“From the Great Lakes going down through Chicago, it seems to me that if you want to find America, that’s where it is.”
– American actor William H. Macy.



Macy was talking about his leading role in the Oscar-winning comedy/thriller Fargo, which takes place in the Midwest states of North Dakota and Minnesota.

Fargo, the biggest city in North Dakota and the film’s namesake, was the very place where I studied as an international exchange student for the past year. I used to complain about it being remote and boring, and it is, but now that I’m back at home, watching the movie Fargo makes me nostalgic for the city’s incomparable goodness.

If you’ve never seen the movie, it’s pretty dark, and often disturbing. But it also shows the love for this region by the filmmakers (Joel and Ethan Coen, who grew up in Minnesota) and the actors. Both William H. Macy and I know the real Fargo that ever brightened our heart.

In this last post for the Student Union, I’d like to share some pictures with my dedicated audience to present my Fargo – a marvelous land that most travelers to America will never know.

Landscape

Fargo, like other parts of Midwest, has very huge plains all the way down to the skyline. And in the winter, these plains turn into sheets of snow and ice.

I totally understand how Fargo writer/director Joel Coen described growing up in Minnesota. In a documentary about the making of the film, he said, “The real, strong memories I have from my childhood is my mother kicking me out of the house when it was 20 degrees below zero and then expecting me to horse around in this sort of blank, white landscape.”



As a matter of fact, numerous lakes on the border of North Dakota and Minnesota freeze completely, and you can walk, or even drive on them! These lakes, for sure, are part of this white landscape!

Nice People

Another thing that the actors and directors of Fargo talked about when they discussed making the movie was how nice the people are in this part of the country.

“It is called ‘Minnesota Nice.’ It is very true that it’s a very polite culture.” Joel Coen said. Macy agreed, “‘Minnesota Nice’ is that politeness that is bred in from childhood.”

I feel completely the same way. I’ve already described in previous posts the great generosity of my friend Maia Randklev and her parents and relatives. They accepted me as part of their family for their Christmas celebrations, and even took me skiing a couple of times.

End

Taking the plane to Los Angeles earlier this year for a spring break adventure, I didn’t expect I would feel right back home when I returned to Fargo. Nor did I imagine when I boarded an eastbound train to Washington, D.C. in June for my internship that Fargo would in my heart.



But when I came across a buffalo, the symbol of North Dakota, in the National Museum of the American Indian in D.C., I burst into tears. I kept missing Fargo all through my travels in D.C., Boston, New York City, and now all the way in China! The city is already part of me!

An American professor once told me about her experience as a young woman when she spent time in Turkey. She recalled that she missed home when being in Turkey but, similar to me, she turned to miss Turkey very much when resettling down in America.

It might be that people tend to miss something when they are far away from it, but I prefer to think in another way: Turkey and Fargo are the places where we spent the most formative time of our life. They have been permanent landmarks of our greatest enthusiasm that should be treasured forever.

So it’s time to end up this article? Oh, no, I should have kept in mind that the article this time would be the one to end my one-year exploration of writing with VOA’s Student Union. But I hope I will come back and share some of my experiences back in China later this summer. Anyway, here at this temporary transit station, please allow me to give my most sincere thanks to the Student Union, the most splendid stage and the most dedicated friend I’ve ever met. Without her hand-in-hand guidance and step-by-step encouragement, I could never go this far. Thank you, my dearest Union and dearest boss Jessica <3

[See all of Dandan's previous posts about studying in North Dakota and life as a Chinese student in America]

It’s tough to gain admission to Yale University, and it’s getting even tougher for international students as standout students from around the world set their sights on Yale.

The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

Read the full story here.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

WASHINGTON — 

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.

STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)

U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.

Read the full story here. (January 2025)

US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)

A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.

Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.

Read the full story here. (December 2024)

Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health reaches out to international students by detailing the international student experience at the school.

Learn more about housing, life in Boston and more here.

BEIJING — 

China issued its first national action plan to build a "strong education nation" by 2035, which it said would help coordinate its education development, improve efficiencies in innovation and build a "strong country."

The plan, issued Sunday by the Communist Party's central committee and the State Council, aims to establish a "high quality education system" with accessibility and quality "among the best in the world."

The announcement was made after data on Friday showed China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, with the number of deaths outpacing a slight increase in births, and experts cautioning that the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

High childcare and education costs have been a key factor for many young Chinese opting out of having children, at a time when many face uncertainty over their job prospects amid sluggish economic growth.

"By 2035, an education power will be built," the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that China would explore gradually expanding the scope of free education, increase "high-quality" undergraduate enrolment, expand postgraduate education, and raise the proportion of doctoral students.

The plan aims to promote "healthy growth and all-round development of students," making sure primary and secondary school students have at least two hours of physical activity daily, to effectively control the myopia, or nearsightedness, and obesity rates.

"Popularizing" mental health education and establishing a national student mental health monitoring and early warning system would also be implemented, it said.

It also aims to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas to improve the operating conditions of small-scale rural schools and improve the care system for children with disabilities and those belonging to agricultural migrant populations.

The plan also aims to steadily increase the supply of kindergarten places and the accessibility of preschool education.

The Open Notebook, a site focusing on educating journalists who cover science, has complied a list of U.S. graduate program financial aid information for international students.

Read it here.