Q&A: Student University Exchange Experience

University of Canberra student Chantelle Brown went on an exchange to America and she thinks it was one of the best decisions shes made in her life. UC offers such a wide range of courses and units to study in most parts of the world.  It’s not only a way to stand out of the crowd when applying for jobs in your chosen field but the people you meet and worldly stories that come out of the experiences are ones you will never forget.

Q: Tell me a bit about your exchange program.

A: Last year [2015] in July, I went on an exchange to Michigan State University in America. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life so far, the worst part of it was it only went for three weeks. I met many people from different parts of Australia who were in my group, and we were able to see the sights like Niagara Falls and shop at Walmart. I also found some time to study and attend my classes. The funniest thing about the whole trip was when I first got on the plane, I was dreading leaving my friends and family but by the end, I didn’t want to go home. It was the most amazing experience.

Q: Why did you decide to do an exchange program?

A: I wanted to travel and liked the idea of traveling and studying at the same time. I also wanted to get out of my comfort zone and this was the perfect way to do it. With HECS also assisting finically, this was another incentive to do this exchange program. Exchange programs are quite costly but at the end of the day, the expirence I gained is worth a lot more.

Q: Do you think exchange programs like this are beneficial for university students to get involved with? Why/ why not?

A: I think that experiencing another culture is good and good to learn from. The experience is priceless, and hopefully looks good to future employers. When I was in America, I was taught by two leading researchers in the field which made the experience more interest and I was able to learn a great deal. I was also able to explore the social media trends that are occurring overseas and how they are incorporating social media in their marketing efforts which is very beneficial information for my future career.

Q: Would you recommend other students to participate in an exchange program? Why/ why not?

A: Doing an exchange is definitely a good idea. It gets you at of your comfort zone and you meet a lot of new people. It is also helpful if you decide that you want to work in another country, as you have more experience with traveling and learning in a foreign place.

Q: Would you do another exchange program if you had the chance? Why/why not?

A: Yes, I loved traveling and learning things within a new culture. Exchanges are a huge opportunity to gain experience that you can’t by just staying in Australia.