Wouldn’t it be nice to head to the beach after class? Maybe read a book (for pleasure) on white-sand beaches, skip to the shore, and dip your toe into the cerulean sea? Wouldn’t it be even nicer to do this while earning course credit? That’s exactly what Northeastern’s latest NUin students got up to in fall 2017, studying abroad in partner locations around the globe before transitioning to the bitter cold of Boston in January. Three newcomers to Huntington Avenue chat to WOOF about their time overseas and how they’re adjusting to life at Northeastern.
First-year students Claire Wallace, a communications major, and Ashley Wong, who is undeclared, met while on NUin at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy.
Why did you choose to undertake NUin in Italy?
Claire: For me it was mostly that I wanted to go to Europe, and making sure dates worked out. I wasn’t particularly inclined to any of the countries.
Ashley: I’m undeclared so I had all the options. I’d been to Rome before so I knew I liked it. I was debating between Italy and Greece … but I just really liked Rome!
Claire: The classes we could take in Italy were very limited. It was very much based on your major. In our program we only had business and CAMD — those were the only two that could go to Italy.
What was the hardest part of your NUin experience?
Claire: I think the cultural differences were more extreme than I thought they would be. I’ve been to Europe a lot and it never seemed that extreme but just having to figure out where to buy your groceries and all of that stuff… it became more evident how extreme the differences are.
Ashley: I didn’t think it was that bad adjusting but it’s just that it is the first semester of college. It’s hard having to meet people, and going through the whole first semester process in general.
How about the best part?
Claire: Travelling was good! Our Northeastern advisors would put on programs to go to the Amalfi Coast one day, or Florence and Sienna, and it was included in our cost. That stuff was really neat because you got to meet your peers and also see cool things.
Ashley: I think travelling too. We travelled a lot during the semester because we had three-day weekends.
Claire: Together we went to Malta, Belgium, Amsterdam, and some other places too.
Have you noticed any big differences between studying abroad and studying at Northeastern?
Ashley: There’s not as much travelling! It’s normal school now. I feel before my focus was on travelling but here my focus is doing well in my classes and getting involved in the school.
Claire: Classes here, I think, are harder. They’re more work!
Do you think it would be easier if you’d started your first semester of freshman year in Boston?
Claire: I think it might’ve been easier to start here but I’m glad I had the experience.
Ashley: I would not have had it any other way! I feel more people should go abroad their first semester. You learn more about yourself, gain a lot more independence. You learn to shop for yourself, and to cook. It shocks you into it which is good. You can’t just go home for the weekend if you wanted to. There’s no safety net.
What advice have you for the next batch of NUin students?
Claire: It goes faster than you think it will. I had times where I’d be like ‘Oh I should go do this’ but then I’d be like ‘I have four months, I don’t need to see it right now!’ And then all of a sudden it’s your last week and there’s so much you haven’t done. Every time I took a nap I felt bad!
Ashley: Never say no. If someone asks you to go somewhere, or just hang out, never say no. I feel there are a lot of opportunities you could miss. Even if it’s just going to the Colosseum for a study break.
Zach Horowitz, a first-year math major, also participated in NUin but spent the fall at the American College of Thessaloniki in Greece.
Why did you choose Greece as your NUin destination?
I only had two choices — it was either Greece or Ireland. The College of Science only had Greece or Ireland as options and I just thought Greece would be cooler!
What was the hardest thing about NUin?
Spending your first semester of college halfway around the world comes to mind. It was also lot of work and it was a very compressed semester because in Greece you’re only allowed to stay for 90 days before you have to get a visa, so they made the program to be just under 90 days. That was probably the hardest part — trying to balance everything and make sure everything got done. And still have fun!
Biggest difference between studying in Greece and studying in Boston?
The campus at Northeastern is a lot bigger than Greece, but now that I’m living on campus it’s a lot easier getting from place to place and have some more freedom. In Greece, we all lived off-campus in hotels so they provided buses for us to get [to campus] and back but there were only so many per day. Here, it’s a simple five to 10-minute walk even from the furthest place on campus which is a lot nicer!
Would you recommend NUin to incoming freshman?
I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone as I’m sure some people don’t like travelling all that much but if you do, it’s a great experience. I would definitely recommend it to people.