Going away to college is a major adjustment, but attending school in an unfamiliar country with a different language and culture can be difficult.

There are thousands of international students at Iowa State, both undergraduate and graduate students. Some students like those from China enjoy arriving here with nearly 2,000 others from their home country while others arrive on campus as the only ones from their respective countries. There are 27 countries that are represented by only one student at Iowa State.

Batzaya “Zack” Batsaikhan, graduate student in education, is from one of those countries. Batsaikhan is from Ulan Bator, the capital city of Mongolia.

“One of my biggest challenges was that I felt very intimated by graduate school at first,” Batsaikhan said. “I had cold feet. But after a while I realized I was only intimidating myself.”

Batsaikhan came to America about a year ago and was able to meet some Americans in his work before coming here, which eased the transition into this culture.

“It’s not very different. I did not face any difficulty plunging into American culture,” Batsaikhan said. “I am kind of used to traveling and open to anything, and Mongolia is maybe the most westernized Asian country in the world. We even celebrate Halloween there.”

When Batsaikhan arrived in the United States, all he had was a backpack and one small bag.

“People ask ‘Who goes to the other side of the planet with one small baggage?’” Batsaikhan said.”I am like ‘Nah, I like to travel light.’”

Batsaikhan’s favorite experience as a Cyclone so far is tailgating before football games.

“The oral language was the biggest challenge,” said Jie Wang, graduate student in mechanical engineering and China native. “But the people here are so nice. I didn’t even notice the process to acclimate to the culture. I didn’t feel too many culture strikes.”

Wang said that Iowa State provided him with the tools he needed to adapt to the culture as well as the academic resources to succeed as a graduate research assistant for the College of Engineering.

He has been in the United States since December 2012.

“Iowa State has better education sources, better faculty sources and more opportunities to participate,” Wang said.

Wang has picked up on some American culture in his time here and enjoys spending time with his friends from other countries as well as his American friends.

“After a lot of study and research, friends get together to have dinner and have fun.” Wang said.

Wang and Batsaikhan each offered their advice for international students planning on attending school in the United States.

“Think twice before making your decision,” Wang said. “It has been good, but might not be suitable for everyone.”

Batsaikhan wants other students to feel confident. 

“Be confident and open minded,” Batsaikhan said. “Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be shy. Participate. Be comfortable in your own skin. Also, don’t stick to studying all the time. Take a chance. Life is full of adventure.”