{"id":5758,"date":"2019-01-16T16:26:54","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T06:26:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/qut-exchange-students\/?p=5758"},"modified":"2019-01-16T16:26:54","modified_gmt":"2019-01-16T06:26:54","slug":"the-twin-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/gone-global\/2019\/01\/16\/the-twin-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"The Twin Cities!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eliza Blanch, Bachelor of Business (International)<\/strong><\/em>
\nUniversity of Minnesota, USA (Semester 1, 2018)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I didn\u2019t originally choose the University of Minnesota but as I was unable to go to my first choice, it seemed like the next best fit. The campus is huge and a little overwhelming at first but you soon find your way around and meet new people, making it the new normal. Everything about the school is a lot like you see in the movies. With sporting matches where everyone gets involved and college traditions, such as homecoming, it\u2019s something that you may have never experienced before.<\/p>\n

The university is located right near the city centre of Minneapolis. It is a quiet, nice town which I believed was great for a college student. This was especially for business students as there are many Fortune 500 companies who base themselves in Minneapolis and the school gives you a lot of opportunities to learn about what they do.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Although QUT and the University of Minnesota are both located in the city, due to their size they have completely different teaching styles. This is because you will attend two classes a week for the same subject which are a mixture of tutorials and lectures. You will also do a lot of compulsory homework for these classes but this was a good way to remember what you were learning.<\/p>\n

The university had many strengths especially with the business school as it is highly regarded and well known in the country. Also, the exchange group that they have for business students is a great way to meet fellow exchange students and Americans.<\/p>\n

During my stay, I stayed in off-campus housing where a lot of American college students stayed as it was cheaper than what the university offered and had better facilities. The facilities included my own room and bathroom, a desk, a swimming pool, gym and basketball court.\"\"<\/a>For the year, I saved over $25,000 and tried my best to stick to a budget of around $1,500 a month. I would say that the cost in comparison to Brisbane would just be a little bit cheaper. However, it was very hard to stick to the budget because there are so many activities that you can do but they do cost money and sometimes it was easier to eat out. Whilst away I used a commonwealth travel card for most of my transactions but opened an American bank account to pay my rent as I was charged a service fee for using a foreign card.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t experience much of a culture shock due to the similarities between our two countries. But to ensure my safety whilst over there I made sure I didn\u2019t put myself into dangerous situations and if out late at night made sure I always walked home with someone.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Some tips that I would give is to always have a can-do attitude whilst away and always say yes to new experiences that you might not do at home. If travelling within America I would suggest having a good size carry-on bag so that you don\u2019t have to pay for check-in luggage. For travel insurance, I would recommend Travel Insurance Direct as they cover all you need and are reasonably priced. When flying I highly recommend Delta as they were always a good airline and provided free carry-on luggage and entertainment.<\/p>\n

Coming back from the exchange I feel as though I am more independent and confident in the things I do. Academically I have broadened my knowledge of American business procedures, which will only help me develop my skills professionally back home. Going on exchange is a once in a lifetime opportunity and you meet so many people from all around the world who in the end become lifelong friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eliza Blanch, Bachelor of Business (International) University of Minnesota, USA (Semester 1, 2018) I didn\u2019t originally choose the University of Minnesota but as I was unable to go to my first choice, it seemed like the next best fit. The campus is huge and a little overwhelming at first but you soon find your way<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1513,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5271],"tags":[15323,17219,427,5271,28997],"class_list":{"0":"post-5758","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-united-states","7":"tag-college","8":"tag-minnesota","9":"tag-tips","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-university-of-minnesota"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Twin Cities!! - QUT Gone Global<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qut.edu.au\/gone-global\/2019\/01\/16\/the-twin-cities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Twin Cities!! - QUT Gone Global\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eliza Blanch, Bachelor of Business (International) University of Minnesota, USA (Semester 1, 2018) I didn\u2019t originally choose the University of Minnesota but as I was unable to go to my first choice, it seemed like the next best fit. 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