Luca's Exchange to University of Wisconsin, Whitewater | USA
I had the pleasure of attending the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater for a calendar school year starting from late August 2014 to May 2015.
Signing up for study abroad turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made!
Early Stages
Initially, I didn’t know what to expect from a small school in a tiny Wisconsin town. However, in no time I made a lot of international friends who were involved in the exchange program. The orientation program offered for freshman and exchange students was really informative and involved some great activities.
This included comedy and magic shows (to name a few) and group sessions which were great to meet people and learn about what the campus had to offer.
There are hundreds of different groups and organisations on campus which you can join to get involved at Whitewater. As an international student, I recommend joining the International Students Association (ISA), who run weekly meetings and organise exciting trips and activities. Some of these included: skiing, attending Freakfest in Madison during Halloween, Six Flags theme park, and going to numerous malls.
Study
Studying at Whitewater was quite different to my studies here at Murdoch. Firstly, the lectures and tutorials were combined into one class of about 30 students. As a result, it is easy to get to know your professors. Attendance is mandatory and classes are quite constant. The workload is not difficult, but it is time consuming, with lots of smaller assessments with less weight attached to each one. My advice would be to attend and keep up with all your classes.
Whitewater
The campus is really beautiful. I was very shocked at how nice the facilities were and how modern everything was. There is a bowling alley and movie theatre on campus and lots of areas to hang out and do recreational activities. UWW is very passionate about its sports and extremely successful within the NCAA competitions. The collegiate sport is great to watch and I would advise checking it out! For the less elite, there is intramural sport which was great to get involved with. There’s dozens of sports to try out! Personally, I played on a softball team and also participated in the doubles table tennis.
I stayed in the Wells East dorms where most of the international students and freshman reside. The halls were really social and living with a roommate was not as bad as it may seem. I’d recommend staying in one of the Wells towers as it’s a great way to socialise and meet new people.
In terms of food, the dining halls on campus are initially exciting but you will probably get sick of them in time. If it’s Pizza or Mexican food you like, then Whitewater has you covered! There are some many fast food places.
For those that are 21! The bar scene is really chilled out and very much like the stereotypical pubs you see on TV. Everything is so cheap in Whitewater, and the bars are no different. There is usually something on from Tuesday to Saturday. For the young people, it is very easy to find some shindig happening, more often than not it's located in people’s basements. It’s a college town, you know what to expect.
It is freezing during the winter in Whitewater. However, don’t let that deter you from going there! Everything is heated and the snow on campus is ploughed every morning. If you buy an appropriate jacket and winter-wear then the cold is not much of an issue.
American People and Greek Life
The American people are really lovely! They are fascinated with Australians and this is probably an understatement. Making local and international friends was really easy and at any given time there was always something to do. I also maintain a long-distance relationship with my wonderful girlfriend whom I met in Whitewater.
I decided to rush the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity whilst I was in Whitewater. There is an 8 week rush process which was time consuming, but rewarding at the same time. Unless staying more than a semester I probably don’t advise getting involved with Greek life. However, I was lucky enough to extend for a second semester, so my decision to rush and eventually become an active member was the best thing I could have done. The men that I now call brothers are some of the best people I’ve ever met and I have definitely made some great life-long friends. I now share some incredible memories from my time involved with my chapter.
Travel
Whitewater is less than an hour away from Milwaukee and Madison, which are two really cool cities. It is also two hours away from Chicago, so I was able to see a fair bit of the windy city. Wisconsin borders Canada so it was pretty cheap to go visit Toronto during the thanksgiving break. My friends and I went on a road-trip to the Mall of America in Minnesota which was awesome. I visited NYC which was really amazing and eye opening. I took my friend who had never been so it was equally exciting for the two of us. In the fall semester, Whitewater’s Football team reached the DIII National Championship Game in Virginia and I took a 30 hours bus trip down to see it. We won! It was a fantastic experience.
Advice and Final Words
Even though Whitewater is a small town, there is a fair bit of walking to be done to get to Walmart and downtown. I’d suggest befriending people with cars, or even purchasing a cheap bicycle!
There was less snow in the Fall semester, so if you really hate the cold, that would be the best time for you to go!
Overall, my study abroad experience is one that I will always cherish. It became the greatest 10 months of my life. I would give so much to do it all over again! Please do yourself a favour and look into studying abroad!
If you’re unsure whether Whitewater or the exchange program is right for you, I’d say just go for it! It went way beyond any of my expectations.
- Lucas studied abroad at the University of Wisconsin-White Water in the USA
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