Indian Student’s Outlook Towards Lifestyle – Modern vs Orthodox
I realized few things about outlook among Indian students and it varies a lot (modern vs orthodox) depending on where they are from
I noticed sharp contrast in their outlook towards lifestyle.
Approach taken by Indian students towards US Admission is quite visible depending on where they were raised – Cities vs Towns.
Friend of mine highlighted the differences after reading few comments in the blog.
I told him “Several comments reflect about students being orthodox about applying to USA”.
That’s when he gave his opinion and I thought, its true to great extent.
Major Cities
Students from Major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Delhi, Bangalore, etc have much different outlook towards life.
They seem to be well-informed about current happenings in USA. They watch several English movies, follow sit-coms from US , follow NBA, NFL.
They are more open and willing to concept of staying with girl friends. When you start watching sit-coms from USA, it gives perspective about lifestyle in USA.
Small Towns
On the other end — many from small cities and towns, have that traditional outlook towards admission process in USA.
After living in USA, same traditional outlook, I had several years back are all gone.
Let’s look at few comments to the blog post – Girl Friend Applying to Same University, Can we Stay together (68 Comments).
Traditional Outlook
Schools keep strict eye on gf-bf staying together…im afraid ,wat will happen on parent teacher meeting day, so beware u kiddo!!
In case of girl friend,
School may consider you are applying with girl friend for fun
School may feel that revealing or disclosing such things can affect reputation of school among parents
And if in such case,if applying students are not informing their parents that we both are applying together, so it means they are hiding the truth and revealing the truth may work against them, more in case of girl applying with boy friend
Whatever hidden or cannot be revealed means it is wrongI don’t think school will support such wrong things
Also if students are India, parents feeling might also be hurt,If parents know about that then girls father will think better get married and go to same school
Someone Living in USA
@ Whoever feels the university will have moral issues regarding Girlfriends and will differentiate between husband and wife & girlfriend, guys, this is the US, the precise reason we come here is to improve our vision, the univs and even people in general here do not care about your personal life, they want to make you more comfortable in life, come what may. So if you say you will be better off with your girlfriend, they will help you.
And as far as university telling parents is concerned, guys, this is grad school, don’t confuse it with primary school!!!! And in this part of the world, a lot of parents are more irresponsible than their children so it really doesn’t make sense.
For the guy (i guess his question is answered), i strongly recommend sending out a note quoting your admission numbers, name and stuff to the univs and saying you would like to go to the same univ. It works for friends from the same undergrad college, dont think girlfriend should be any issue.
Basically, HSB has rightly pointed out, I definitely feel the university will give a good amount of consideration if not going out of the way.
My Thoughts
I have to admit, I nodded my head in denial after reading the first comment
Schools keep strict eye on gf-bf staying together…im afraid, wat will happen on parent teacher meeting day, so beware u kiddo!!
Since when college going students are worried about gf-bf staying together? On top of that, PT meeting.
Concept of Arranged Marriage in USA doesn’t exist.
It ‘s common for someone to have multiple girl/boy friends (in actual relationship). Several of them stay together for several years without marriage. Some of them have kids and then get married.
Being orthodox is perfectly ok, but not to the extent of above comment.
I find it difficult to understand that students planning to study in USA are worried about parents teachers meeting.
Your Thoughts
Let’s have a constructive discussion about this topic. I don’t want this to turn out into Big vs Small City knock-out punches.
HSB did point out that once in the US, people’s outlook changes. So what is the use of anybody chastising them now? And honestly, is there any use of discussion on it? We wont be doing any good to anyone anyway! 😀
Its actually upto their wish whether dey wud lke 2 stay wth ur GF/BF. No need of worrying abtb dose taboos.
India is a very complicated country and so are its people.Leave alone Las Vegas , i have seen people not willing to travel to GOA but aspire to write GRE and make it big in America.As ironic as it may sound this is INDIA ! 😀
Students from bigger cities follow NBA. Maybe ! But NFL…haha laughable. I think citing European football would be much closer to reality. And deriving an idea about life in US from sitcoms and Hollywood movies is as obtuse as to think that all colleges in India function on the lines of the movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Unless you spend some time at that place you wont be able judge it correctly. That is true for all the places in the world.
The key is to stay true to your personality wherever you go.
Hello all,
I think this kind of posts dont serve any purpose of benefiting students. Its strange why admins are allowing posts which may be derogatory to someone! Lets not lower the standards of HSB.
Thank you!
hahaha.. . these views are ridiculous.. plss stop putting such stupid articles happyschoolsblog
I have always believed that ‘being a Roman in Rome’ always helps you to get over the cultural differences in a foreign land. I am not intending to say that its essential to stop following our own traditions, but as a social creature, humans have always adapted to the surroundings in all respects.
As far as staying with your unmarried companion is concerned, the general mentality of people especially in the US and some of the European countries does NOT consider it to be a taboo. I am a student at the University of Houston and i know many students, including Indians, who live in separate apartments with the girlfriends or boyfriends. The general public of US might have raised eye brows initially and this is mainly due to their strictly orthodox Indian friends, but I strongly believe that they ll be happy to know that there are Indians who have embraced their culture in their country.
I Agree partially with the above mentioned thing about Lifestyle & Orthrodoxy.Considering myselves,I am born and brought up in a 2nd Tier City from South India.I got rid of orthodoxy very early in my school days,in a bid to explore this vast world.I voluntarily went outside of the ‘primitive’ world.Spoke to numerous number people,explored new ideas,read booksnovels,Internet etc and thus found myselves as a better person to cope up in the time of failures,Success etc.All these essentially started with an intent to learn and the same hunger is still fresh in me.I Admit that many(not most) students that I’ve seen in my city are still primitive and when something is put forward to them to which they’re new,some have the ability to Learn and some are just bluntly Ignorant.
That’s right.India is slowly being stripped of it’s’ holier than thou’ sheath over its obnoxious attitudes.Good days are approaching for the millions.
Every student aspiring to do a master’s degree from India have their own perspective of US cultures and their lifestyles by hearing from people living in US. Even if they read articles and experiences of you people, nothing teaches a person as their own experience does. This mindset will definitely change after coming to US. Afterall you should also have had a similar kind of mindset before going to US.. 🙂 Am i correct HSB? :p
I was definitely not the level of Parents teachers meeting. In my scale, say I’m now at 10, I was at 6 when I came to USA. According to me the person who posted the comment is at 0.
Thanks for the compliment. Anyways, I also didn’t mean you were at that level. Neither do I. I was trying to tell that people out there would have understand the cultures and have better adapted. But people in India, who have just heard about the cultures and their lifestyles will understand it only by experience.
And I also agree that people who think at parent teachers meeting level will find it difficult to the sudden change in the cultural behavior.
Even people who have lived in USA for long time, are hesitant to take their parents to Las Vegas.
As I said people from traditional background will find it difficult to adapt. And the person you are referring to might have had a traditional background. What I would suggest is, everyone going to USA should have a right mindset. And people like YOU can help us in getting the right mindset.
Btw, when HSB said “the person who posted the comment is at 0” I dont think he meant Prasanna Venkatesh.. He meant the person who posted the first comment about PTA meeting and bf-gf relations in USA 😀