A question from Jadin:
As an international student I was wondering if you studied British English? How hard is it to study textbooks in American English? I went to school in Belgium and that is all they have taught us.

Answer:
Yes, Jadin, I did study British English in school. In fact, I went to the International School of Cape Town in South Africa and studied under the Cambridge System. In the USA, one obviously has to adjust to learning, reading and writing in American English. It takes a while to get used to, however, you’ll become accustomed to it within a few weeks. I remember when I started as a freshman, I quickly learnt which words I would have to write differently (such as colour and color, neighbour and neighbor, centre and center). My first graded paper was returned with a scribble of corrected spelling errors. I was so embarrassed, as I have always prized myself on my grammar and spelling! After that spell of embarrassment, I quickly learnt (which in American English would be ‘learned’) how to adjust!

I highly recommend that before you start here, change your Microsoft word language settings to English US and keep your spelling check on. I still rely on that today!

You will find that in American English they rarely use words such as ‘therefore’ and ‘thus’. Thus, your papers sound very proper and you’ll be credited for it! However, when I wrote for the school newspaper, The iPulse, I found that those proper words I naturally use were omitted for more colloquial words.

You’ll get the hang of it… it’s just tough when you have to write e mails home to friends and family, as you’ll have to write in British English… or else they’ll wonder why a college student, such as yourself, is making the simplest of spelling errors!