Details

• United States of America
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months
• Contact: Login to see contact information

1. Preparation

Understanding whether the university and city are a good fit for you: Read as many exchange reports as possible to understand whether the city, the university’s culture and environment, and the budget suit you. I recommend downloading all of them and pasting them into any generative AI tool you use, such as GPT or Claude. Then ask it to create a list of the most common tips mentioned in the reports. This helped me a lot. Visa: I recommend not delaying your appointment at the U.S. consulate, as it is often quite busy. The visa process usually takes around 1–2 weeks, but sometimes it can take longer. The officers do not ask any difficult questions. In my case, they asked only two questions: 1. What are you applying for, and what are you planning to do in the U.S.? You can explain your visa type and say that you are doing an exchange semester in Waltham, Massachusetts, at Bentley University. 2. Who is sponsoring your stay in the U.S.? Accommodation: Learn more about the types of dorms at Bentley. There are singles, doubles, suites, apartments, etc. Apply for accommodation as soon as you receive the email from your instructor. Pay for your meal plan and housing by the deadline; otherwise, they cannot guarantee you a place. Clothes: Buy good warm clothes, because the Boston region is much colder in winter than Central Europe. The amount of snow can sometimes be quite surprising.

2. Accommodation

For searching for information, read the exchange reports on the WU website. The coordinator will also send you links about housing. You can also find some housing information online — just type “Bentley University Housing”. There are detailed descriptions and photos. I lived in a building called “Forest”. Forest houses students in suite-style units that accommodate six, seven, or eight people. Some suites have only double-occupancy bedrooms, while others have a mix of single and double rooms. Each suite also has a common room, a kitchenette with a sink, mini fridge, and microwave, and one or two bathrooms. I had a single room and lived in a suite for eight people with two bathrooms, so four people shared each bathroom. We did not have a full kitchen, only a kitchenette. Forest, and the campus overall, is a really safe place to live. There is even campus police checking the campus all the time, and they work 24/7. So if you have any problems with opening your door or anything else, you can contact them. They are really kind and helpful. The location is great. It is just three minutes from the dining hall, five to seven minutes from the campus gym, and around ten minutes from the main buildings where the library and classrooms are located. Forest is mostly a residence hall for sophomores, meaning students in their second year of study. Sometimes there are parties in other rooms, but during my four months there, this only happened once or twice. However, my neighbors were ofthen loud, and the walls are not very thick, so you can hear everything. In such cases, contact them directly and tell them about the problem. If they do not listen, you can contact the university and sometimes change your room or dorm even after arrival. But do it as soon as possible, because housing can be overbooked. I would say that the value for the amount of money I paid for that room and building was not worth it. It was just okay, but eight people in one suite is too much. I do not recommend living in Forest Hall. Try to get another building if possible. The best building, in my opinion, is Stratton House. It is a separate house for only 12 people, with 10 single rooms and one double room. Each floor has a bathroom, and the vibe there is really nice.

3. Academic life at host university

Infrastructure: There are two main buildings that are used for classes: Smith Technology Center and Jennison Hall. Compared to WU Vienna, there was a much stronger focus on group work and presentations. This required continuous engagement throughout the semester in order to get full points. At WU, on the other hand, it is mostly about preparing for one big exam at the end of the semester. At Bentley, there were midterms, presentations, and projects, and they usually made up around 60–70% of the overall grade, while the final exam was only 30–40%. Additionally, not every course included a final exam. Out of the four courses I attended, only one had a traditional final examination. The others were assessed through projects, presentations, and ongoing coursework. Course recommendations: If you want an easy course without any exams, with only two projects, but at the same time an interesting one where you can get useful insights, take “Introduction to FinTech” with Brandon Oliver. He is a great professor who used to work at J.P. Morgan and is currently working in an investment group. “Blockchain and DeFi” was also really interesting for my field. “Human Dynamics” is an easy course about work cultures around the world, including the U.S. It is a good choice if you want a course where you can communicate and talk a lot. I also took “Financial Markets and Investments”. It is an advanced finance course where you cover everything you need to understand finance: financial markets and securities, portfolio theory, equity valuation, fixed income/bonds, and derivatives/options. There is a lot of math, so do not take it if you have not had any finance courses before, because it will be extremely hard. For an exchange semester, I recommend taking no more than four or five courses. Out of these four or five, I would not take more than three classes above the 300 level. It is better to enjoy your time in the U.S. rather than spend the whole four months in the library working on group projects.

