Yaqin's Winter Abroad with CIS Australia | USA
Hi my name is Yaqin and in 2019 I spent my winter break abroad through CIS Australia studying in Boston, USA.
At Murdoch University I am studying a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science.
The key factors for me choosing to do a Winter Abroad program were to indulge in a completely different culture and experience a fully independent life.
A little bit about the program "July in Boston", and my classes . . .
I studied two units at Boston University,
Human Infectious Diseases and Neglected Tropical Diseases from end of June to
beginning of August, 2019. Studying at a university in USA was definitely
challenging at first and it took a few weeks to get used to the new style of
teaching. I had 3 lectures and 2 labs per weeks for the first unit, and two lectures
per week for the second unit. Attendance to all lectures was compulsory as it
counted for 10% of the final unit mark. Lecture teaching style was different
for both units as one was very similar to Murdoch’s teaching style but the
other unit was dependent on class discussions and involved reading multiple
journal articles for each class.
A little bit about the city I lived in - Boston . . .
I completed my program in Boston,
Massachusetts, USA. Boston was very beautiful and historical. Main points of
attraction were museums. Although the weather was hot and humid some of the
days, it did not affect my ability to go around and explore.
The best part about my program is that I
was able to travel around Boston every weekend and explore a different state as
it has the best location and easiest public transportation.
The struggles I experienced while completing my Winter Abroad program . . .
The biggest challenge of my program was
being homesick as I have never been away from my family for that long before. I
dealt with it by talking to my family and friends every day and by trying meet
new friends daily and go out and explore the beautiful city.
Another struggle was that everything in
Boston was extremely expensive compared to Perth.
Public transportation also was a struggle
as it stopped between midnight and 6 am and I had to use Uber/Lyft during those times and that added more to the
expenses.
A little bit about where I lived while studying and how I funded the program . . .
I chose to live off-campus in the heart
of Boston, Brookline city. This decision made transportation very easy as my
apartment was across the street from the nearest train stations. Everything was
within walking distance, grocery store, restaurant, bars, pharmacies. The main
thing to ask about is having air conditioning at the accommodation is very
important because it can get extremely hot in Boston even during the night.
I worked many hours before my program to
be able to save for my program. I also used my OS Help Loan to help pay my
University fees in the US.
I didn't just stay in Boston, I travelled the US while I was overseas!
I travelled to a total of 9 states in USA during my program. I
travelled to Los Angeles and Tennessee before my program started. I was also
very lucky to not have any classes on Fridays and that made it possible to
travel to a different state every single weekend. I travelled to Pennsylvania,
Connecticut, New York, Maine and Rhode Island. This was absolutely the best
part of my program.
My advice to someone who is considering a Summer or Winter Abroad program . . .
My main advice would be to save A LOT of
money beforehand, especially if the program is set in USA. Another advice would
be to go in with an open positive mind and to try and enjoy every single second
of it. Even if you go through bad days, you have to push through them and go
out and explore and appreciate the amazing experience.
I would recommend any one and every one
to go on an exchange program, it was the best experience of my life and I would
go again if I ever get another chance!
- Yaqin completed a Winter Abroad program with CIS Australia in the USA.
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