Details

• United States of America
• BaWiSo-19
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

Before the exchange semester I took a mandatory course - Intercultural Competence which made me understand the college culture of USA even more than before. Also at this course I met people who also were going to the same state as me. This was very helpful to stay in contact for the future. So I recommend contacting the office for the contracts of other exchange students numbers to keep in touch.

2. Accommodation

I applies for the housing on campus in a Residence Hall. Unfortunately I did not get any accurate information about the availability for a long time. Therefore a bit more than a month before my exchange started I decided to cancel my application for an on campus housing and start searching for off campus. There are several options of apartments that are located very close to campus building but offer a lot better living conditions. Of course the prices are also slightly higher off campus as well but in my opinion it is totally worth it. My tip: if you want to save as much money as possible of course stick to on campus residence halls or villages. If you are ready to pay slightly more I would definitely recommend considering private from the beginning. I had limited options because I stated searching pretty late, but I am pretty sure there are a lot of options to look at several month before the exchange. I lived in 'Valentine Commons' in apartment with my own room and my own bathroom (you will never get your own bathroom in on campus housing). I shared my kitchen and living room with 3 other lovely girls. It was located 5 minute walk away from the building where I had most go my lectures - Business Department. Totally recommend.

3. Academic life at host university

NCSU campus is a lot bigger than WU but almost everything is in walkable distance. There are bus lines that drive regularly except Sundays. Academic culture is just lovely and so motivating because people study everywhere, not only in libraries, eg. outside, in cafes, in residence halls, in the gym, just on the grass, in dining halls. Getting good grades is a lot easier in NCSU so if you are in-between taking less or more classes - definitely do more because you will have free time anyway. Just listen in the class and don't forget the assignments deadlines.

5. Every day life in the host country

After living in Vienna with the perfect public transport system - the one in Raleigh is quite poor. There are bus limes on campus and in the city but I would not consider them safe. However there is a possibility to track the live location of the buses in maps. I also would not recumbent going downtown at night alone and rather stay with people. The social life there is very active. Every other week students can of to football, basketball, football etc. games. I recommend going to every single football game because that is the pick of the American college experience! There is a gym on campus with a lot of free classes to offer and many machines for free use so you don't have to pay separately for the physical activity. Moreover, you can join some sport clubs to play more sports.

6. Testimonial

I made so many lifetime friends and so many unforgettable memories. People were amazingly welcoming and friendly, I made a connection with many locals and also people from many other different cultural backgrounds. Studying in ncsu brought me loads of joy and knowledge. The sport games, when all the student wear merch and support the team together are just so special. Partying with other students before and after the game are also essential for the college experience.