Mississippi State is currently home to students from around the country, but also many students from across the globe, including 23 students participating in university exchange programs.
Daniel Habarurema, an accounting major from Canada, said although he has been at MSU for just a few weeks, he already feels comfortable.
“It’s a great university. I like the fact that the students are really welcoming. There is a real sense of community on campus,” he said.
Habarurema said life in Mississippi is very different from Canada, though.
“It’s way hotter than back home,” he said.
Cécilia Piqueray, a senior finance major from Belgium, said she has had very pleasant experiences on campus.
“Surprisingly, I think that American people are very nice, very welcoming,” she said. “I didn’t know the people were so nice here.”
Habarurema said he, too, has been surprised by the friendliness of the locals.
“The first thing that was special for me was that people say ‘hi’ around town,” he said. “That’s something I really appreciate.”
Aniqa Javed, a junior mechatronics engineering major from Pakistan, said leaving her country for the first time to come to Mississippi was a major change.
“Culture shock was the first thing I experienced when I came here,” she said.
Piqueray said she has been taken aback by the quantity of fast-food restaurants in America.
“It’s very different from what we have in Belgium,” she said. “Everybody cooks in Belgium.”
Piqueray added that students’ lifestyles here in Mississippi vary significantly from the lifestyles of students in Belgium.
“Here, everybody has a car, and the ways they have fun are so different,” she said.
She elaborated on certain cultural differences in attitudes toward time and scheduling.
“In Europe, students stay out in bars until five in the morning,” she said.  “Here it is different; everyone gets up early, but I think that’s good.”
Piqueray said university classes in the United States are quite dissimilar from those in Belgium.
“There is a big, big difference. In Belgium, there is only one test at the end of the semester,” she said.
She explained she is trying to adapt to the structure of her classes.
“In Belgium, there is no homework. I am still trying to adjust to this homework system,” she said.
Javed said she has grown to like her new atmosphere, but is still adjusting to certain aspects of it, including the cuisine.
“It’s very different from Pakistan. I miss my food,” she said.
However, Javed said she plans to return to the U.S. in the future to pursue a master’s degree at a major university.
Habarurema said he enjoys the small-town atmosphere of Starkville.
“You have time to get to know people. There is a sense of community that I don’t necessarily have at home,” he said.
He also said he would like to return to the U.S. after college to work or pursue a graduate degree.
“I think you have good-quality institutions here. I like the dynamics between teachers and students. The teachers really want to help us,” he said.
Habarurema said he would like to explore more of the U.S., particularly the South.
“When you say ‘America,’ most people think New York or California, but there is a lot more to it than that,” he said.