My Exchange at The University of Washington
I learned about the 360 International Exchange Programme during the University of Auckland orientation in my last year of high school. Since then, I wanted to study abroad. I had only been to the US once with my family before my exchange semester. Arriving in a state where I did not know a single person was a little nerve-wracking but extremely exciting because it was like a new start for me. Seattle was cold when I arrived in Winter and it took some adjusting to get used to the weather, but every person that I met was friendly. Seattle is a lot like Auckland in many ways, but it can get very overcast during the Winter.
I lived in Elm Hall, one of the residence halls on West Campus. I was staying in a triple room which was a very big adjustment for me because I am used to having a lot of space for myself, and all of a sudden I am sharing a room with two other students. After a few weeks I got used to it, it was truly an American experience. Orientation at the University and my exchange advisors were beyond helpful, helping myself get used to the campus and atmosphere while also going above and beyond when it came to connecting myself with other exchange students from around the world who ended becoming my closest friends during my six months in Washington. The United States is a country full of friendly individuals.
Seattle is a very hip and artsy city and I grew to love the city. It is a major tech hub with several big multinational tech companies being headquarter there such as Amazon, Starbucks and Costco. There are lots of cool places to explore around the city and the public transport is pretty reliable, it’s easy to move around as a student without a car. I made a lot of American friends who took me around and showed me cool places in not just Seattle but neighbouring cities such as Bellevue.
Cost of living is a lot higher in Seattle compared to Auckland, so one should be prepared and save up more. I tried to spend as much time as I could travelling and trying out new things. I visited six different states during my six months in the US, exploring different cities, hiking, swimming, partying, trying new foods, it was a lot of fun. I even volunteered at the on-campus ice cream store, Frostbite!
The University of Washington campus is incredible. It is so big that it’s split between two light rail stations. Students take pride in the school and college sports such as football, baseball and basketball are huge, with lots of support. The campus is gorgeous, with lots of beautiful places to relax and study and the facilities are impressive.
Finally, there’s a much better party scene when compared to Auckland since most students either live on campus or just-off campus, like 5 or 10 minutes away. So there are a lot of parties, especially in Greek Row, a neighbourhood just off-campus that houses all the fraternities and sororities. The food was standard, nothing too exciting. But I did enjoy the variety of fast food restaurants that were on offer.
Some of my highlights on exchange include travelling around California and Arizona during Spring Break, going out to the beach and restaurants with my American and exchange friends and partying. Some challenges I faced was people struggling to understand what I was saying because of my Kiwi accent, I had to change how I pronounce certain words such as my name, Mark. I had to start budgeting as well since Seattle is expensive and I had no income. Living with two other people can be rough too so one should be willing to adapt to new environments.
Any advice I would have for new students is to not wait until the end of your degree for exchange as there may not be enough flexible papers that can be taken at the host university, and to be as open as possible to trying new things. I am not ashamed to say that I did not miss home while abroad because I was having the time of my life with all my new friends over there. It is the best experience I have had in my life, yet.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
The Foster School of Business at the University of Washington has a lot of intelligent, experienced and talented professors from excellent walks of life. I was taught by a former executive at Boeing, a former sportscaster and a graduate of Harvard and Stanford. The facilities are incredible at the business school and when students present in class, they dress up formally or semi-formally. It was very inspiring to see.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
Yes, absolutely. Travel as much as possible around the United States because flights are very cheap due to economies of scale. Washington is a beautiful state with mountains, valleys, lakes and forests. Visit Bellevue, Leavenworth, Olympic National Park and Mount Rainier. At the University of Washington, take advantage of the gym, it has excellent facilities. Go to many UW sports games as well as Seattle ones (Mariners, Seahawks, Kraken).
Finally, I cannot stress this enough, take advantage of CIRCLE, it’s a programme where all the student exchange students from around the world can meet one another. This is where I made all of my closest friends on the trip and it’s an eye-opening experience to meet students like yourself from all around the world. I now have close friends all over Europe, Asia and North America.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
1. Seattle is expensive and overcast. If you do not like those two things and aren’t one who can adapt, maybe reconsider where you are going. Besides those two things, it’s an amazing city.
2. The “Seattle Freeze” is a phrase used to describe the difficulty of making friends. Do not let this discourage you. One can make lots of friends if they put effort in and are as friendly as possible. Americans are friendly and the University of Washington hosts lots of out-of-state students who are always looking to make new friends. So be as outgoing as possible.
3. It can be a little dull if you enjoy drinking, clubbing and partying but you are not 21. 21 is the legal drinking age in the US so be prepared to drop your alcohol and clubbing intake while in the US if you are below the age of 21.
How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?
About $13000NZD for housing and dining fees and then another $7000NZD for shopping and other expenses. This was enough and all I can say to future students is to save up as much as possible because the last thing you want to happen is to miss out on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities simply because you have no more money left. On that same note, spend carefully and budget for the whole exchange period because you may never know which weeks you will spend a lot and which weeks you will spend next to nothing.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I learnt people can connect with one another despite being from opposite sides of the world and having totally different upbringings. I learnt how big and full of opportunity the US is as well. it has been the best experience of my life so far.
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
Yes, I travelled to multiple cities and towns in Washington such as Bellevue, Leavenworth, Puyallup and Forks. I flew to New York, Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix and Houston. Please keep in mind that every state in the US is like its own little country, with different laws, customs, foods and climates.
