Just graduated in top 20% of class at top public ivy as an international student

I thought I'd share a bit of my experience because I definitely benefited from what I learned on this sub during my college career.<br><br># Background:<br>I'm an international student. I came from a country where we don't speak English. I had no English vocabulary knowledge for the first 15+ years of my life. I knew nothing of American culture and had no relatives in the US. I was pretty bad at learning languages. I played a lot of video games and was a typical teen who only cared about getting good grades to get into a top uni.<br><br># Freshman year<br>I struggled so much. I did not speak much. I did not fully comprehend what Americans were saying. I lost points in English and history classes because I did not know how to write essays. I did not know how to write a paper with proper citations. I hated to read so much to the point that I did not read for any of my classes. I struggled to get out of my shell even though I was living in a dorm surrounded by Americans and I knew that if I did not improve my English I would suffer in the long run.<br><br># Sophomore year<br>This was a turning point. I moved off campus and improved my spoken English significantly. I learned to write proper papers and essays. I got over my fear of public speaking. I started to read for some of my classes. I learned time management and I started to read a lot for fun.<br><br># Junior year<br>I was a different person. My grades were excellent. I did nothing but read. I read books on linguistics, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. I started learning new languages. I started working as a tutor for intro linguistics classes. I felt good about myself. I started to appreciate the little things in life. I felt more confident than ever. I was very quickly able to make friends. I was able to connect with people on a deeper level.<br><br># Senior year<br>I was the person I had always wanted to become. I had excellent time management skills. I was able to balance work and friends and classes with ease. I had excellent grades. I was able to enjoy time with others while still being able to work hard and get good grades. I finally started to learn what I wanted to learn which was programming. I was able to do extracurricular activities while being a full-time student and having a part-time job. I was able to connect with others on a deeper level. I finally gained that sense of belonging that I had been searching for since the moment I stepped foot in the US.<br><br>In conclusion, I feel like I have grown a lot in the past four years. I have struggled a lot but it was all worth it in the end. If you feel like you're struggling and everyone seems to be doing better than you, it's okay. Life is a marathon, not a race. And if you're active on this sub and you're improving, that's already a huge step forward. Good luck and stay strong.<br><br>TLDR: I went from terrible to great over the course of 4 years. Stay strong. Life is a marathon, not a race.