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Each semester, a handful of international students arrive in the U.S. capital to get a taste of D.C. life. Several said that adjusting to college life in the District took some getting used to.
Fernando Fernandez-Monge Cortazar from Spain and Durita Hoydal from Denmark said they both have to apply themselves more in class at GW than at their colleges across the Atlantic.
Cortazar said he was surprised by the large amount of reading required for classes here because it's nothing like he is used to in Spain.
"In Spain, we don't do much work until finals," he said.
He also said that he goes to class more often at GW, since the professors here take attendance and back at his school in Spain it's not mandatory.
Hoydal, who attends Copenhagen Business School, said school and social life is separate in Denmark. While it is common for American students to live at the school that they attend, in Denmark they often don't.
"We go to class at school, and then we go home," he said. "Our social lives are separate from our school lives."
But at GW, social and academic life are deeply intertwined - something that Hoydal and Cortazar realized pretty quickly. Hoydal has three roommates in New Hall, and Cortazar lives with two other students in City Hall. He also joined the rugby team to meet new people.
Cecile Dehesdin, a French student who attends Sciences-Po in Paris, also found a way to meet new people during her semester abroad. This semester, she was cast in GW plays the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Dinner."
"Being in plays is something I do in France, and I was so happy to do it here," she said. "It has been my favorite part of my experience here so far."
