IT University Travel Report
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: Georgia Institute of Technology
Study Programme at IT University : Digitale Medier og Design
Exchange Agreement or Study Abroad: Exchange Agreement between ITU and Georgia Tech
Courses studied abroad: LCC3206-Communication and culture, CS1315-intro media computation,
LCC2720-visual design, LCC2730-constructing the moving image
Exchange Period: semester (autumn/spring) _autumn__ year __2013___
Your stay abroad
What was it like to study at [Georgia Tech] (including choice of courses, academic level, social life
at campus)?
Everything was different. On some level it was like going back to high school. The teachers took
attendance and there was a lot of homework. At least one mandatory assignment a week and if you
didn’t finish it on time, it would affect you final grade. However the academic level was somewhat
lower and a lot more practical oriented, allowing you to be able to finish in time.
The grade was composed of the different assignments, your attendance, quizzes and exams
throughout the semester. Your time has to be planned out and scheduled for it to work with your
social life.
Since I lived in I-House, the International Housing, I committed to a lot of social activities. The IHouse is composed of 50% international students and 50% American students, that way you got to
know a lot of different people from all over the world.
I-House is a very close net community and they expect you to participate, and be engaged. A normal
week would be filled with events, and especially the weekends would be crowded with social
gatherings, parties and events. Therefore studying in the weekend wasn’t really an option, and you
would have to plan your time during the week, in order to meet your deadlines.
What was your initial motivation for going abroad and did your stay meet your expectations?
I wanted to gain new experiences and really get to know American campus life. I have always wanted
to go to USA and travel for a longer period of time, trying to make it in the big world, away from
everyday life and the security of my family and friends.
That I wanted to combine with my studies and gain new perspectives on both life, my education and
my culture. And I think I did.
I feel like I got the trip I’ve always wanted. New country, new experiences and making it on my own.
That I was able to combine it with my studies were just perfect. That way I wasn’t just traveling
around, but I was actually a part of the daily life on campus. I lived with both international and local
people, and shared my everyday thoughts and feelings with them. Living together in a community
like I-House brings people together, creating many across-boarder friendships for myself and for
others.
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?
New perspectives on both my academic work, but also in my personal life. Academically I gained a
great deal of hands-on knowledge in various programs and on simple design aspects. It has given me
confidence in my own abilities, and a new confidence in my skills of adapting to another way of
learning and to another culture. I’ve also become further assured in my designing abilities, and in my
choice of study at both ITU and Georgia Tech.
Arranging your stay
Please give a short description of the process of arranging your stay:
There was a lot of paperwork, and it was tough trying to find the necessary time to go through all of
the papers, rules and registrations, while having classes and exams at ITU. Most of the more
important issues and registrations for Georgia Tech, did of course collide with the most important
times at ITU.
But Charlie Hammons, an American adviser at Georgia Tech, was a great help, and if he couldn’t help
you himself, he would sent you to someone who could. The only problem was that he was in Atlanta
and therefore all interaction had to go through email.
But luckily we were 7 people going to Georgia Tech at the same time, so we managed to help each
other out. We even asked former exchange students for help if we were stuck on something.
What resources did you find helpful in planning your stay and which people did you use (if any)?
Facebook was actually a great help. We made a Facebook group for the 7 of us going to Georgia, so
we could discuss problems, fears, news and so on. That way, if one of us had a problem, the others
could help solve it or that person could write to Charlie or Rikke, the Danish Advisor at ITU, and get it
fixed for all of us.
In addition to that we all joined a Facebook group for former students that went to Georgia Tech.
That made us able to ask some of the nonacademic, but non de less important questions.
How did you arrange practicalities such as accommodation?
Since most of us were only staying for one semester, it was recommended that we applied for the
international house (I-House) on GT-campus. I-House is the only on-campus housing that allows
housing for only one semester. Thankfully nearly all of us were accepted, only the one staying for a
year was given other accommodation options afterwards.
We all had to stay on top of the different deadlines though, since I-House has other deadlines than
the rest of the housing.
But generally we just took it step by step and helped each other out.
Expenses and Financing
Please comment on expenses connected to your stay abroad
I spent 30.000 - 35.000 kr on the exchange. I had to pay for housing on campus and that in itself was
about 22.000 kr, then came tickets, immunizations, fees and so on. It feels like it’s a lot more than it
actually is, because most of the total amount is due at the same time, and only about a week after
you get there.
Did you apply for scholarships and would you recommend any ones in particular?
I applied for a few, but wasn’t granted any money. I was only granted money from the travel pool at
ITU to help cover my travel expenses. So I would recommend future exchange students to apply for
the travel pool.
Recommendations for other students:
Help each other out. It pays off.