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Most international students focus so much on surviving the pressure that they forget they're living in one of the most exciting cities on earth. This episode isn't about overcoming hardship; it's a reminder that you can maintain your F1 status while still creating the best, most chaotic memories of your life.

In this episode, you’re not getting another checklist on how to build a resume or survive hardship; instead, you’re getting a roadmap on how to choose joy and actually live your life while studying abroad. Through a collection of hilarious, real-life stories—from getting a free haircut via a wild Yelp review to finding the best free views of the city from Mulholland Drive—we prove that you don't need a massive budget to create an unforgettable college experience. But we also don’t shy away from the deeper realities, diving into the quiet pressures of identity, representing your home country, and learning how to step out from under the weight of expectations to claim your own path. Whether you are navigating your own student journey or just miss the nostalgic chaos of your college days, this conversation is your ultimate permission slip to find balance, protect your future, and have the absolute best time of your life.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
0:12 Most fun time in USA as an International Student
5:54 Random encounters in LA with people and celebrities
12:55 Neighbors in LA who takes you to strip club as well as advice on whom to part with
16:11 cultural shock in LA , In N Out Burger, return policy and lion is my pet story
25:25 tipping culture and funny Barber stories.
34:06 How to make friends as an International student
37:08 Why you should got to community college before going to university
42:11 Pressure of being an African international student experience
46:39 Scary experience in LA
49:30 Dating Experience, challenges and stories
57:42 LA Culture and how it can motivate you
01:01:03 Advice to international students, How to make great memories and not just survive
01:05:38 Favorite childhood memory

International Student Experience Podcast Real stories. Honest conversations. Practical guidance from international students who lived it.

Have an international student story to share? : yourstory.oie@gmail.com

Subscribe for new episodes every week

#InternationalStudent #InternationalStudentMentalHealth #StudyAbroad #MentalHealth #SurvivalMode #InternationalStudentExperience #Therapy #StudentLife #CollegeMentalHealth #YouAreNotAlone #StudyAbroadMentalHealth #InternationalStudentLife

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🎙 International Student Experience

We share real stories from international students who have lived this journey
before you — so your path can be easier.

Every guest opens up about what they wish someone had told them. The mistakes they made. The lessons they learned the hard way. The wisdom they gained from navigating life, education, careers, and identity in the United States.

If you are an international student or about to become one — these conversations exist to make your journey lighter, clearer, and a little less lonely.

You don't have to figure it all out alone. Learn from those who have
already walked this path.

Watch full video episodes on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@InternationalStudentExperiece

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

Have a story to share or want to be a guest? Email us at
yourstory.oie@gmail.com

Follow us: Instagram: @ise.podcast TIKTOK : @ise.podcast

YouTube: International Student Experience

Subscribe for new episodes every week

If this episode helped you, share it with another international student who
needs to hear it. We are still not reaching enough International students, please help us reach to more people by reviewing the podcast and sharing with other International studen...

Send us Fan Mail

What is the true cost of pursuing a dream? For Zahra M. Aghajan, moving from Iran to the US for her love of science meant navigating a path of profound challenges, heart-breaking choices, and deep self-discovery.

In this deeply moving and powerful conversation, Zahra shares her story with incredible courage and honesty. She details the complex motivations for leaving her home, including the specific hurdles for women in her field and the "unbelievably hard" F1-visa process that is a unique challenge for Iranian students.

Her journey is one of inspiring resilience. She gets candid about the waves of loneliness, the cultural shocks of arriving at UCLA (plus some hilarious misunderstandings), and the devastating, personal impact the Muslim ban had on her and her family.

Zahra also speaks openly about:

How grad school "breaks you down emotionally" and how therapy became an essential tool for her to heal and grow.
How she built a new "family" in LA through friends who made her feel at home.
The joys and beautiful similarities of marrying into a different culture.
Her hopes and dreams for raising a bicultural daughter in America.

Throughout the episode, she and host Harshrajsinh Gohil have a compassionate and insightful discussion comparing the cultures of Iran, India, and the USA. This is a story you won't want to miss.

Have a story to share? Email us at yourstory.oie@gmail.com

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro
04:59 Life at Home in Tehran
20:21 Choosing UCLA
22:54 Experiencing cultural shock when returning home, Iran and India
25:40 Cultural shocks in Los Angeles
28:46 US Student Visa challenges
34:54 Muslim Ban and it's Impact
44:50 Life at UCLA
01:03:44 Marrying in a different culture and raising children in the US
01:11:32 What would you borrow from American culture and Iranian culture

About Outsiders Insiders Experience:

Welcome to International Student Experience, the essential podcast for international students navigating life, study, and careers in the USA. We share authentic stories and practical advice to help you thrive. Each episode provides a guide to the biggest challenges of studying in America, with expert advice on everything from the F-1 visa, OPT, and H-1B to overcoming culture shock and building your community.

