{"id":16607,"date":"2025-10-31T23:45:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T04:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/?p=16607"},"modified":"2025-10-31T23:45:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T04:45:14","slug":"three-stages-one-journey-life-as-an-international-student-at-morningside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/archives\/16607","title":{"rendered":"Three Stages, One Journey: Life as an International Student at Morningside"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Three Stages, One Journey: Life as an International Student at Morningside<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Diego Ocando<\/strong> – <\/strong>Being an international student is about a lot more than just studying in another country. It\u2019s about learning how to adapt, balance, and grow \u2014 all while being far from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Morningside, students from around the world bring their own stories, cultures, and dreams to campus. But what they all share is the challenge of figuring out how to manage it all \u2014 classes, sports, jobs, friendships, and those rare moments of free time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent video project, three international students opened up about what life really looks like behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marco, a sophomore from Spain, says his days are still pretty relaxed \u2014 filled with playing soccer, hanging out with friends, and enjoying campus life. \u201cI don\u2019t have too many responsibilities yet,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like I have time to enjoy college life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this stage, everything still feels new; there is a mix of excitement, discovery, and freedom. It\u2019s about getting used to a new country while finding a sense of belonging on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By junior year, the rhythm starts to change. Classes get tougher, jobs become part of the routine, and the future starts to feel a little closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow I see leisure more as recovery,\u201d said Guillermo, a junior from Ecuador. \u201cI use it to rest and recharge. With more work and classes, I don\u2019t have the same freedom I had before, but I still try to make time for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many international students, this is when balance becomes key. Leisure isn\u2019t just about having fun anymore: it\u2019s about staying grounded and taking care of your mind and body while juggling growing responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By senior year, the focus shifts again. Elias, a senior and former soccer player, shared how his priorities have evolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHonestly, I barely have time for myself,\u201d he said. \u201cBetween school, work, and applying for jobs, it\u2019s hard to find free time. When I do, I like to go to the gym, but most of the time I\u2019m focused on what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For students like Elias, life becomes about preparation: OPT\u2014The year international students have in the US to work\u2014, job searches, and figuring out what comes after college. The sense of freedom from the early years gives way to responsibility and reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these stages shows a different side of what it means to be an international student. For many, that\u2019s what the journey is all about \u2014 learning how to balance everything while still finding small moments that feel like home. Whether it\u2019s laughing with friends in the caf, kicking a ball around after class, or calling family back home, those little things matter more than most people realize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the full video project on Morningside\u2019s international students\u2019 experiences here:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vdYS3MLseUs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three Stages, One Journey: Life as an International Student at Morningside By Diego Ocando – Being an international student is about a lot more than just studying in another country. It\u2019s about learning how to adapt, balance, and grow \u2014 all while being far from home. At Morningside, students from around the world bring their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1249,"featured_media":7512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77447,77438,77439,56109,203],"tags":[53991,56325,56187,46880,46807,46732,46718],"class_list":["post-16607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-life","category-culture","category-international","category-morningside-people","category-news","tag-collegelife","tag-internationalstudents","tag-morningsidestudents","tag-msidelife","tag-morningside-mustangs","tag-mustangs","tag-students"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1249"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16607"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16627,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16607\/revisions\/16627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.morningside.edu\/thecr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}