Berkeley is very diverse in terms of viewpoints. In Bulgaria everybody knows each other and especially in my high school everybody was close tightened. But Berkeley is such a big school that a lot of the time you meet a lot of new people and you see new perspectives on things so it’s very different from what I’ve grew up with.
When I moved from Bulgaria to the US I had to basically start anew. I had to make new friends and I had a lot of independence that I previously didn’t have.
That was said in an interview with BGNES by Mihail Dimitrov, second year student at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Dimitrov emphasized that Berkeley is a very diverse college. He has peers from all over the world, international students from other European or Asian countries, as well as people who grew up in the US from all kinds of ethnic and cultural background.
“Berkeley is very diverse in terms of viewpoints. In Bulgaria everybody knows each other and especially in my high school everybody was close tightened but Berkeley is such a big school that a lot of the time you meet a lot of new people and you see new perspectives on things so it’s very different from what I’ve grew up with“, he said.
“I miss my family a lot, I think about them all the time. When I was here I had a certain dynamic, I had an established circle and of course my family was here in Bulgaria. When I moved to the US I had to basically start anew. I had to make new friends and I had a lot of independence that I previously didn’t have, it was kind of new found. That was something very new to me“, Dimitrov added.
He noted that the American education is very rigorous compared to the Bulgarian one:
„Berkeley is a grade deflated school which means that a lot of the courses that you undertake there are going to be more difficult on average compared to your average college class. But my high school education in the American College in Sofia really prepared me well, so I manage to keep up with the work load.“
Mihail interacts the most with his peers that are from the US, South or East Asia, but also people from countries like Saudi Arabia. Some of his friends are Bulgarians and some of them were in his high school. He is part of a community of about 8-10 Bulgarian students and they interact or make plans sometimes, but the number of Bulgarians is way beyond that number in the surrounding areas like San Francisco.
"People who didn't grow up in the US really have something to compare the States to. I always compare the US to Bulgaria and in many cases I weigh the pros and cons of living in the US as opposed to Bulgaria because not everything is better. People might think that you go to the US and you automatically have a better live, but there are pros and cons. US education is very lucrative. It’s four year education and you essentially live in campus and in the dorms or close to them. Basically your four years are very surrounded and determined by the type of university or college that you choose, while in Europe if you go to an university in the Netherlands, France of Germany the university is just one aspect of your life and are still much more independent if you are in the US. In the States you kind of live in a bubble and you don’t really get to interact with people in the outside of your campus. In that aspect the US education is not just better in terms of a lifestyle but also in terms of rigor and prospects later in life. I went to the US because I was weighing my prospects and felt like I would be paying pretty much the same price if I went to the United Kingdom. In either of those countries you would be able to find opportunities in terms of developing your career and pursuing personal growth“, Dimitrov said.
He stressed that it takes time to adapt to the difference, especially if you grew up abroad. His advice to the Bulgarians who are starting their studies in the US right now is to enjoy, relax and focus on their studies.
„Everything else, including friends, is going to come to you. Everybody is going to wonder, well who is this Bulgarian person and they want to know your story, so focus on your academics, good grades and development as a human being, and a person with a great career later on. My friends ask me all the time about how was it in Bulgaria and how is it different compared to the US. Obviously I want to shine a good light on my country and I actually have a big Bulgarian flag in my room that I hanged there as soon as I moved in, because I am proud of my background, where I came from and I hope to come back soon“, Dimitrov said. /BGNES
