My key learning points while living in US

Well, I had a New Year resolution that I will write here more often then I did last half an a year at least.
Before you will read this post I just want to say that this is MY XP, these are MY situations that I learned through. Maybe, if you have been in US, or lived here some time had completely different surrounding. Everything is possible. As well, I can ask you not to make any conclusions in general about this country or about life here, just based on what I'm going to say here, but it as usually UP TO YOU :)

So, my 1st learning point is:
It is always just YOUR personal problem
You need to get all information just by yourself, no one will tell you anything extra then they are supposed to. As fore example it was in my case: my dean made a mistake and instead of 9 credits I was supposed to take 12. Well, maybe now it wouldn't matter that much, but last semester it was like a nightmare, literally :(( I though that I will die when semester will finish. I was studying these 4 months probably more than I ever studied in my Polytechnic University for 4 years. So, key learning was that it is MY problem that I didn't find out at several places about amount of credits that I was supposed to take. Maybe this example is a bit sad, so I will give another one. No one will recommend you which exactly courses to take, which lab to go for rotations or anything like that. It depends just on you, how you will manage all that. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that it is hard and completely different to Ukrainian realities :(

2nd learning point:
Everything is possible. You just need to try
If you think that professor is not right in some situation or you think that he is judging you unfairly (which is probably the worst thing ever for the professor) you can apply for truthful (which is the most important) check and you will get the most truthful resolution ever. As well, if you want to change something (like date of the exam) you can always ask for that, and if your professor is in the right mood, he can do that. Really, he can :) This statement is applicable in all areas in life.

3rd learning point:
People in science work like shit here
My mentor in this lab come to the work at 6 am, stays till 10 pm. After that he goes to the gym, then he goes home and writes thesis paper in medical major he is simultaneously getting with his PhD in Biotechnology. He sleeps 3-4 hours max and then next day comes :) Almost all people in my new lab work like that. And I'm for real. When I asked him why he is working his ass off like that, he replied that he wants to graduate as soon as possible and continue being a doctor somewhere in the residency. Ah yes, I forgot to mention that this week he is going to Philippines to work as a volunteer there and continue his research about eye illness in that country.

4th learning point:
If you don't have SSN, State ID or Driving license you are screwed.
Literally, you can't put utilities on your name, you can't open bank account, you can't get phone in contract, you can't do anything without that! And you feel so miserable and so depending on all these stupid papers.

5th learning point:
Try not to get any illness, trauma or anything concerned with health.
You will pay like hell. My room-mate was in car accident. Thank's God she is Ok, but her boyfriend had some serious injuries. So, she showed bills that she received from the hospital. Just for calling ambulance to the place of accident they charged her 700$ and for staying 1 hour in Emergency room 17 000$, yes seventeen thousands dollars. I don't know what did they do with her there.According to her words, doctor just examined her body and made few minor prescriptions. That's it. 17 000 $ :)

These are probably main things that I learned up to now. Hope that they will guide me successfully through my staying in this country.