My Exchange at The University of Stony Brook
I found my experience at Stony Brook very satisfying. I found out about the program when I expressed interest in studying abroad and researched what the university’s program was. There was a lot of paperwork to fill out at different points, making it a lengthy process, but it was nothing too difficult. Once I landed in New York it was certainly very cold – students should definitely keep that in mind as well as keeping in mind that they will need to figure out the public transport system basically as soon as they get off the plane. I found it easiest to link my debit card to the MTA TrainTime app which allowed me to buy a ticket for Stony Brook. The accommodation was very nice, I had my own room in an apartment with several other students. I had a problem early on where I thought I had purchased the meal plan but the money I thought I’d spent on it was actually for other administrative fees and I needed to buy the meal plan on campus, but having it was very helpful as it was really difficult to get groceries consistently due to most amenities being a drive away and I did not have a car – the only way to get groceries without a car is to take a campus bus that runs every Sunday to Walmart and Target. The meal plan food was quite good, there was a large selection and it was fairly high quality so I didn’t feel disappointed. The cost of living compared to Auckland was pretty high, a lot of stuff you could buy cost as much as it would back home but in USD, so a 16 NZD bagel would be 16 USD which meant costs could rack up pretty quickly.
Class-wise, I was very satisfied. Though I was worried about how challenging American classes might be, I found myself very engaged and not struggling too hard with the course content, and the teachers were helpful and informative. I enjoyed the class structure here, as I found it much easier to participate in class and form a connection with the professor in a way that’s a little more difficult in New Zealand. I did very well this semester due to my engagement with the courses which left me feeling very content with the exchange.
I really enjoyed spending time in the city too, one of my favourite parts of the exchange was being able to spend time in New York City, which was about a 2 hour train ride away from the campus. There was a lot to explore and I felt very safe while I was there, so it was a good time and I recommend going to the city on weekends as much as you can. I wish I had spent more time exploring Long Island too, I would have liked to go to the Hamptons.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
A lack of lecture recordings motivated me to attend each class which massively improved my engagement – additionally, the lectures felt more personal and I was able to participate more which also improved my engagement and grades.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
Go to NYC as much as possible! Visit all the boroughs, walk through central park, visit the Met and the MoMA, among many other things that the city has in store.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
Keep in mind that Long Island is much less walkable than Auckland! If you don’t have a car, you might struggle to get around, so make some friends who can drive.
The campus is very big and will take some time to walk around, so familiarise yourself with the campus bus system. SBU Transit has an app that will tell you what bus routes there are and where they stop.
Visit NYC as much as possible, find events and friends!
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?
Roughly 20,000 NZD which covered tuition, accommodation, a meal plan, admin fees, and other various personal expenses. I found this to certainly be enough, as while tuition is fairly cheap you will have to shell out for the accommodation itself and this can rack up quickly. After buying the meal plan, I found my day to day expenses to be pretty low as I wasn’t buying much, but New York is pretty expensive so if you’re going and doing things then it’s good to leave some money aside.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I realised that when I have the motivation of being in a new country that I worked to get to, I was able to really excel in my studies in a way that I did not quite do back home. I feel as if I became more independent too, and became much more confident in myself and my skills.
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
I visited some distant relatives in Massachusetts, and spent a lot of time in New Jersey!
