TrineMarie

It was actually quite random that I ended up in the US at all. In my second year of high-school we had to chose what our concentration was, and I signed up for our international program as my first choice and economics as my second. Then a week or so later, I changed my mind and went to their office to tell them to take the international option completely off my list. Which they promised to do, but then forgot about. So, I got in after all (even though many others were wait listed), and figured "why not?".

I also have an uncle that studied in the US, got married, and stayed there. So we have visited them several times over the years. And he kept telling me about schools over there. I never really cared much about it. But figured I might as well apply since I had already experienced how international school was. I never actually expected to get in, and I didn't even think about going. But then I got my acceptance letter and again figured "why not?". I felt like I couldn't give it up now that I'd gotten the opportunity to go. So that's how I ended up going to Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina. This is the school that my uncle teaches at (I actually had him as my teacher several times).

I figured I might as well live with my uncle the first semester, since you can't get a student loan in Norway for your freshman year (because a Norwegian bachelor degree only takes three years instead of four). So even though he lived almost an hour from school, and I would have to pay for gas (I was lucky to have my parents buy me a car), I still figured I would save money. Then I would move up to school once I had gotten some of my Norwegian classes approved, and would be recognized as a sophomore. (btw, freshman = first year, sophomore = second year)

This was a terrible idea, though. By doing this I ended up just going to class and then going right back home. Which made it really hard to get to know people. And when I moved on campus the next semester I was living in a dorm with people who had already lived at school for more than a year. They already had friends, and it was hard to fit in. Now I definitely wish that I had paid the extra money to move on campus right away. That way I would have lived in a freshman dorm with a ton of people who were just as new and nervous as me. It still worked out after a while, though. You just have to be really determined, and try to be as outgoing as possible. And the language barrier isn't a problem at all. Everyone was fascinated that I was from a different country (I went to a small school), and they asked a lot of questions. And my senior year I got great roommates, and was probably more social than I even wanted to myself. So I definitely learned to deal with everything.

Roommates <3