One of my favorite things about studying in the US were the conversations. Not just the conversations themselves, but the range of ideas that people brought into them. I remember talking to students who were studying life sciences and being impressed by how comfortably they could discuss history, religion, politics, or philosophy. A student studying international studies might also be interested in coding. Someone studying computer science might be fascinated by psychology. P

For most of my school life, one idea was repeatedly reinforced: being good at science meant you were smart. Science was the stream you chose if you were academically strong. Commerce or the humanities were often presented as alternatives for students who weren't “good enough” at science. As a result, I never really appreciated subjects like history, English literature, geography, or economics as much as I should have. I had unconsciously bought into the idea that science was

When Anne Hathaway recently said that “it’s not cute to be financially illiterate,” it made me think about how little I knew about money when I started college. I went to the US as a full-tuition scholar. My tuition and major college expenses were covered, so I never had to think seriously about how I would pay for college. But there was one thing I hadn't considered: I had almost no understanding of personal finance. Within two months of starting college, I got an on-campus

When I first started looking at colleges in the US, I thought the process would be simple: get good grades, participate in a few extracurricular activities, write a good essay, and apply. I was wrong. The US college application process is very different from what many Indian students are used to. In India, admission to many colleges and professional programs is heavily influenced by academic scores and entrance examinations. In the US, colleges often take a much more holisti