CHALLENGING FOR UCONN, BY UCONN STEREOTYPES This pamphlet was written by Kavitha Kannan, Deepthi Varghese, and Sara Ailshire in Don’t assume Indian international students collaboration with International Student and share the same language, religion, or cultural Scholar Services. background! India is home to over 400 languages, all the world’s major religions, and hundreds of unique cultures. Kavitha Kannan is a PhD student in the Department of Molecular and Cell The two official national languages of India are Biology at UConn, and was a member India Hindi and English, but that doesn’t mean that of the International Student Advisory everyone from India speaks Hindi or English. Culture & Education Twenty-two official languages are spoken across Deepthi Varghese is a PhD student in India’s twenty-nine states. Many people from the A Student’s Perspective the Department of Chemistry at UConn, east and south of India may not speak Hindi at and was a member of the International all. International Student & Student Advisory Board. Scholar Services Religious practices, even among members of the same faith, can differ depending on where Sara Ailshire is a PhD student in the in India they are from. What is an important Department of Anthropology at UConn religious holiday for Bengali Hindus may not and a Graduate Student Worker at ISSS. be as important to Hindu Malayalis or Gujaratis. Other common faiths in India include Islam, Buddhism, Jainisim, Christianty, Sikhism, and International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) many more. supports the greater internationalization of the University of Connecticut through the development While many people in India are vegetarian, not and delivery of services and programs that help our everyone is. If you are planning an event in your international students, scholars, faculty and staff department, try and ensure that there is an accomplish their academic and professional goals at eggless vegetarian option available, and that UConn. dishes and their ingredients are clearly labeled. /UConnISSS India is famous for the sari, an attire worn by women, but that doesn’t mean everyone wears /UConnISSS one. Many people tend toward jeans or slacks, shirts, and sneakers or flats in their daily wear. Some people wear traditional clothing every day, while others only wear traditional clothes for special occasions—weddings, holidays, or International Student & Scholar Services 2011 HILLSIDE RD, U-1083 religious events. STORRS, CT 06269-1083 860.486.3855 [email protected]

[email protected] • isss.uconn.edu ABOUT THIS BROCHURE COLLEGE IN INDIA

UConn is fortunate to have many international Indian colleges are quite diverse. Students in students from India. India is the world’s largest Indian universities will meet their peers from democracy, home to over a billion people and all over India, surrounding countries, and an dozens of languages, religions, and cultures. increasing number of students from African Aside from Indian food and Bollywood films, countries. the vast majority of Americans know very little about India. ISSS worked with UConn students Compared to colleges in the United States, to compile the information found in this guide. students in Indian universities have less We hope you will find this helpful! SOCIAL CULTURE flexibility in choosing their classes, with many programs having a set curriculum for students. EDUCATION IN INDIA Student clubs in India are an important part of Students choose their majors before they begin student college life. Compared to the US, there their undergraduate education, and may have • The education system in India is divided may be less of a variety of student organizations, less flexibility in choosing their electives. into primary school (Grades 1-5), middle but the ones in place on Indian campuses tend school (Grades 6-8), general secondary to be quite large and can have considerable Students in India choose between college school (Grades 9 and 10), and upper power on campus. organized hostels, rented rooms (called paying secondary school (Grades 11 and 12) guest or PG), or living at home during their Popular sports in India include cricket, time in university. Women’s hostels in particular • The language of instruction can be either basketball, kabaddi, and tennis. Field hockey is are known for their strict and early curfews for English or the state’s native language. the national sport. students. • Secondary education in India is exam oriented: students take classes to prepare Many students living on their own for the first Why study in the U.S.? Students are drawn by for centrally-administered examinations. time in undergraduate or graduate school the opportunity to take classes and work with struggle with the same things as their American renowned professors in various fields. Students • Private schools are a very popular option counterparts: cooking, cleaning, laundry, and and families are willing to invest in a foreign in India, particularly for the middle classes. self-management. degree for the potential return on investment. Many private schools within India are Many students want to have a global modelled after the British private education Students in Indian colleges and universities face experience working with people from different system. Engish tends to be the medium an additional layer of social and institutional backgrounds in a different educational system, of instruction, and the curriculum tends scrutiny compared to their American peers. or by the opportunity to gain work experience to be more comprehensive, These schools Oversight of student behavior from hostels or in the United States after completing their also offer students the opportunity to degree. And finally, top ranked institutions participate in extracurriculars. rentals exceeds what is typical of American dorms or student rentals. Universities may in India like the IITs have highly competitive standardized entrance examinations; U.S. • Universities in India typically require contact the student’s parents for any number institutions present another compelling option students to pass college-administered of major or minor infractions, compared to the for completing the degree. admissions tests in addition to passing a stricter student privacy expectations in the US. final secondary school examination.

[email protected] • isss.uconn.edu