a transfer student. I spent two years of the course in Vietnam and in the middle of my sophomore year I prepared an application to study in the UK.

However, at that time, I was also researching the U.S., its culture and environment. I shared that opinion with my family, who suggested going to the U.S. instead. It’s never too late to change your decision, so I kept researching and I decided I wanted to spend my time studying abroad in the best educational state in the U.S., which is Massachusetts of course.

What advice would you give to prospective international students in South East Asia?

I think getting out of your comfort zone is the biggest challenge to any international student, so don’t be afraid, just go outside and experience more because it really helps to improve your education and career in the future as well.

What helped with your transition to college in the USA?

Attending international clubs and talking to my professor and my friends helped me a lot because they shared their experiences of living here and gave me some tricks of how to feel better about new environments which helped me with my studies.

What are you planning to do after your undergraduate degree?

I’m in the process of attending the MBA programme at Western New England University in order to satisfy the 150-credit hours for the CPA exams, so I hope that I can take that CPA exam, pass and work in the audit field in the future.

I plan to get a job here because I am so in love with the USA. I love the environment and people here and hope someday that I can have a good job that I always dreamed of.

Feeling inspired to study in the USA? Start your own study abroad journey in America today.