During her sophomore year in college in the Philippines, Sachiko tried her luck and soon moved to the US to study at Cornell.
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You can’t say you had a complete academic experience until you imagine studying abroad at least once. The allure of taking your education overseas, even if it’s just for one semester is real. After all, it’s not so easy to do so and it’s a lowkey flex for you to say that you got to do it. But getting to say that you did it, and got your degree at an Ivy League school no less, now that’s the dream, and one 24-year-old content creator Sachiko has experienced.
Once an Atenean, Sachiko decided to try her luck during the pandemic, and boy was she lucky, as she soon found herself accepted at Cornell. Graduating Summa Cum Laude (!) this past May under Cornell’s SC Johnson School of Business, where she took up two degrees (Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration and Master’s in Applied Economics and Management), Sachiko got to live that foreign student life. NYLON Manila recently chatted with Sachiko about her big move, what it’s like to study abroad, live alone in another country, and more.
I’M GOING TO CORNELL
Sachiko’s journey to Cornell began in Katipunan. Then a sophomore in Ateneo De Manila’s Management Engineering course, Sachiko enjoyed her time in the white and blue. But when the pandemic hit, Sachiko, like many students then, saw her plans shift. “[The pandemic] prompted me to start my applications, which took a few months,” she tells NYLON Manila. “I silently set aside a lot of time and effort to create an application that hoped to make me stand out as a candidate. The most time-consuming part was crafting my essays, which helps the admissions team tie all aspects of your application (i.e. extra-curricular, achievements, grades, and generally, who you are as a person).”

Sachiko credits this change of heart to former US president Barack Obama, specifically his autobiography. After reading that he was a transfer to Columbia University, she had a lightbulb go off in her head that brought the idea that her academic future could be found overseas. “I always felt like I could further challenge myself by studying abroad and longed to have face-to-face classes again, especially as an extrovert. I began to independently research about the transfer process, but ultimately, I wanted to find a university that matched my personal and professional interests in the Food & Beverage and Real Estate industries.”

So why Cornell? Their “Hotel School” proved to be too appealing for Sachiko not to apply for. “It was the greatest decision since the alumni network, the professors, and the classes were all extremely interesting to me.” One thing led to another, and in April 2021, Sachiko received her fated acceptance email from Cornell. Thus began her overseas student era.
FOREIGN STUDENT LIFE
Studying at a new school can be nerve-wracking as it is, but doing so in a new country, and at an Ivy League school no less? Now that’s a recipe for an anxiety attack. And while Sachiko knew how much of an accomplishment it was to study abroad, the move also pressured her to keep up with her peers.
“There was a lot of internal pressure that I brought upon myself, given that I had to begin a ‘new life’ during the pandemic,” she recalls. “From academics, social life, to career endeavors, everyone was extremely driven and intellectually curious. I thrived knowing that this was exactly what I wanted — an environment that consistently pushed me outside of my comfort zone.”

Some days weren’t easy, and it was especially jarring living abroad and being away from her home and family. “It was extremely daunting having to settle into a new environment. It took me some time to fully adjust – especially with how cold it would get in Cornell (I’ve had to go to class in -28 degrees Celsius weather!)” she admits. “I had to make completely new friends, I had to understand how the American education system worked, I had to begin looking for a job, and so much more.”
This homesickness, in fact, was one of Sachiko’s hardest hurdles she dealt with. “As someone who always saw myself staying in the Philippines for college, I was never fully able to mentally prepare myself for the distance.”
Still, even with those challenges, she made it work, adapted, and even enjoyed her new life in America, a fact she credits to a strong personal system back home and in Cornell as well as a school community that made her feel welcome. “While I inevitably sometimes felt like I had to catch up or I felt behind, I always had an amazing support system either back at home or the new friends I made.”

And speaking of adjusting, Sachiko has the unique POV of going from a Philippine university setting to an American setting, getting a firsthand look at college life in both countries. While she doesn’t have a bias between the two, she has noticed a few key differences. For starters, she feels that US college life, and in her case, that it was at an Ivy League school, set her up for her future. “The resources at Cornell, at least, are unmatched and it’s up to you to take advantage of them. They have so many programs, faculty, and alumni to help you achieve what your goals are, but you have to take the initiative to use those tools.”
Meanwhile, the bayanihan spirit back home will always be one of Sachiko’s faves, even if she spent only two years in Ateneo. As she puts it, “I think the sense of community can’t be found anywhere else because of our collectivist culture. I continue to keep in touch with a lot of my classmates despite being abroad. It’s always a good time with Filipinos and I love how we move together as a team.”

Over the past four years, Sachiko has lived the foreign student life and has even shared some of it on social media. But while it might seem like a dream to get to do all that and then some, Sachiko sees her time enrolled in Cornell, and studying abroad in general, to be a transformative period in her life. Ask anyone who lived alone abroad in their late teens and early twenties and they’ll tell you how much it can impact who you are as a person, often for the better. That much was true for Sachiko.
“I think the best thing about studying abroad is using this time to fully discover your potential,” she says. “You will inevitably get stretched in all directions, and you will surprise yourself in ways you didn’t know possible!” It was only when she moved abroad that Sachiko realized the power of having a proper mindset in how you see and approach the world. “It’s up to you how you want to perceive your circumstances. For example, it’s easy to fall into the trap of imposter syndrome in Cornell, or you can say that you are so lucky that you can learn from and be surrounded by some of the greatest minds your age!“
APPLICATION SECURED
So, now that Sachiko is done with her Cornell era, was moving abroad to study at an Ivy League school everything she thought it would be? “Even if I watched all the movies and TV shows on American colleges, I definitely did not expect this. I don’t have many friends that went to Ivy League schools or even college in the States, so I couldn’t fully grasp what the experience was going to be like.” Now a college graduate currently living in New York City, Sachiko turned her TikTok and Instagram into a digital diary of sorts, documenting her experiences on campus, and she looks back on those memories with fondness.

As for students who have studying abroad on their bucket list, Sachiko recommends that you use the internet to your full advantage. That is to say, do your research, besties. “I think a lot of people underestimate how much information there is online! Once you really take the time to learn what you don’t know about the process, you can make a proper strategy on how to best position yourself as a candidate from there.”
While it might seem intimidating or daunting at first, at the end of the day, what matters is that you initiate the first step because this is your future after all. Yes, let’s manifest great things for ourselves, but your academic goals won’t just fall on your lap without some action on your end.

“If you dream about studying abroad, the best advice is to take autonomy in learning about colleges in America, their application process, and what kind of students they usually accept,” Sachiko shares. “I think one of the greatest skills I learned from Americans is that they’re never afraid to ask for help. If they don’t know something, they will put in the effort to learn it or they’ll try to find a person who can teach them.”
So, do your research, consult with friends, family, mentors, and teachers, put in the work, and don’t be afraid to make those study abroad dreams come true.
Photos courtesy of Sachiko
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