My advice. Quit worrying about it and go meet people. Find common interests and it really wont matter.

I have friends of every race, or religion you could want. We all have motorcycles in common and don't really get caught up in the other stuff. If you don't worry about it, chances are they won't either.

It's really important when you're "dealing with diversity", to use your own phrase, to not react defensively if you are called out on -ist behaviors. If you're able to actually think about your own behavior, recognize your own prejudices and work on fixing them you'll end up less upset and a better person in general. If you want to get hardcore about recognizing your own prejudices, take some race/class/gender classes, which will really make you do a lot of double-takes on your own behavior. (They will also make your friends get irritated with you once you start calling them on their word choices and racist jokes, so there's a trade-off there.)

Also it's important to keep in mind that everyone is a whole, rounded person, and no one represents the place they're from.

(And sorry if that came off as patronizing at all-- I'm an American Studies/Women Studies/Sociology kid, so I'm used to discussing -isms somewhat clinically, and from a social construction angle.)

Hey, I am at an international business school now, in the netherlands my experience is that it is very easy to deal with different nationalities,

And the most interesting part is that you will meet a lot of interesting people with a different background than you. I became friends with a lot of etnical different people with whoem i normally would become friends. just because they are so different it is nice to talk with them.

Amen and good luck

It's really only a big deal if you make it a big deal. When you find someone you have something in common with, you'll forget all about it.

To meet people, join a club. That way you already have something in common to talk about and you'll probably discover that you have other stuff in common too.

I went to a high school where I, as a Caucasian male, was the minority. Over 50% of the students at my high school were African American. So, I grew up knowing nothing different. College was actually an eye opener considering I was now part of the majority. But thats changing too. My advice to you is this:

Go about it with an open mind. Meeting people from diverse backgrounds, none the less, diverse locations is a huge part of the college experience.

Any exchange students you will run into are a group of stand out people. In a majority of foreign countries, attending college is more of a privilege than in the United States. So, when they attend a college in the U.S., they are humbled by the experience. Take the time to get to know as many exchange students as possible. I have made friends with several and still keep in touch even after they return home.

Just remember that if you're the least bit uncomfortable, then they may be too. Just be open and friendly and I can guarantee that you'll be making friends the second you step on campus.

just remember that they are just like you. They probably have similar hobbies. Just as Chad said, keep an open mind. Don't let your background keep you from opening up to the possibilities. This may sound cliche but it's true!

Embrace other cultures but don't be amazed at the identities people can have in a way that you are not impressed with your own. You have a culture, an identity, as well. Focus on who you are and all the rest, friendships etc., will follow naturally. And try not to patronize. While my background is a good conversation starter, I don't like it when a conversation tends to "You're from WHERE? How INTERESTING!!!!" I'm more than a country or a skin color- I'm a person too!

Lol it sounds like you're going to have a blast. Georgetown maybe? In my experience when you interact with people who don't have the same cultural measures of coolness (i.e. fashion sense) there is much less distraction to just having fun.