5. Every day life in the host country

Everyday life in the host country was one of the best parts of my exchange semester. Bentley University is located a little outside of Boston, in Waltham, which is a rather quiet and safe area. The campus itself also felt very safe. There is campus police available 24/7, and in general I never felt unsafe on campus. Public transport was quite convenient. Bentley offers a free university shuttle to Cambridge, and the ride takes around 25 minutes. From there, it is easy to use Boston’s public transport system to get to different parts of the city. Because of this, I would say that you do not really need a car during the exchange semester. For most student activities, going to Boston, Cambridge, or Harvard Square by shuttle and public transport is enough. Social life at Bentley is very different from what I was used to in Vienna. Student clubs and campus activities play a much bigger role in the U.S. Bentley has around 130 student clubs, even though it is not a huge university. There are clubs for finance, investment, entrepreneurship, blockchain, IT, public speaking, sports, chess, music, films, and many other interests. I joined several clubs, including the blockchain club, chess club, entrepreneurship club, investment club, boxing club, and the Russian-speaking students club. This helped me meet new people and experience the American college atmosphere more actively. Sports are also a huge part of everyday life in the U.S. and especially in Boston. At Bentley, I attended a university ice hockey game between Bentley and Princeton, and the atmosphere was amazing. Bentley plays at NCAA Division I level, which is the highest level of college sports in the U.S. The arena was full of energy, with music, fans, the university mascot, and typical American sports traditions. For me, this was one of the moments when I really felt that I was studying in another country and experiencing a completely different culture. I also highly recommend attending professional sports events in Boston. Boston has some of the most famous sports teams in the U.S., such as the Boston Celtics in basketball, the Boston Bruins in ice hockey, and the Boston Red Sox in baseball. I went to a Boston Celtics game, which was definitely one of the highlights of my semester. Even if you are not a big sports fan, these events are worth attending because they are an important part of American culture. There are also many leisure activities outside of campus. Boston is a very historic and beautiful city, with areas such as Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the Boston Common, and the Seaport District. Cambridge and Harvard University are also great places to visit. I especially enjoyed spending time at Harvard, because the campus has a very unique academic atmosphere and is also a nice place to study or walk around. On campus, there were many events during the semester. Student clubs regularly organized meetings, workshops, tournaments, and social events. For example, the chess club met every week, organized tournaments, and even invited a grandmaster. There were also larger university events, such as TEDxBentley, where I personally took part and gave a TED Talk. This was one of the most valuable experiences of my exchange semester, because it helped me improve my public speaking skills and become much more confident speaking English. In terms of social life, American students were generally very open, friendly, and easy to talk to. I lived with American roommates, and they often spent evenings together watching movies, playing NBA or FIFA, going to the gym, or just hanging out in the common room. It was quite easy to start conversations with them, and this made the adaptation process much smoother. The combination of campus life, student clubs, sports culture, Boston, and American social openness made the semester feel like a real American college experience. My main recommendation is to be active from the beginning: join clubs, attend sports games, talk to people, go to events, and use your time in Boston as much as possible.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester at Bentley University was one of the most valuable experiences of my academic and personal life. What made it special was the combination of American campus life, practical and discussion-based classes, strong sports culture, and the opportunity to meet open-minded people from different backgrounds. Highlights included joining student clubs, attending college and professional sports games in Boston, and giving my own TED Talk at TEDxBentley. Overall, the semester helped me become more confident, independent, and open to new opportunities.