Advice from an exchange to the USA: Embrace every moment!
From welcoming people to unique experiences, Jake shares the highlights of being an exchange student at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, USA.
North America
Jake participated in our Wellington Global Exchange Programme to Penn State University in Pennsylvania, USA. In this post, Jake shares information about Penn State University and what to expect from the campus, classes, and extra-curricular activities. He also shares some of his travel highlights, including his trips to Philadelphia and New York. While his post focuses on Penn State, his concluding advice is relevant to anyone considering an exchange: “Get involved and embrace every moment as the 4 months will fly by. Be confident, make new friends, and be open to new experiences.”
I attended Penn State for the fall semester (August-December) in 2023. The school was located in a very small town called State College with a population of just under 40,000. So when the 50,000 university students came to town the school spirit and environment was electric, especially on game days. Penn State has the largest alumni networks in the country which was evident when their football team was supported by 110,000 fans every home game.
Life as a Penn State exchange student
I was fortunate to attend a handful of these games and they were truly remarkable and nothing I have ever been too will compare. I lived in an apartment with three other boys who were all my age and quickly became good friends with all of them. I would often tag along with them to a variety of social gatherings where I made a bunch of new friends. One big thing I noticed was how welcoming Americans were, a lot of people were really intrigued about a person from New Zealand and 90% of the time I was mistaken for an Aussie.
As for the University itself, the facilities were amazing, and classes were very well structured, very similar to New Zealand. The campus was very big so a lot of walking between classes was required but definitely a good way to stay active. Attendance was also part of your grade for a lot of classes which was a great way to keep me in check. Around the campus there are also a lot of good food options and study spots located all across campus but especially in the HUB. The school also has a wide variety of intramural sports you can get involved in. Me and my friends joined a flag football league which gave me a good indication of what playing American football is like.
Travel opportunities
Being in State College also allowed me to travel a little bit as Philadelphia and New York were both about 3-4 hours away. I got to see the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, as well as an NBA game at the famous Madison Square Garden.
New York was a super cool and unique place that I will definitely want to visit again. I also got the opportunity to see many of my favorite American rap artists live including A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (at State College) Fivio foreign and Lil tjay in Philly, and Travis Scott in Baltimore. These are opportunities that are rare to come by in New Zealand so being able to go to events like these was very cool.
Tips for future exchange students
My advice to anyone doing an exchange whether it be at Penn State, at another American university or another country is to really get involved and embrace every moment as the 4 months will fly by. Be confident, make new friends, and be open to new experiences.
This experience was truly a blessing and something I will cherish forever. I will definitely be back at Penn State to catch up with the lifelong friends I made in the near future.