Student Exchange Questionnaire Name: Sara Ellis Massey Degree: Bachelor of Design (Fashion) and Business (Marketing) Host university: Cornell University Semester and year of exchange: Semester 2 2014 Why did you choose this particular university and/or country for exchange? I choose to study in America as I believe it was a great opportunity to experience living in the USA for an extended period of time. Being a western country I knew there would not be too much of a culture clash. America appealed to me as due to its size and power it offers so many opportunities and experiences we do not see in New Zealand. Cornell University was my first choice as they have an excellent reputation for both academic and college lifestyle. It is located in a small town in upstate New York. This appealed as my main reason for participating in a student exchange was to experience a typical American college lifestyle. Cornell was great for this as the students make up over 50% of the town’s population and many live on the large campus. This provided a good contrast from Massey for me as Massey is in the CBD and does not offer on campus housing. New York City is also only a 4 hour drive away so was still accessible from Cornell. Did it meet your expectations? My Cornell exchange completely exceeded my expectations. The campus is beautiful and offered so many amazing facilities. Ice skating rinks, stadiums, cinemas, bowling alleys were all located on campus. The lecturers were top class and provided really interesting classes. We also had regular guest lecturers and speakers visiting the classes and campus such as Bill Gates, which provided a great opportunity to hear some inspiring people speak. The student lifestyle was better than expected also. It was great to live in a dorm with new friends. The many dining halls Cornell offers were good quality and provided a wide range of options. During the semester at Cornell I also got to experience homecoming at which Icona Pop came to play, many Greek life events (Sorority and fraternity events), Halloween celebrations, and many trips to sights such as Niagara Falls. What papers did you study while on exchange? Would you recommend them? At Cornell I studied four papers; Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, Pattern Innovation and Fashion Product Management. I choose these classes as I had a base knowledge of the subjects from Massey so I knew I wouldn’t be overly struggling with the work. This was important for me as I wanted to be able to focus on participating in other activities and meeting new people etc. and did not want to be stressed over passing courses. The papers were good and were not as hard as I expected them to be. Without substantial effort I found them relatively easy to keep on top of and obtain good grades. I would recommend Consumer Behaviour as a class as it was unlike any business courses I had taken at Massey. The class was not from a textbook and as a result made you think much more innovatively at how consumers behave and the marketing implications on this. The fashion product management course was also very helpful as it took a good look at specific fashion business roles such as merchandising and fashion management which Massey does not offer. Were there differences in the teaching methods and academic environment at your host university, compared to Massey University? If so, what kind of differences? The main difference I found at Cornell was the course structure included a higher number of assignments then we usually have at Massey. For some classes I had weekly written assignments due. This seemed like a lot however the assignments could be done within an hour or two and the weighting for each was much smaller. The course schedule also meant I didn’t have any big assignments to hand in at the end of term which made the last few weeks surprisingly unstressful. Cornell also has Mid Terms which is exams mid-way through the term. Again these didn’t seem like a big deal and with a bit of study I found these fine. In terms of the fashion department I was slightly surprised that Massey far exceeded Cornell in terms of equipment available to students. However the studios are very nice. Like Massey they use Juki machines and the rooms are also open to students 24/7! The fashion projects were similar to Massey however I found the pattern making to be much less precise then what I had been taught. We also weren’t required to finish off the inside seams of the garments we made which I found strange. However it was good to spend time in the fashion department, see how other students worked on their projects and try out a few new methods such as sono bonding. Did you stay on-campus or off-campus? What was the accommodation like? I stayed just off campus in a University dorm called Schyuler House. It was a dorm for upper level students which was great as it meant I was housed with people of a similar age to me. Many exchange students were housed here which made it easy to make friends with people having similar experiences to me and enabled me to make friends with people from all over the globe. The downside to Schyuler is that is is relatively far from campus compared to other university housing, however it is only a 10min walk to campus which to me felt quite close compared to my half hour commute to Massey. It is also positioned between collegetown and the commons, two areas where the shops and bars etc. are. How did living expenses compare to in New Zealand? I paid my accommodation and dining hall plan up front before I left however I don’t think it would be more than average rent in Wellington City. This also meant my week to week costs were very low. You get a bus pass for free so apart from other food, stationary and travelling there’s not much to pay for. The only thing I found particularly expensive was a phone plan. As I just wanted a sim card for my current phone the plans are about $40 a month if you want data. Besides this everything else was similar if not cheaper than New Zealand. What extra-curricular activities did you participate in at the host university? Although I didn’t join any official clubs at Cornell as I was only attending for one semester, I was able to partake in many events. Cornell always has things happening around campus so you will never run out of things to do. I tried ice skating with friends, went bowling and to the cinema on campus. I also went to shows put on by Cornell's dance groups and Capella groups which were great. During the semester I got the opportunity to participate in trips which included a fashion trip to NYC for the weekend. Another time we took a day trip to Rochester, NY to tour a suit factory and we also took a trip to Niagara Falls. What’s one thing you learnt about your host country or culture? I learnt how diverse America is in terms of both landscapes and culture. Before arriving I pictured America to be mostly urban through my perception of NYC and LA. I was pleasantly surprised to explore the country parts of the USA and learn about the history behind cities such as Boston and Chicago. What were some of the highlights of your exchange experience? There were so many highlights it is very difficult to narrow it down to a few! I particularly enjoyed events such as Halloween weekend as American's get very into the celebrations. The entire campus was swarmed with students in costumes all weekend which was very different to Wellington but very fun! I also really enjoyed my 21st birthday which I had about a month into my exchange. Me and a group of new friends drove to Montreal, Canada for the weekend. It’s a beautiful city and we had an amazing time. It was very cool to be able to drive to a different country for a weekend! What did you find challenging? Surprisingly I wasn’t homesick being away from home. I had such a great time on exchange I didn’t find anything too overwhelming or challenging. If I had to say something I would say the most challenging aspects were contacting home regularly due to the time differences. The hardest day would have been the first day as it was a challenge to find my way around campus by myself before I had the opportunity to meet people and make friends. However you quickly make friends and learn your way around during the first week! What do you feel you have learnt or gained from going on exchange? I feel I have gained so much from this exchange. I am much more aware of the many opportunities out there in the world and am more motivated to make the most of opportunities that may come my way. I feel I have also gained confidence in myself and made lifelong friends from all over the world. Through travelling the USA I have gained a passion for travel and learned the value of it first-hand. I have learned from and been inspired by many people I have met during my time in America. This exchange has given me a much wider perspective and shown me how big the world really is, while simultaneously showing we are all somewhat connected. Do you have any tips for future students intending to travel to the same country or university? I thoroughly recommend Cornell and the USA to anyone considering an exchange. When you’re there make the most of it and put yourself out there. Take part in student events and meet as many people as you can. Activities that might seem lame in New Zealand will definitely be a completely different experience in the USA! If you are able to save extra money to travel I really recommend extending your time in America to see as much as you can of the country before and during or after your exchange. Chicago and Boston were very interesting cites where I spent fall and Thanksgiving break with friends. Do you have any comments on the support provided to you by Massey University and/or by the host university before/during/after your exchange? Craig was a great help in the preparation for my exchange. He promptly answered any and all of the questions I had and made sure everything ran smoothly.
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