Pre-departure:
I was incredibly excited when I heard that I was going on an exchange to Northwestern University. Northwestern is in Evanston which is a suburb of the greater Chicago area. Going on an exchange for the first time is both exciting and daunting. There were many things to be organised and prepared before I could depart for the United States. Everything can seem a bit overwhelming, but if you take it step by step and ask for help when you need it there should not be any problems. Many people have gone on an exchange before and I found that the entire process had already been clearly mapped out for me.
The most important thing in the initial stages is to make all the deadlines. I tried to get all my documents and forms in as soon as I was given them to be completed. This ensured that there was always time to correct something or set meetings in the event that there was a hiccup. Most of the admin had to be done during my exams and it was difficult to juggle my time but being organised helped me stay on top of things. By being organised you can ensure you do not miss deadlines or forget about things that must be done. Between SU International and Karey, the Northwestern exchange co-ordinator, I always knew what had to be done and by when it had to be done. I learnt that if you are unsure about anything you must ask for help sooner rather than later. As I am an engineering student organising my subjects to be taken oversee and how I would fit the exchange into my studies was the most complicated part of my exchange. It turned out that I could not transfer any credits but I could use subjects at Northwestern to meet my prerequisites to continue with my second semester. I have extended my degree with six months to allow me to complete the first semester of my 4th year in my 5th year. I was also required to work on my final year thesis project while in America. The extra six months is a small price to pay for going on an exchange.
If you are going as an undergraduate you will need to register for classes. You will be assigned a registration time. I fell under late registration, as I was not enrolled for a specific major. This is true for most exchange students. The two chemical engineering classes I was enrolling for had prerequisite requirements. I sent my academic advisor my academic transcript as well as the yearbooks definition if the courses I had done that I thought would meet the prerequisites. She provided me with permission numbers that allowed me to enrol for the courses. A similar process was followed if a class was full. Getting permission numbers is up to the discretion of the lecturer. I wanted to do an introductory to neuroscience course that had filled up. As it was not required for me to take it, I could not get a permission number.
Experience at Northwestern University:
I arrived at the university the day before classes started, the day of the orientation. I do not recommend arriving before your accommodation starts. The exchange students who did this did not enjoy their arrival and felt homesick and lost immediately. The day I arrived at Allison hall, my residence, my roommate was there to meet me and show me how things worked. I went with the other exchange students in Allison to the orientation and then for supper. I immediately felt welcome and easily made friends with the others.
There are many opportunities to get involved and meet new people at Northwestern. My roommate was in the triathlon team so I decided to join that. Whether you are interested in art, music, dancing or sport I would recommend getting involved with a club. This gave me the opportunity to spend time with permanent Northwester students. They invited me to their parties and it was nice to talk them and hear their stories about the university and America in general.
I found that the exchange student stuck together. I appreciated this as it provided me with a support group. I could always count on them to be there for me and I for them. The bond we had as an exchange group was incredible. This was evident on our long weekend trip to Milwaukee and when we toured New York, Washington DC and Boston in the spring break. It is incredible how quickly you become friends with people from a different country, culture and language when your situation is the same. I would have struggled with the exchange if I did not have these wonderful people to brighten my day and sit in the dinning hall with me. Before leaving South Africa I was scared of being lonely but I never felt alone.
Northwestern has a high academic standard. This said I found the university experience much less stressful than I expected it to be. They put much more emphasis on homework assignments and small tests. The exams do not count much and some of my subjects did not even have exams. Due to all the homework assignments I was very busy during the term but I still had time to go to Chicago every weekend, watch basketball matches and not work most weekends. Being an exchange student I sometimes felt more pressure, as I did not want to spend most of my time studying. I soon realised that being able to study at such a highly ranked institution was a privilege on it own and being able to see America was a bonus. This helped me to stop stressing about the time I was ‘wasting’ whenever I was studying.
The fact that the exchange is fully funded made a big difference as the living, housing and medical insurance expenses would have been very high. Not having to worry about the cost of everything added to the amazing experience I had oversees.
Return to Stellenbosch:
The quarter at Northwestern ended about mid March. I had booked my plane ticket back to South Africa for a month after the end of the quarter allowing myself some travel time. The first week of traveling I spent with the other exchange students as we were all on spring break. This was my favourite part of traveling. The rest of the time I visited various friend and places around America. I am very glad I included this period into my exchange but as my one friend from Chile said “It is like needing the bathroom, the closer you get the more you need it.”
Saying goodbye was difficult but the excitement of going home lessened the burden. I arrived home in the middle of the holiday and enjoyed spending some off time with my family over Easter. I was very grateful for the few days off and not having to jump right back into work. After the holiday back at university I was astonished to see that nothing had changed. While I was away I did not think I was changing but on my return it was obvious. Everything seemed exactly the same as it was before I left and this highlighted how different I was.
Being on exchange and talking to people from different countries and cultures, I learnt how much I love South Africa. It is a cliché but I cannot imagine living in a country without the diversity of South Africa. I also realised how South Africa allows us to embrace our differences, something I had taken for granted until now, and how laws and norms do not regulate our every move. I always thought I wanted to live in a different country for a while. I still do but I know I will return to live permanently in South Africa. South Africa really is home. I enjoyed returning to the people, I missed the feeling of the Western Cape, the sun and our amazingly perfect weather.
The time abroad did not lessen my desire to travel and see as much of the world as possible. It just changed the way I wished to travel. Before leaving I thought I traveling to cities as a tourist was enough but now I know that being a tourist is not the same as living and experiencing a city. I got to know America and specifically the Chicago area in a way that I would never have if I had only been a tourist. Studying and in the future working gives you an opportunity to interact with people who live in the city and you get to know the day-to-day life there and not just visit the tourist sites.
This exchange surpassed all my expectations and it is something I think everyone must do if possible.