My Exchange at The University of Washington
I found out about the 360 international exchange programme through the university newsletter. My friend went to the in-person exchange information session and my parents encouraged me to apply to gain a broader world view. We decided to do the whole process together as we were both CS majors. The process was long but felt a lot easier as I was doing it with someone. My first impression of Seattle was not great, as we missed orientation and didn’t get much help getting settled in. But after that, our roommates warmed up to us and gave us lots of helpful info. I was also partnered with an exchange buddy who showed me and my friend around the uni and showed us helpful study spots around the uni.
Our accomodation was not bad as it was one of the newer halls and everything was furnished. It was a 4-person room, but because everyone’s bed was lofted, there was a lot of space in the room. I had never lived in dorms before but I had a good experience. Our floor mates warmed up to us in our last month and it was fun making memories with them! The kitchen/lounge area was right outside our room so cooking was convenient and we often studied there. We had random conversations and also watched a lot of tv shows/movies on the tv there with people often joining in.
The courses at university that we took were all compsci based. CSE351 – the hardware/software interface course had a lot of help available as there were lots of TA’s and help sessions. The format was a little hard to get used to as it was mostly pre-recorded lectures, with in-person lectures only used to supplement previous content. The professor was good but there was too much content. I did appreciate that the test/exam was online as I was given the opportunity to consolidate my learning and ask clarifying questions from the teaching team. The labs were really lengthy and time-consuming, so staying ahead was definitely needed. The AI course was not taught very well in my opinion as the professor often brushed over important parts of the content and expected us to do the assignments (which were weekly) ourselves with very few help sessions available. There was not much gap between the lengthy assignments. I found this course really challenging but I managed to do well in the test and exam because of the partial marks for the questions. CSE440 – the design course we did was super chill. It was a project based course which required making a project to address a chosen issue – making paper prototypes, digital prototypes, posters etc. Our team worked well together and I was proud of our final solution. We learned to use figma and the teaching team was super lenient and helpful with feedback. The exam was very lengthy but I liked that the majority of the course marks was focused around the project. I did struggle a bit with managing the assignments as this course had two weekly assignments due every week but by delegating tasks, we managed to complete all of the assignments on time.
The public transport was good as it was included in our uni card but I felt that Auckland’s public transport is more well maintained. Cost of living seemed to be more expenisve than auckland as talking to our roomates – they said living in downtown seattle is very expensive and food was also very expensive.I joined UNITE – a club for exchange students – it was very memorable as we had a camping trip. That and the potluck was the highlight of my exchange as well as watching movies with my friend and eating good food! It was hard to find halal spots in Seattle.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
Watching movies at 2 am in the lounge outside our room was definitely a highlight. I also spent my birthday on my exchange, I was very touched as my friends bought me a small cake after going to the parade and we watched a movie with chai after. The camping trip was also very memorable as it was my first time in a cabin! We played a lot of games and got to know each other lot, we even had a campfire song session!
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
I would recommend hiking in Seattle. In the USA, in general, I would say NY is worth going to as there are so many things to see in the city, especially if you can watch a Broadway show live! Food is worth trying in NY. Some of the boba shops in Seattle are very good!
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
1. Look into professor reviews for the courses you’re interested in
2. Set out time to explore the city you’re in – ask the locals for recommendations!
3. Travel light – buy stuff according to your weight allowance – travelling is hard 🙁
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?
We had a rough budget set out for us, but we did have to adjust as we travelled to other cities and sometimes public transport was more expensive than we expected.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I learnt a lot about American ideals and that I wouldn’t like to live there. But overall, I think life is meant to be a bit more spontaneous and I’m glad I took a chance on this !
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
We travelled to a lot of cities – LA, NY, SAN FRANCISCO, ORLANDO! I liked NY the most!