SUBSCRIBE to International Student Experience for more stories and guides! https://www.youtube.com/@UCixFl0MqYWyoAjtF4QPx-pQ

Apple Podcast Channel - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/international-student-experience/id1848975904
Spotify Channel - https://open.spotify.com/show/5yV9JNNRRF4fBvKw5QETNC?si=e6aec8e007664df8
iHeartRadio Channel -
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-international-student-exp-302843551/

Support the show

🎙 International Student Experience

We share real stories from international students who have lived this journey
before you — so your path can be easier.

Every guest opens up about what they wish someone had told them. The mistakes they made. The lessons they learned the hard way. The wisdom they gained from navigating life, education, careers, and identity in the United States.

If you are an international student or about to become one — these conversations exist to make your journey lighter, clearer, and a little less lonely.

You don't have to figure it all out alone. Learn from those who have
already walked this path.

Watch full video episodes on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@InternationalStudentExperiece

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

Have a story to share or want to be a guest? Email us at
yourstory.oie@gmail.com

Follow us: Instagram: @ise.podcast TIKTOK : @ise.podcast

YouTube: International Student Experience

Subscribe for new episodes every week

If this episode helped you, share it with another international student who
needs to hear it. We are still not reaching enough International students, please help us reach to more people by reviewing the podcast and sharing with other International studen...

Send us Fan Mail

Chance Lim grew up in Seoul being told to put her head down, stop asking questions, and become someone she wasn't.
She didn't.
Instead, she left Korea alone — no family abroad, no roadmap — took a blind leap, and built a life and a following in America.
But when she went back to show her success? Nobody even reacted. That's when she realized: who was she proving wrong all along?
In this episode, Chance and I talk about what really happens when you live between two cultures — the identity pressure, the "you're not Korean enough" comments from her own followers, the loneliness of not fully belonging anywhere, and why that in-between space might actually be the most honest place to live.
I share my own story too — from a small village in India to Los Angeles, choosing love over tradition, and learning to accept what I take and leave from both cultures.
You are not the prime minister of your country. You don't have to represent anyone. Just be yourself.

Have a story to share? Email us at yourstory.oie@gmail.com

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Why Chance didn't fit into Korean culture growing up
03:30 The pressure of becoming who you're not
04:26 Korea's education system and suppressing individuality
07:10 Taking a blind leap — leaving Korea with no roadmap
09:00 Looking back on Korea with more compassion
12:00 She proved everyone wrong — then realized no one cared
13:30 Hersh's journey from a small village in India to LA
16:00 Accepting and rejecting parts of your culture
18:00 You don't have to represent your country
19:45 Chance's favorite childhood memory

Have a story to share? Email us at yourstory.oie@gmail.com
🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yV9JNNRRF4fBvKw5QETNC
🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/international-student-experience-podcast/id1848975904
🎙️ iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-international-student-exp-302843551/
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InternationalStudentExperiece

#InternationalStudent #KoreanAmerican #IdentityCrisis #NotKoreanEnough #ThirdCultureKid #StudentLifeUSA #KoreanInfluencer #ChanceLim #StudyInUSA #CulturalIdentity #BelonginG #InternationalStudentExperience #F1Visa #ImmigrantStory #DiasporaIdentity

Support the show

🎙 International Student Experience

We share real stories from international students who have lived this journey
before you — so your path can be easier.

Every guest opens up about what they wish someone had told them. The mistakes they made. The lessons they learned the hard way. The wisdom they gained from navigating life, education, careers, and identity in the United States.

If you are an international student or about to become one — these conversations exist to make your journey lighter, clearer, and a little less lonely.

You don't have to figure it all out alone. Learn from those who have
already walked this path.

Watch full video episodes on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@InternationalStudentExperiece

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

Have a story to share or want to be a guest? Email us at
yourstory.oie@gmail.com

Follow us: Instagram: @ise.podcast TIKTOK : @ise.podcast

YouTube: International Student Experience

Subscribe for new episodes every week

If this episode helped you, share it with another international student who
needs to hear it. We are still not reaching enough International students, please help us reach to more people by reviewing the podcast and sharing with other International studen...