The International Student Blog

It’s the holiday season again and here in the US, you can actually feel the festivity in the air. Many cultures celebrate holidays during the wintertime, and no matter what you celebrate, it’s likely that this time of year brings back all kinds of memories of childhood and of time spent with your family and […]

This semester, students around the United States and the rest of the world have returned to campus for the first time since the Spring semester. Freshman students who are attending college for the first time won’t have anything to compare their first semester to, so they may not notice anything out of the ordinary. But […]

By now, you’re probably already well-aware of the fact that the US is preparing for arguably one of the most important elections in the nation’s history. This time next week, we will likely know for certain if Donald J. Trump will serve a second presidential term or if Joe Biden will become the 46th president […]

Yesterday, we entered October which of course means “Spooky Season” is here and Halloween is near. Since Halloween is my personal favorite holiday, naturally my mind started flowing with ideas to make this the best one yet. Then, a scary thought hit me. With no clear end to COVID-19 in sight, is Halloween canceled this […]

Skateboarding took off in the United States in the 1970s, and was popularized by surfers in California. Since then, skateboarding has evolved in many ways; the culture, equipment, aesthetics, styles, and realm of possibility constantly grow and change. In the early days, skateboarding was very underground, and didn’t take off and start to penetrate pop […]

Created in 1949 by the Mental Health America organization, Mental Health Awareness Month is a time to recognize issues surrounding mental health worldwide. According to this organization, 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. Among international students, studies from recent years show that mental illness is even more common. As […]

Each year, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd to remind us of the environmental issues that face the world we live in. The holiday was officially created when a US Senator named Gaylord Nelson witnessed an oil spill in 1970 and decided that he wanted to create awareness for environmental issues. That makes this […]

Tax season is here! Under US law, any international student or dependent of an international student is required to file a tax return every year, even if you’ve earned no income. The IRS deadline for submitting tax returns is April 15th. All international students must fill out and submit IRS Tax Form 8843, but if […]

February is a very special month in the United States because this month we observe Black History Month. Black History Month is a tradition put in place to celebrate Black American historical figures and events. It all started in 1926 and was limited to one week in February. Since then, it has evolved into Black […]