Among the 2,320 students in the Class of 2025, 15.6% come from outside the United States. Moving from high school to college is a momentous transition for everyone, but going through this change in a foreign country requires adjusting to new foods, academics, and cultural dynamics. Five students reflect on their transition to campus this year.
Nayeli Cardozo ’25 is the only student from Argentina in the Class of 2025. She spent her entire life there, and first visited the United States for a summer program at the University of California.
Joel Runevic ’25 is from the United Kingdom. His parents are from Lithuania and moved to the U.K.. before he was born. He has visited his family in the U.S. a couple times before coming to Harvard in the fall.
Alejandro Escobar ’25 is from Columbia. His first experience in the United States was during his gap year before Harvard.
Eric Hwang ’25 was born in Redwood City, California and moved to South Korea with his family in eighth grade. He has continuously lived in Korea until he came to Harvard in the fall.
Jimena Luque ’25 was born in the U.S. but moved to Peru as early as she can remember. She occasionally visited the States on vacation until she came to Harvard in the fall.
What have been your preconceptions on American food?
Cardozo: “American food is greasy and fatty. And in movies I’ve seen that Americans eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, which is something we usually don’t do in Argentina. We have one McDonalds where I live, but it’s not really a fast food place.”
Escobar: “We had burger places, but I wouldn’t necessarily say they were American. And of course, we had the big food chains, but I have a hard time defining American food.”
Runevic: “We had hamburgers and corndogs and stuff. English food is not too great. The only reason it’s good is because it’s multicultural.”
Hwang: “There are a lot of good American restaurants in Korea, but their food doesn’t quite hit the same. I don’t know, you idealize American food while you’re at home.”
Luque: “Peru has the best food internationally. It’s the richness of the flavor and the fact that you can get amazing, nutritionally-rich meals for low prices. I didn’t think American food was going to be that great compared to Peru’s, and I was right.”
How is Harvard food?
Cardozo: “I like dining hall food most days. I really like going out to eat. Dumpling House is my favorite.”
Escobar: “I would give [Harvard Square] an eight or nine because I think there’s a lot of options, and it’s very international. If I’m craving sushi, there’s a good sushi place. If I’m craving burgers, there’s a good burger place.”
Runevic: “I’m really appreciative of the food at Harvard. I know they have to cook for 2,000 plus students and have to consider things like allergies and customs.”
Hwang: “Berg has gotten better. That being said, I’ve lost weight since I’ve gotten here. Berg food makes me eat less.”
Luque: “Peruvian food is better, but I do appreciate the HUDs staff for their efforts to provide students with enough nutrition. I also love how in Boston you can try a variety of different cuisines, which is something I couldn’t do as much back home.”
How was the academic transition?
Cardozo: “I expected everyone to be focused on their work and very competitive, and maybe yes, we have those people here, but luckily I haven’t met them yet. I’ve only met people who have been very uplifting and helpful.”
Escobar: “I expected there to be less work on the weekends and a separation between social life and academic life.”
Hwang: “It’s actually easier than I thought it would be. It’s just that our high school was super super grindy, a lot of work. Certainly, conceptually things have gotten harder, the workload is just lighter.”
Luque: “Adapting to a new level of education that assumes that you’ve had prior experience is hard. Some Harvard classes like LS50 are designed to teach you stuff from the start. I love classes like that here—classes that assume no prior knowledge.”
How was the overall college transition?
Cardozo: “I was concerned about coming here as an international student, but I met really good friends from the international community and my roommates have been a great support for me. They are all from America. They have all welcomed me and I feel like I got exposed to really good people.”
Hwang: “Not that hard. My transition was pretty fun and smooth. I’ve always considered myself way more American than Korean. Culturally, there wasn’t a huge gap. I didn’t feel like I was coming to a different culture. I am an intense extrovert.”
Luque: “It wasn’t too bad. Maintaining contact with family back home helped a lot. Also, good relationships with your roommates, as well as clubs. Candela and ADDT [student dance troupes] have played a big part in making my transition smooth.”
Reina Pimentel ’25 (reina_pimentel@college.harvard.edu) and Lauren Kim ’25 (lauren_kim@college.harvard.edu) write for the Independent.