College brings a whole lot of new experiences, new lessons and new people. But it seems that no matter what school you go to there are same characters on every campus. The frat house groupie, the sensitive all American, the cool girl, the Unhinged Coed, and the Americanized International.

Allow me to refine this status: Americanization is not to be confused with Westernization, nor is it a put-down.

International Students take up a demographic in most US colleges and universities. They are usually easily spotted on campus. No, not because that of clothing choices or accents, but because they maintain a certain wide eyed fascination and solemn intelligence. International students seem refined and sophisticated. Hard working and goal oriented. They worked hard to get to this prestigious American university and they keep that in mind as they work even harder to graduate.

Most International Students stick together, seeking the comfort of the familiar. They tend to sit back in class and take notes as the more abrasive and comfortable students take over answering the questions, debating the topics and joking with classmates. As soon as class ends, they head to the library or the comforts of their dorm room to get started on the reading assigned. They never join the rest of campus at the weekend parties.

But then something starts to change. As the semester rolls on and these students find themselves more at ease in their new environment, they begin to engage in common American customs. They become The Americanized International. Read More »

Ah, junior year. I remember it like it was yesterday. Actually, the amount of alcohol I’ve consumed over the last four years has impaired my memory quite significantly. But I do remember that things were simpler. My friends were only a neighborhood away, my parents paid for everything (besides the bottles of Jose Cuervo I could literally chug from!), and I didn’t have to worry about landlords, electric bills or term papers.

I was working a job, getting straight A’s and somehow managed to go clubbing every.single.weekend. without my parents finding out.

When it came to music, I pretty much only listened to whatever was on the radio when I was driving around with my friends. And Bright Eyes. I always listened to Bright Eyes. And, because of my addiction to the night life – even though I couldn’t even legally drink yet – I fell in love with the Hot 100 charts on Billboard.com. I would peruse the latest additions and then download them with Napster.

Lucky for me, Billboard keeps all their Hot 100 charts online. So, I was actually able to look back and view the top songs from five years ago (wow, that seems like a really big number) when I was a wee 17 year old.

Junior year – of high school and college – has probably proved to be the most exciting. You’re finally comfortable where you are, and adult-like things like graduation are but a miniature blip on your radar. (You’re mostly worried about what you’re gonna wear to that killer house party you are going to go to this weekend). Perfection.

Anyway, let’s take a trip down memory lane to my original junior year here. Good times.