Hello! My name is Josephine Chu, and I’m from New Jersey in the United States. I live about an hour south of New York City, near the shore. Right now, I’m a junior at Amherst College, a liberal arts college in western Massachusetts that’s about two hours away from Boston. I’m working towards a double major in Political Science and Economics, but I’ve also taken a lot of classes in Chinese and China in general.

My school is extremely small, with a student population of roughly 1,700. It’s located in a very rural area; there’s a bison farm right down the road. It’s not exactly the type of exciting environment that some students prefer, but it’s really a great place!

I chose to attend Amherst College, because it’s one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States. Liberal arts colleges are schools that focus on a comprehensive undergraduate academic experience. Students are required to take classes in a wide range of subjects, in addition to their major. These types of colleges generally also have a strong emphasis on theory, writing, and the development of a student’s mind (as opposed to purely technical knowledge). For example, my college actually didn’t offer engineering as a major until very recently, because it was originally believed that the study of engineering wouldn’t help develop the way a student would think!

Many liberal arts colleges in the United States don’t offer graduate schools, so professors place more emphasis on teaching undergraduate students- instead of focusing on research with graduate students! That means that a lot of these colleges are quite small, and you really get to know everyone on campus. Once, I ran into the same friend five times in one afternoon!

My school really values writing, which means I have to write quite a few papers every semester. Some weeks, I have to write several four-page papers in one week. Other weeks, I have to write one long twelve-page paper. The work is really manageable, though, so I get to do some extracurricular activities.

A lot of American students like to participate in sports, or some kind of activity where you can make friends and get exercise at the same time. Last year, I joined our Ballroom and Salsa Club, where we learned different Latin and classic ballroom dances every week. The year before that, I took ice-skating lessons that were offered by my school. I also go to the gym, a couple times a month, to work out. Besides these activities, I’m also part of the Amherst College Debate Society and the Amherst College Political Union.

I have attached two pictures: one is of me (in a cable car in Hong Kong, actually) and the other is of the grounds of Amherst College.

Throughout the year, I’ll be writing in more detail about these different aspects of my life at college, and the life of an American student in general, as well as other topics related to an American university. I’m very excited about this opportunity!