Exchange programs are for students who are a bit more willing to be independent as they often require more work—in the classroom and in navigating host university bureaucracies. However, it is certainly worth it for the deep immersion opportunities offered. The programs are offered at some of the best universities in the world.
-
Monsoon Season is No Joke
Carolyn Phamtran, Yonsei International Summer School Summer 2024 I wish I had known how important it is to not underestimate the weather of the location you’re going to. When I first traveled to South Korea, I heard about the monsoon season in passing but did not pay much attention to it. I didn’t realize how crucial it…
-
Getting a Korean Phone Number
Carolyn Phamtran, Yonsei International Summer School Summer 2024 A significant challenge I faced when studying abroad in South Korea was not having a Korean phone number. In South Korea, many kiosks, cafes, and restaurants require customers to have a local phone number for various services. This requirement made simple tasks like ordering coffee quite daunting, especially when…
-
Fast Friends in Belgium
Rae Templeton, Global E3: KU Leuven, Belgium Summer 2024 I primarily formed friendships with other international students while abroad. It was especially easy to make friends with fellow exchange students, though the majority of them came from within the EU as Erasmus students. There were several organizations on campus that made sure to facilitate different activities during…
-
Failure is a Learning Experience
Rae Templeton, Global E3: KU Leuven, Belgium Summer 2024 Studying abroad forced me to fail at academics for the first time. While that might seem like a terrifying and dark start to a blog post, I assure you that it was in fact a good thing. I’m going to provide the context that I was a third-year…
-
Dutch Classroom Adjusting
Rae Templeton, Global E3: KU Leuven, Belgium Summer 2024 Belgium has several key differences in academic culture, though I can only speak to the specific university I attended, KU Leuven. To further break down the experience I’m speaking from, I should mention that I was in the Flemish region which primarily speaks Dutch. Belgium has governmental and…
-
Learning About Myself Abroad
Conor Fallon, Macquarie University Spring 2024 This study abroad experience has certainly given me a lot to think about. For the first half of the experience, I feel like the study abroad experience tamed my ambition a bit and made me reevaluate what I previously thought I wanted to spend my time doing in the future.…
-
Tips for Sydney
Conor Fallon, Macquarie University Spring 2024 I came to Sydney financially unprepared. I should’ve saved up more money, done more research on Sydney from a financial perspective, and enforced better personal spending habits sooner. Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world. The most expensive aspect of Sydney is the housing, which is…
-
Life at Macquarie
Conor Fallon, Macquarie University Spring 2024 At Macquarie, the academic culture leans towards a more laid-back and informal approach compared to Pitt. There was a strong emphasis on critical thinking and independent study, with less reliance on memorization. Each class I was enrolled in contained a critical thinking project. Both engineering classes I took were highly…
-
A Window to the Soul – France
Trinity Key, Global E3 University ENSEA – France 2022 Food is definitely the window to the soul, especially in Paris, one of the largest cities in the world. I met a lot of new friends at ENSEA through a shared love for trying food and eating. Every time we made a trip to Paris, we…
-
Academic, Career, or Personal Goals
Trinity Key, Global E3 University ENSEA – France 2022 I studied abroad in Cergy, France at the Global E3 University ENSEA. While I did not find the academic program itself appealing, I enjoyed the hustle-and-bustle Parisian lifestyle that accommodates nearly 2.2 million people in the capital city. The high-speed trains and modern department stores that…