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Inbound Testimonials
International students (exchanges and degree-seekers) choose Southern for a host of different reasons: its location, selection of programs, committed faculty, and affordable tuition. Regardless of where our international students come from and why they choose Southern, they eventually share one thing in common: Southern always becomes "home", and saying goodbye is never easy! Due to our staff-to-student ratio, our staff members get to know our international students well. We like to think that the international student experience at Southern is richer as a result.
We hope the student articles and testimonials below are helpful for you as you begin to plan your academic experience in the United States!
Newspaper Articles Written By International Students in Southern News
Michelle Hennessy (UK) |: "Women's conference confronts American Ideals". A collection of Michelle Hennessy's articles for Southern News can be found here.
Christopher McBriarty (UK): "American vs. British Media". A collection of Chris McBriarty's articles for Southern News can be found here.
Carolina Torres(Germany): "People to People: Club Puts A Cultural Twist On Jeopardy". A collection of Carolina Torres's articles can be found here.
Recent Student Testimonials:
Name: Mikey
Home University: University of central Lancashire (England)
Major: Exercise science
Duration of stay: 2 semesters
Hobbies: Boxing, music, dancing and movies
Hi everyone,
I’m Mikey, I live in a small town in England called Warrington and I study in a small
city called Preston,
it’s a nice relaxed work atmosphere where you have great opportunity to study and
socialize.
Coming to SCSU has given me a great opportunity to work in a new exciting environment
with a
completely different atmosphere and teaching styles. Even going out in to new haven
and traveling
through surrounding cities! The people I have met are very friendly and welcoming
which creates
a great sense of belonging in this foreign land.
As a sports major it’s nice to see so much enthusiasm and university level sport which
in my country
is sourly lacking. So when I go home after these 2 semesters of studying here I
will take back
a greater knowledge of myself and what I’m capable of and I will also be able to
try and generate
some enthusiasm for local sport. I would strongly encourage anyone thinking of studying
abroad
to do it because the experience you will gain and the fun you will have is unparalleled
to any other.
Finally to quote the most misunderstood phrase of our generation ‘YOLO’
Name: Simon
Home University: University of Education Freiburg (Germany)
Age: 22
Major: Education
Duration of Stay: 2 Semesters
Hobbies: Travelling, music festivals, politics, language
Hello there!
I'm Simon, future teacher for Political Science, English & German, and I'll be here
at SCSU for the next 2 Semesters.
Normally I live & study in a small town at the edge of The Black Forrest, a beautiful
warm & sunny region in Germany which sounds way more mysterious than it actually is
:D
I am still overwhelmed by how nice I have been received here on campus. I found friends very quickly and together we went camping in the amazing nature of New Britain just the second weekend I have been here! Classes are really challenging here but through the daily homework I am pretty sure that I will learn a lot!
Every morning when I go from my dorm (a form of living for students which is not so common in Germany) to classes, I pass the soccer- and the football field. College sport is a serious thing here and therefore you see student teams exercising even early in the morning. I have to smile if I try to transfer this scene to Germany in my mind. Tell students to go out and practice at 7.am? Impossible! :D
This is just one of many examples which come into my mind if I try to compare my two
universities.
But better find out by yourself, dare to see the bigger picture, you will DEFINITELY
not regret it!
Name: Timo (AKA "T-Mobile")
Home University: University Freiburg (Germany)
Age: 22
Major: Computer Science
Duration of Stay: 2 Semesters
Hobby: Food
Hi, I'm Timo Bierbrauer and I'm an exchange student from Germany at SCSU. Usually
I'm not a very active or outgoing person, but I really wanted to take the chance of
making a great experience in the country I heard so much about. I'm here for 6 weeks
now and so far I have to say, that it's been the right decision. You get to know a
lot of people over here just by attending a few of the clubs at university. The clubs
are one of the largest differences compared to my home university. They build a strong
"school spirit" and a feeling of togetherness, which I so far have not experienced
in Germany. Another big difference is the way classes are taught. At home we're usually
supposed to write one final exam that accounts for 100% of the final grade. Chopping
grade into smaller pieces, i.e. writing graded test and doing graded homework sometimes
is more work, but definitely worth saving a lot of stress. As people ask me which
country/university I like better I tend to say that it's neither better or worse over
here, it's just different. So everybody should definitely give it a shot!
Name: Anastasia
Home University: Leibniz University Hannover (Germany)
Age: really??
Major: Finance & Economics
Duration of Stay: just 1 semester =(
Hobby: Movies
Hey, my name is Anastasia and it's my 5th semester of studying. They main reasons
I wanted to study abroad were to improve my English, to visit as many places as I
can in the U.S. and to meet new people and just have an amazing time. First of all,
as every other German would tell you too, studying in the U.S. is soooo different
to the German way. We don't have something like homework, class participation or midterms.
However, it is a good way to study continuously and to remember what the professor
taught last week. Not only studying is different, I can tell you, the whole everyday
life is at least a little bit different to the German. For example, how the toilets
flush, the traffic lamps, the weather,... But that's the reason I came for: to make
new experiences every single day and to overcome my bounds. So, give it a try, you
won't regret it ;-)
Name: Nadine
Home University: Universitaet Hohenheim (Germany)
Age: 21
Major: Business & Economics
Duration of Stay: 1 semester
Hobby: Travelling
Hey I'm Nadine Jalboush and I'm from Germany. Unfortunately I will only stay in the
U.S. for one semester, which is a pity! The new things you experience almost everyday
and the new people you get to know are memorable! A main difference to Germany which
I noticed is the kindness of (most) Americans. They are more open-minded than Germans
and if you have any questions or problems, they'll help instantly. That made my first
couple weeks as foreigner in the U.S. really easy! I decided to do the semester abroad
to improve my English skills and to see the way of studying at American universities
and it is really different. But these differences make your stay in another country
special. I learned so much about everyday life, school, people, the way of speaking
and more. I would strongly recommend a semester or a year abroad!! It will be an advantage
for your life ;-)
Name: Bea
Home University: Lulea University of Technology, Sweden
Age: 21
Major: Professional Experience Production
Duration of Stay: 1 semester
Hobby: Music and travelling
Hello, I'm Beatrice Granstroem from Sweden and I have been in the US for 3 months now, and I have to say I really like it. First I hadn't thought of studying abroad until my friends applied for it, so I did it too just for fun some days before the deadline. I was curious, is it really like the American Pie movies over there or not?? One month later I was among the 6 people from my institution that got the chance to go, so I took it! What I want from my stay here is to improve my English, meet new people, travel and take part of the American culture as much as I can. It's similar to the Swedish lifestyle but with some differences of course. Regarding school, in Sweden we don't have sports teams+cheerleaders, and not these chairs with a built-in desk haha.. I'm so glad I got the crazy idea of studying abroad. That has given me such a fun time with many new wonderful friends from around the world who I can visit in the future. So I really recommend you to do like me, take the opportunity while you can and explore the world! It's something you will remember for the rest of your life.
