Exchange Student University of Maine, Orono

I'm currently a third year student, and having spent two years in Hull, am now spending a year in America, at the University of Maine, Orono!

The idea of coming over here, and starting all over again, making new friends, learning a new system was very daunting, and by my last week in England I had decided that I positively did not want to come here. However, the wheels had been set in motion, and there was no going back. So far, I don't think that I could honestly say that I've had any bad experiences.

Everyone here is so lovely, both Americans and other International students, and the amount of support that I've received, just for being from a foreign country, is incredible, not just from faculty, but from students as well. I've had so many invitations to spend Thanksgiving with different people, including the cops!, that I don't know what to do, or where to go!!

One thing which I was prepared for, but still shocked by, is the legal age of drinking and smoking. You've got to be prepared to be carded until you're 27 if you want to buy cigarettes in Maine (don't ask me why!), and the authorities are very strict about carding for alcohol. You can forget the idea of drinking in a bar, unless you have the relevant I.D., and if possible, you want to get state I.D. as soon as possible, as some places are a bit sketchy about accepting passports!

As far as classes are concerned, the actual level of work is probably easier. It's hard for me to comment on this, as I'm studying things I haven't done before, but I know that a lot of my friends have found this. The grading system is quite bizarre - over 90% is an A. This terrified me when I first got here. I couldn't stop thinking, how can I get over 90% regularly?, but the majority of my grades have been in this grade band, and I haven't been slaving my guts out, so I would guess that teachers probably mark more leniently here than they do at home!

Living arrangements were quite strange for me - I'd never had to share a room with someone for a long period of time, but it's really not as bad as you may think. Certainly here, if you don't get on with your roommate, you can apply to change (that's what I did, and I've now got the most fantastic "roomie" someone could hope for!). The rooms are really very acceptable, once you've added your own personal touch, and most of the American room mates bring along televisions, fridges, microwaves, stereos, computers, etc!

Financially, there are pros and cons to studying in America. The text books are very expensive (a downside), you can buy them second hand, which helps a bit, and sell them back to the book store at a vastly reduced price. Books are probably the single most expensive thing that you need to buy, and I guess that you need a strong heart to be able to look at the receipt afterwards!

However, shops such as Walmart, where we buy a lot of stuff for the room, as well as toiletries, etc., make up for it. I can't wait for Walmart to come to England! Certainly on campus, there's really no need to spend money, unless you smoke (again, go to Walmart!), as just about everything can be paid for by your student card. It's kind of like a debit card, and you can charge it up, and then buy things tax free, in the campus cafeterias and the book store, which is more like a general market with a book store!

I think that studying over here works out as being really not that different from studying at home. Obviously books are more expensive, but apart from that, it's about the same, if not cheaper. My tuition is paid for by the person who I've exchanged with: I pay tuition in England (or my LEA does, as I'm lucky enough to be in the last year of paid fees!), which works out for the best really. Some people have got a 100% exchange, where everything is paid for by them in England, and for them over here, but I haven't got that option. So all I have to pay for is board and lodging, which really isn't too bad. My stay here is privately funded, so I don't know how the whole grant thing works .

I think that one of the best things about studying abroad, whether in America or elsewhere, is the opportunity it gives you to learn about other cultures, and not just that of your host nation, but of other countries as well! From my own personal experience, even just the few weeks which I have spent here have considerably broadened my horizons: our group is very culturally diverse, comprising of English, French, Spanish, African and American people, as well as someone from Jordan, and a Native American. The opportunity to learn about different cultures, traditions and religions, as well as picking up snippets of different languages is immense, and another thing which makes studying abroad such a worth while and character forming and building experience.

Something else which should not be forgotten, when you are thinking of studying abroad, is travel. In my opinion, there is no point in going to a foreign country, and staying in one place. So far, I have been to Boston and Rhode Island, I'm planning to go to North Carolina in December or January, as well as frequent excursions to Canada! New York and Washington D.C. are also on the agenda, as is Arizona, with its Grand Canyon!!!!!!

Obviously there must be a down side. Nothing can ever be absolutely perfect, but so far the only thing that I've found hard (apart from the first morning!) is that I've felt isolated from people at home when they've had problems. Telephones and email are one thing, but it's not the same as seeing someone.

When we first got here, we were told a lot about culture shock, and the international office tried to prepare us as best as they could, but it really wasn't necessary. Out of all of my friends, I don't think that I can name one person who is suffering from culture shock. Homesickness doesn't seem to be a factor either: I would say that my freshmen friends are more homesick than we are, and many of them live within an hours drive from here!

One thing which I did find hard to adjust to, when I first got here, was that most of the freshmen already had their little friendship groups: they'd all been through high-school together, came here together, and very much stuck together for the first few weeks. That wasn't a problem for us, really, because we made friends anyway, it was just surprising!

If anyone were to ask me if I would stay out here, given the opportunity, I know that I would say yes, and I am seriously considering taking my masters here. It is such an opportunity to experience a life and culture different from ours, and to see the world, for less money than it would otherwise cost. I really am having the time of my life, and could never recommend a transfer year highly enough!