Dear Student, this is a template – the aim is to inspire other students who may wish to follow in your footsteps. You are free to give your report the shape you want and to go beyond the questions, as long as you cover the information asked for below. You are also very welcome to include pictures and contact information – but you need not. Remember that the report will be made available on the intranet.
Host University: Syracuse University
Study Programme at IT University : Digital Innovation and Management
Exchange Agreement or Study Abroad: Exchange Agreement
Courses studied abroad: Management Principles for Information Professionals, Economics for
Information Managers, Managing Information Systems Projects
Exchange Period: Autumn 2014
What was it like to study at [ the university] (including choice of courses, academic level, social life at campus)?
Syracuse University was incredible – the campus is stunning, the student population is large which promotes diversity in culture and interests, and the academics are impressive.
As a graduate student, I took three courses to fulfill my status as a full-time student. My professors were definitely one of my favorite aspects of the semester abroad because they were so experienced
– one was even an ex-FBI agent! The classes were engaging and kept small so they felt quite personal. One thing I feared going into it was the fact that we were graded for participation in class, and I was worried that I would end up feeling forced to speak up. However, with the way the classes were structured, it came quite naturally.

The academic level at Syracuse University is good – it felt easier than ITU just because the textbooks and readings were less academic, however I do feel like I gained more ‘tangible’ knowledge from my semester at Syracuse. The workload is also more constant throughout the semester, than at ITU; with assignments being given throughout the weeks, and the end-of-semester assignments being much demanding than those I have experienced at ITU.
Social life is something that Syracuse University prides itself on – there is a large variety of student organizations that you can join to keep you busy and to meet new people. This is incredibly helpful for exchange students, especially in Syracuse where there is very little else to do off-campus. The city itself leaves a lot to be desired, so I would recommend finding your interests on-campus.
What was your initial motivation for going abroad and did your stay meet your expectations?
My personal motivation abroad was to really broaden my personal, academic and professional horizons internationally. Personally, I pride myself on having an international background, and really wanted to explore my interest in the United States and try to gain experience about how life really was in the country, not as a tourist. Academically, Syracuse University has quite a strong reputation in Information Studies and I saw that they offered a very wide range of courses within the program. I saw it as an opportunity to pursue a direction in my education that was not yet fully developed at ITU
– a more business and management perspective of the information world. Professionally, with aspirations to one day work in the United States, I knew that I would have a better chance to network with potential employers if I was actually in the States, and knew that Syracuse University has very dedicated efforts in regards to employer relations that I hoped to benefit from.
Ultimately, I feel like all my motivations were fulfilled – and whilst it was not what I expected of the stereotypical ‘college experience’, I feel like the experience is something that ultimately will benefit my future and has enriched my background as a global citizen.
Please describe what you got out of your stay, both personally and academically, and how do you expect it to contribute to your further studies?
My stay in Syracuse was an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Personally, it taught me that I am stronger than I ever imagined – I struggled at the beginning of my stay because it didn’t match my expectations of what it would be like to be an American college student. Going in as an exchange student, I walked in as a single entity into a crowd of groups that had already been formed either from home, through sororities, through previous classes together, etc… So a lot of the times, it was lonely and I was homesick. However, I learnt to make the most of it: find groups that interested me and joined them; put myself out there and talked to random people that ended up being really good friends; prioritized that I wanted to work hard in school, and that I wasn’t willing to sacrifice that to go to fraternity parties just to ‘fit in’. I learnt a lot about who I was as an individual; that I am independent enough to stand my ground in terms of not doing things I

