Benjamin – University of Minnesota – USA
Semester 2, 2022
Bachelor of Business
After over 12 months of preparation, mid-August had arrived, and it was finally time for me to head on my exchange semester. I had spent week after week working to save money, spreadsheeting my travel plans, and determining the subjects I would take that fit into my course. I did everything I could to ensure the smoothest exchange experience possible. So when it finally came time for me to leave, I was ready to make the most of every moment and opportunity presented to me.
I was so eager to go that the 14-hour flight to San Francisco went by in a blink. One moment I was waking up in my bed at my home in Brisbane, the next I was clearing customs in the United States of America. Fortunately, I came prepared with my visa, DS-2019, and my COVID vaccination certificate. Once I cleared customs it was straight to my hostel for some free breakfast then the Golden Gate Bridge. I truly had to pinch myself at this moment as bearing witness to such an iconic monument less than 24 hours after leaving Australia for the first time since the pandemic was magical. A long walk across the bridge and a hike up to the perfect viewpoint capped off my first morning in the USA. Back at the hostel I shook off the jet lag and headed straight to a San Francisco Giants baseball game, welcomed by a stunning sunset and a home run as I took my seat.
From San Francisco I headed to Chicago to continue my short travels around the country before beginning my semester. Here, I saw a fantastic Military Air Show over Lake Michigan on a hot Chicago summer’s day. This transitioned into my night to see Kendrick Lamar live in concert at the iconic United Centre where Michael Jordan won 6 NBA championships. Seeing one of my favourite artists at a stadium with so much sports history was dreamlike and capped off the beginning of my exchange journey.
From Chicago, I jumped on a 13-hour Greyhound bus to Minneapolis to start campus life at the University of Minnesota. The first few weeks were a blur, including the massive culture shock of the American mid-west, the first college football game (a very big deal in Minnesota), and started meeting new people – many of whom would become some of my closest anywhere in the world. One of the great things about exchange at the Carlson School of Management at the U of M is the solidified exchange network. This links you up with a buddy also studying at the U who will help you to integrate and find a good social circle. Through this network, I was able to make friends who were also on exchange and came from all over the world. I would go to class with these friends, explore the city, experience sporting events together, and even travel together. Around mid-semester, my new friends and I from Spain went to the US territory of Puerto Rico to hit the beach before the impending cold weather. This was one of the highlights of my trip as it was completely unplanned and came about from the desire to make memories with new friends that would last a lifetime.
Coming back to Minneapolis from Puerto Rico was a shock to the system as the beautiful orange Fall leaves began to drop and the sub-zero winds began to blow in. This was a theme for the rest of the semester as my commute to class was rapidly transformed into frozen tundra requiring me to wear more clothes than I thought was possible. It was such a flip from the Brisbane temperatures I had experienced for my entire life. As the semester began winding down I began to reflect on my experience. The thing that surprised me the most from the exchange was the friendships I had made. I felt like I had done all the planning possible for my accommodation and subjects and general university life, but the people you meet are something you can never prepare for. It was so bittersweet to leave Minnesota because the exchange that I had looked forward to for so long was at an end, but I knew the friendships I had created were only just beginning.
After a blizzard over Christmas, I met up with my close Australian friends to travel the USA hitting destinations like Boston, Washington, NYC, LA, and Whistler Canada. The exchange was worth every hour of work and every penny I spent. It was truly priceless and I recommend everyone take on the same experience.
Find out how you can apply for exchange via the QUT Student Exchange website.
