As an international student, I have been living in the United States for almost one year. I took six classes from pathway program and two major classes from business school. I realized that I have gained many experiences, which are different from what I experienced in Thailand, in both academic and living aspects. In learning perspective, there are three significant things I have learned during my standard pathway program.

Firstly, American classrooms allow me to use my critical thinking skill. The environment in classroom and teaching style encourage me to share my thoughts with my classmates. Professors will come up with questions, which required students to think critically and answers those questions in the classroom. On the other hand, students do not have much chance to use their critical thinking skill in Thailand. We agree with everything mentioned by the teachers. Thai students do not ask questions or share any opinion in classes. Pathway classes prepare the students to be ready for American classrooms.

Moreover, my English skills are extremely improved, especially for reading and writing parts. I do not read much since I were studying in Thailand. Studying here required me to read a lot of academic articles and write analytical summaries. On the first semester of pathway program, I was suffering from tons of assignments. I used to spend more than 8 hours on each academic article. Nowadays, I learn the how to read and write effectively, so I spend less time on each article. Most of MBA classes require students to read a lot of case studies. These skills can help me with the case studies assignments.

Lastly, another important thing for graduate students is time management skill. Last semester, I tolerated from the large amount of assignments. On the first semester, I did not have time for my personal life and spent all of my time after class doing homework, even in weekend. On this second semester, I have learned to plan everything. As a result, I finished all of my homework in time and I am so happy with my life. As MBA program at George Mason is a part-time program, students work on daytime and attend class after work. Graduate students have limited time, but we have a lot of assignments, so good time management skill can help us learn effectively and still enjoy our personal life.

In conclusion, studying abroad help me gain a lot of new experiences. Furthermore, pathway program allows me to improve my critical thinking, English, and time management skills.