Jack (Sem 2, 2023)

My Exchange at Northeastern University

Landing in the sunset of Chicago, taking off under the sunset of Houston. I arrived in the night and left at noon. Everything came full circle; the taxiing before take-off felt so unreal. Looking out at the pitch-dark night in Texas, it was time to wake up.

I believe in the limitless adaptability of humans; living in a new place is filled with challenges, but it makes me feel alive. When I landed at the Chicago airport, facing the huge U.S. Customs sign, I realized I had truly arrived in a country I had only seen in movies and news before. Dragging my suitcase upstairs, I fell asleep exhausted in the autumn wind of Boston. The next morning was orientation, and I still remember walking on the street, looking at the houses around me, everything so novel and unknown.

Since this is a reflection, maybe I should zoom out. From the initial confusion to finally the reluctance to leave, I must thank many people. Many people I met have developed precious relationships on this journey. I want to thank the friends from Tsinghua, the roommate from Amsterdam, referee colleagues, fellow freshmen, and many friends met on the journey, and lastly, the teachers I must thank.

The birthday party, KTV. The red maple leaves covering the White Mountains, the Mid-Autumn Festival hot pot dinner. The roaring and mist of Niagara Falls, covers like a white filter over Buffalo. Manhattan at night, Soho and the deserted Wall Street, I witnessed their revival at dawn with the seagulls on the ferry. Lastly, the sunset in DC is a scene I will never forget, with the sun setting like blood, the cold wind biting, and the silhouette of the Washington Monument standing against the orange sky, as youngsters walked silently on the roads of the Capitol. Seeing New York again felt different, under the tumultuous trumpet, it became a city where all dreams seemed possible. And countless experiences, the glittering afternoon at Walden Pond, Manchester by the sea, sleepless nights at school, the water cooler in the gym, these fragments are countless and inexhaustible, all becoming a mix of memories to savor, a dazzling kaleidoscope and the base color of dreams.

These are gains, growth, and reflections, but not to dwell on them and stop moving forward. They should be the source to continue feeling brave in the challenges that come.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

It would be tackling a hard course about Distributed Systems, where I did not have much prior knowledge about concurrency programming. However, the support from the teacher is exceptional and the grading focuses more on whether students have learned something instead of strict grading criteria. We get to resubmit all assignments that we felt not satisfied with before the end of the term, and I enjoyed the course – challenging, rewarding and inclusive.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

The exchange department provides a lot of free events for us, which makes our student life full of fun. Also, there are a lot of events within the school such as Husky Hunt.

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

Don’t rely on buying everything once you get there, Boston is expensive.

Try the Redeye shuttle van if staying up late in the library.

Buy plane tickets to other cities 1 month in advance, they are cheap.

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?

I lived outside with 1200/month rent. Ended up with $2000-3000 in total expense per month. School dorm including meal plan is expensive. Avoid having to buy daily products once you get there, bring them with you.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

Living in a new place makes me feel alive, and humans can adapt to any environment.