Chen Changqi is an INTO student from China at Marshall University majoring in computer science. Changqi came to America in Aug. 2015 to attend Marshall.

Changqi was given a list of states and schools when he was trying to decide where he wanted to go in America and he had some specific qualities he was looking for when making his choice.

“I decided to go to Marshall because my agent gave me a list of schools in America and showed me the crime rate for each school,” Changqis said. “And West Virginia has the lowest crime rate, so I chose West Virginia and then I looked at the schools, and Marshall had a high probability of letting me in.”

While Changqi said there are a lot of differences between China and America, he said the first major change he noticed was positive.

“The Wi-Fi. The first night I stayed at the Dallas airport, I stayed all night and the Wi-Fi speeds are much faster than in China,” Changqi said. “That was the first major difference between America and China that I noticed.”

After Changqi arrived in America, he said he only found more things he liked about the campus and Marshall itself.

“My favorite parts about Marshall are my girlfriend, Hannah, the gym and I really like how small the campus is,” Changqi said. “In China I had to ride the bus everywhere, but here I can just walk.”

Changqi said he has also started participating in more hobbies and clubs since he arrived at Marshall.

“I like coding, walking and I go to the gym and play basketball sometimes,” Changqi said. “I just joined the Thundering Nerds math club this semester.”

Changqi said he hopes to stay in America after graduation.

“I want to get a job in computer science somewhere on the East Coast, whether it be Washington, Boston or New York.”

Monica Zalaznik can be reached at [email protected].