On June 27, EducationUSA Advising Center hosted a Pre-Departure Orientation for Study in the U.S. at the American Center, geared for Vietnamese students enrolling to study in the United States for the 2014-2015 academic year. The program is designed to help students become well-prepared before leaving Vietnam to embark on their studies in the United States, and orients students to the U.S. academic, social, and cultural environment.
The event agenda included a U.S. Consulate officer briefing on port-of-entry procedures and maintaining visa status, and presentations from a PAS intern and local AIG representatives on student life and health insurance, respectively. Consul General Rena Bitter stopped by to wish the group of approximately 300 students and parents well, and raffle off EducationUSA prizes to the excited crowd.
The afternoon of the daylong event featured group discussions in breakout sessions with EducationUSA Advisors, U.S. students and Vietnamese students currently studying in or recently graduated from U.S. schools. The day concluded with networking activities that allowed the students and parents to mingle and make friends with other Vietnamese students who may be geographically nearby in the United States.
