Furman’s International Student Orientation

Meet Vuyo

Hello, my name is Vuyo Mkhatshwa, I’m an international student from Eswatini. I’m a rising
junior majoring in Mathematics and Economics with a Data analytics minor and in this blog, ill be relaying
my experience with international student orientation – one of the resources we have as international students at Furman.

 

All About International Student Orientation

Furman University offers a multitude of opportunities for international students to settle in
quickly, including the international student orientation, which takes place a week before Fall
orientation. Arriving a week earlier helped me, as well as many other international students,
get acclimated to the beautiful campus and navigate a new country.

 

Learning More About Culture

During this orientation, we learned about ‘southern hospitality’ and other norms and customs
unique to Greenville, SC, which have proved helpful during my time here. For instance, I learned
that Southerners will always smile and greet you as you walk by as a sign of politeness, and they
always hold the door for the next person—things I’ve come to love during my time at Furman.
We also got to set up our banking accounts, obtain social security numbers, receive free Ubers to
travel around town to get supplies, and meet with international upperclassmen who gave us tips
on thriving as international students at Furman.

 

Creating Meaningful Relationships

This orientation was also where we met other international students and formed
bonds that created a support structure, helping us cope with homesickness or any issues arising
from being newcomers in a new environment.

In addition to this orientation, we have had excursions together as internationals that help us
explore the local Greenville area and nearby cities. One memorable experience was visiting a
nearby orchard in North Carolina, where we learned about the history of the expansive citrus
farm and tried their breathtaking citrus donuts, which I still crave to this day.

There are many more opportunities for international students at Furman, but I’ll leave those for
you to discover without spoiling too much of the fun on the horizon. Overall, I enjoyed the
international student orientation and am excited to see what the future cohort of global scholars
will bring to Furman.