didn’t want to do just to ‘make friends’, and that I am very capable of navigating a completely foreign city on my own and find my own way through the experience.
Academically, I got to develop my profile in a direction that really interests me – as an aspiring consultant, I was able to take classes in management and project management which supplements the more technological-focuses courses I took at ITU. Syracuse University is also an environment that is very conducive of academic success – the professors are always willing to have conversations with you about expectations for the course both from them and from you as a student, and the campus offers multiple settings for studying and group work. I personally spent countless hours in one of the libraries and produced some work that I am very proud of. Syracuse University turned a 3.3 GPA student, into a 4.0 student in less than 5 months – and for that, I am very proud.
Professionally, I also got the chance to network with alumni and professors within the industry that I one day hope to enter, and earned some valuable insight into my dream profession. I learnt that as a consultant, I need to be willing to work hard and long hours; but that would be rewarded with the chance to travel the world and work with very skilled clients. I also got to meet with my dream employers, and got to hear what they look for in their future employees equipping me with the knowledge of how to pursue my job hunt in the future.
Overall, I believe that the experience and my stay at Syracuse University has made me a better student, with a clearer direction as to what I want to use my education for in my future. The chance to meet people I aspire to one day work with, to learn from very knowledgeable professors, and to experience life in the United States has lit a fire in me to pursue my dreams as a consultant. It has also taught me to value the opportunities presented to me back home in Denmark, and to cherish
‘home’ and the comfort of the familiar; and ultimately to remember that ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’ so I should sometimes remind myself that ‘ude godt, men hjemme bedst’.
Please give a short description of the process of arranging your stay:
It took a while before we got confirmation from Syracuse University that we were accepted, but I knew that if I waited until I had the confirmation then I would probably be very pressed for time. So what I did before I had the confirmation was to start applying for grants because that required a lot of paperwork, and most places accepted the applications with just the nomination letter from ITU.
Once Syracuse sent the confirmations, I contacted the International Office there for information regarding accommodation options. As the stay was only going to be for one semester, it was a bit more challenging to find a lease that was just for 5 months as most places look to lease for the whole year. However, through a connection of the International coordinator, a house was located for the stay.

Along with the confirmation from Syracuse is the official documents needed to file for a student – and that should be done as soon as possible as the embassy sometimes has very long processing times. Also, it is recommended that you do not purchase a ticket before you have a visa, and as most travelers will know; it is almost always cheaper to buy plane tickets as early as possible.
Another important step is the purchase of insurance – Syracuse University has an arrangement with an insurance company that offers insurance by semester. My experience with this arrangement was incredibly positive, and I believe is the best way to arrange insurance if you do not have any extraordinary requirements for your insurance package.
I arrived a month early in the States to do some traveling before going to Syracuse, and so I set up my phone and bank account once I arrived in the country and had it set up before I got to Syracuse.
What resources did you find helpful in planning your stay and which people did you use (if any)?
I definitely felt like I arranged and planned for my stay very independently – I did all my own research and contacted different people abroad myself. The International Office at Syracuse University was somewhat helpful, but other than that, it was just a lot of research online.
How did you arrange practicalities such as accommodation?
As mentioned above; I got in touch with my landlady through the Syracuse International Office. She has had experience with international students before so was quite accommodating in terms of information regarding international wire transfers, pictures, information, etc… However, I believe our options as single-semester exchange students are quite limited and thus we have to be willing to pay higher prices. I had also gotten in contact with some houses through Craigslist, however, I was just too reluctant to commit to anything financially from across the ocean and therefore decided to forego those options.
Please comment on expenses connected to your stay abroad
I think the one main lesson I want to share in regards to the financial aspect of staying abroad is that it is going to be expensive. Whilst cost of living in Syracuse may be reported as low online, there are factors that affect that in reality as an exchange student. First of all, it is cheap to grocery shop and cook for yourself – but that requires having access to a car and good kitchen facilities. Also, there are cheaper housing options, however, that does not typically apply for a student looking to only rent for one semester.

Also, one thing that I had really neglected to factor into my original budget is the university costs.
Whilst tuition is covered by ITU, Syracuse University has other costs that are mandatory for students to pay. This includes a health fee, a co-curricular fee and an activity fee and this amounted to over
4000 DKK for my semester. The insurance is always a requirement, and the one I arranged through
Syracuse University was about 3700 DKK. Lastly, the visa expenses are relatively high and totaled up to around 1800 DKK, so that amounted to almost 10,000 DKK that I hadn’t really considered when I first applied.
Books are also quite expensive over there, but my experience is positive when it comes to buying used books off Amazon – you get a much better deal than trying to buy your textbooks through the
University Bookstore.
Did you apply for scholarships and would you recommend any ones in particular?
I applied for over 30 scholarships, and that required a lot of time and paperwork. I ended up receiving a grant of 17,500 DKK, and the 2,500 DKK travel pool grant from ITU. Once again, it’s all about research to find the possible options for you – and you have to make the decision about whether or not you want to invest the time to go through the tedious application process in hopes of being granted something. I can say that personally, I am happy that I did it because the grant covered almost my entire stay’s rent which gave me more flexibility with my finances for travel within the
States.
Be organized – keep track of documents, and don’t leave things to the last minute. Make sure it’s something you really want, because there will be moments where it’s easy to feel defeated; whether in the planning phases with the expenses and paperwork, or during the stay when you get homesick or the weather gets harsh. Make the most of it whilst you’re there – even if it doesn’t turn out exactly like you pictured it to be; don’t dwell on your expectations and focus on making the most out of the reality instead.