How to Meet American People

Essay and graphic by María del Mar Gómez Rico

International students enrolled in the English Language Institute (ELI) of Texas A&M have the opportunity to learn English in different skills, such as grammar, vocabulary or writing, among others. Teachers are professionals who are specialized in different academic subjects, so they are the best reference to learn this language in the proper way. Moreover, international students have the opportunity to get in touch with people from so many different countries. This is an amazing chance to practice English and to learn about different cultures. Additionally, meeting American people can be an incredible way to live a complete university experience and to interact with native speakers. In spite of the fact that it is not easy, it will help international students to achieve their goals of learning English and knowing American culture. If you want to know how to meet American people, please follow these two steps: join organizations and attend events in Texas A&M.

First of all, join an organization in Texas A&M. This is part of the college experience and it is an amazing manner to meet native speakers with similar interests. All the information is included in the website http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/, and these are the main steps that you should follow. First, go to organization search to find the right association following one of the three search criteria: by letter, keyword, or category. The latter is more intuitive and useful for a general approach, especially if you do not know the name of the organization. Second, decide which group could be more relevant based on the classification into thirty different categories: academic, art, military, recreation, sports, religious, or community/volunteer service, among others. Third, read the relevant information included in each organization: purpose, year founded, membership dues, admit members, meeting location, contact or activities. Once you have already checked all the options, you will be able to decide which organization you would like to go into. This last step is really easy, because there is a direct access to enter any association.

Second, Texas A&M also offers other opportunities to meet American people. Please, subscribe to announcements about different events such as performances, films, lectures or workshops, and prioritize them according to your own interests. The schedule is available on the TAMU app, so that you can obtain accurate information at any time. This app can be downloaded on any smartphone from APP or Play Store. Then, in the tab of events, the different alternatives are available and organized in nineteen categories. Although there are not events for all of them, you will be able to see detailed information for those that have been already scheduled.

To sum up, even though most international students have a strong desire to meet American people, many of them probably think that is a difficult process. Meeting American people is a fantastic manner to live a complete college experience and to talk to native speakers. If you follow the steps above, you will have the opportunity to interact with American students. I encourage you to analyze several alternatives and, finally, to focus on those organization and/or events that are more relevant for your own personality and way of life.