Experience report
ANR: 890514
Name: Jie Zhu
E-mail: j.zhu_4@uvt.nl
Exchange semester: Fall
Academic year: 2013-2014
Host University: University of Washington
Country: United States
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
How was your arrival organized? Did someone pick you up from the airport/station? Was an
orientation or introduction activity organized? How was accommodation organized? Does the
university provide you with accommodation? What kind of accommodation does the university provide?
Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a place to live
after you arrived?
I arrived at Seattle with my friend together. No one came to pick me up but it is convenient to
take shuttle bus right from the airport to any address within Seattle.
Yes. There is an organization like our ASSET called FUITS, which organizes many activities
frequently in addition to orientation.
I lived in off-campus dormitory, which is in the form of apartment with 4 students living inside
of each. The kitchen and living room are shared by all four students in the apartment. While it
is possible that two people sharing a bathroom and toilet since there are two bathrooms and
toilets offered actually. The dormitory locates close to the university about 15-20 minutes by
walking or 5-10 minutes by bus (for free if you buy the husky-pass). It is easy to book
accommodation online in advance. And you can choose in which type of dormitory you want
to live.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
Please describe the city you lived in. Where is the university located in the city? What is the best
place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? What are interesting things to see and do in your host
city? What was different than in Tilburg?
University of Washington locates in a coastal seaport city, Seattle, which is famous for being
hometown of Starbucks, Microsoft and Boeing. Pike place for vintege lovers, space needle for
city tourists, green lake park and mountain Renier for natural sightseeing lovers, downtown
for fashion seekers, Alaska arina for sport-lovers, etc, the city actually offer you multiatmosphere of experience.
Although the university does not locate in the downtown, it is convenient to go to downtown
by bus (about 20 minutes) or car (5-10minutes).
Crab pot is of course recommended if you want to experience special way to eat crab with
wooden hammer. The first Starbucks in the world locates in Pike Place, which is crowded
everyday. There are lots of bars around the university. If you like sports, you could go to the
university gym, which also offers lots of courses such as golf, swimming; either way you
could also do sports in the community gym in the dormitory.
The Suzzalo Library is a must-go place in the university. You may even feel like you were in
the movie of Harry Potter when you enter the reading room.
The biggest difference might be that there are lots of retaurants around the university. So you
may choose PHO as your lunch, while Bibimbang as your dinner, or hotpot with friends, etc.
TOPIC: Academics
Which courses did you take and why? Which courses would you recommend? What did the courses
add to your program at Tilburg University? How does the university compare to Tilburg University
concerning the level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English, workload, etc.? Overall,
were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange? Please describe the
campus of your host university.
1. Money, Credit and the Economy--- introducing the federal in detail and basic monetary
economy knowledge;
2. Investment, Capital and Finance--- basic course for further finance study, which is similar
to our corporate finance course;
3. Financial Crisis--- as you could expect from the course name, all are about financial crisis;
All of them I would like to recommend, especially for those who want to further their master
study in Finance.
Not like the general school, University of Washington, our university is much more specialized
mainly in Economics and Law researches. To be honest, the exams in my host university is
much easier than those in Tilburg. Overall, the teaching quality is more or less the same.
It is said that the campus of UW ranks top one of dating places list of the US. Old buildings
and cherry trees highlight the rank of course.
TOPIC: Social life
Which social activities organized by the university or students? Did you have contact with local
students? Did you have contact with other exchange students? How did you get along with the local
students and other exchange students? Did you travel to other places/countries during your exchange?
I actually attended only activities organized by dormitory community, which are held on every
weekend. Topics of the activities also change every week, for example, cupcake night,
Holloween night, homemade mini pizza and so on. It’s of great fun to participate those
activities because you will get acquaintance with your neighborhood and also communicate
with local students.
We three exchange students did the city tour and traveled alongside west coastal line of the
US together. We had lots of fun and did enjoy our trips.
TOPIC: Living costs
How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg University?
What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? What did you spend most of your
money on? What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Please outline your
approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange: housing, food, textbooks, etc.
My parents are my sponsor during my study period. The rent (on campus normally
$1000/month) tends to be a little higher than that in Tilburg. While food expenses are more ore
less the same and you may have more choices. One thing need to mention, books in UW
bookstore are very expensive. For example, I bought a book for over $200 but if I sold it back
to the store at the end of the quarter, it had a 0 value. While on Amazon, the book is only about
$100 in totally new condition. So sad~~~
The most thing I spent on should count for traveling. And I also recommend future students to
invest on travel, it worth you to do so.
Monthly budget: $850 on housing + $300-400 on food + $ 400 on textbooks + $50 on insurance
+ others spending you may have;
TOPIC: Culture
Did you experience culture shock while on exchange? How would you compare your host culture to
your own culture? What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange? What was different
about your host culture than you expected? What did you like and not like about your host culture? Do
you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to learn more? How
would you describe your host countries culture? If you travelled to other cities/countries during your
exchange, were they different than your host city/country, and how?
Actually no. The US cultural environment is multiple, open and easy to integrate into. Just be
yourself wherever you are.
TOPIC: Personal development
What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange? Would you do things differently if
you had the chance, and what would you do differently? What was your best experience, and what
was your worst experience? What will you remember for ever about your exchange period? What was
the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange period?
“No pay, no gains.” All people I met seem to be examples of this idiom. Of course I would like
to improve myself also with hard working.
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Would you recommend an exchange period? Would you recommend your host university? What
should prospective students bring with them/leave behind? What preparation is required for going on
exchange to this destination? Was there anything you should have done in preparation that you didn’t
do?
Yes, I certainly would. It is a valuable experience you will have.
Just be positive, be yourself.
TOPIC: A picture is worth a thousand words
If you took any pictures or made any videos that you would like to share with future exchange
students, please include them (or e-mail them separately). Pictures that show your daily life or
symbolize your exchange period are especially interesting for future exchange students.
Inside of the Suzzalo Library: