Study Abroad

My time at EPFL was extremely educational, both academically and personally. It was my first time in Europe and I took advantage of every opportunity to travel! I got to live with and meet some super cool people from all over the world.

Having been born, grown up, and now go to college in the greater Seattle area, I wanted to experience what it was like to live somewhere else and to become more independent. I chose EPFL because it is in Lausanne, a city in the French speaking region of Switzerland. I had taken 6 years of French up to that point and wanted to be somewhere I could speak the local language to get the most out of my experience.

There’s so many, but I would say one of my favorites was at the end of my time abroad when my parents came to visit. I showed them around the EPFL campus, my flat, Lausanne in general, and some other cities in Switzerland. I was able to introduce my parents to my flat mates and the friends I had made while abroad. My parents told me later they were impressed by how well I had assimilated into life there. I realized then that EPFL and Lausanne had really become my second home.

I heard this before I went abroad, but it was so true: the courses abroad were much more focused on theory than UW, especially for the CS classes. There’s less support (no office hours), so going to class is quite crucial. A lot of the courses also had exams that made up most of, if not the entirety, the final grade.

From Friday to Monday noon, I was usually traveling, so my typical weekday is as follows:

• Wake up and eat breakfast
• Take the bus then the tram to school
• Work with my study group and eat lunch together
• Head to the school gym or back home to take a walk around lake Geneva, which was right by my flat
• Make dinner and catch up with my flat mates.
• Plan out trips/call friends from home

If you are considering it, you should do it!!! One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It’s such a big opportunity to grow as a person. I feel like there’s something for everyone.

Absolutely the best decision I have ever made. I had so much fun, got to experience new places and cultures, all while taking major transferable classes at a world-class university. I think it is an experience that made me grow immensely as a person and that showed me things about the world and other cultures that I would have never learned otherwise. I would not trade the memories, friendships, and experiences that I gained for anything.

In late November Stockholm got a little over a foot of early season snow. That night, a big group in the student accommodation had planned a family-style dinner to celebrate the winter and the upcoming holiday season. There was a long table filled with candles and delicious food that everyone had brought. As dinner was winding down, the snow started coming down hard again outside, and the excitement was palpable. There were people who came from tropical countries and had never seen snow before, and pretty soon everyone was getting dressed to go outside and have a snowball fight. We stayed outside throwing snowballs and building snowmen until our fingers were practically frozen, before going inside to have tea and dessert and keep watching the snow. That was one of the most joy-filled moments of my time abroad, and it was so fun seeing everyone’s reactions to the snow.

Usually around 7:30 or 8 in the morning, I would head to the KTH library to my favorite study spot. Whether it was coursework or things like interview prep, I usually had at least a few hours of work to do daily (the gorgeous library made doing work a lot better). I often would eat lunch with a Swedish friend I made in one of my classes before either attending a lecture or continuing work. In the afternoons, if I had time, I typically spent it indulging the cinnamon bun addiction that I developed shortly after arriving in Sweden. I explored bakeries and neighborhoods around the city searching for the best cinnamon or cardamom bun, or headed to the 7-11 at the start of campus if I was looking for a quick fix. In the evenings, I would usually go climbing at a bouldering gym with a small group of other exchange students. After climbing, we would usually head back to our accommodation, and I would cook dinner and do some more school work before finally heading to sleep.

To be honest, studying abroad completely changed my goals for the future. I fell in love with Sweden and KTH, and seeing the emphasis placed on work-life balance in Swedish culture changed what I saw myself prioritizing in a future career. I am currently applying for a master’s program at KTH and can very easily see myself pursuing a long-term future either in Sweden or another Northern European country. Before I went on exchange, I had lived in the greater Seattle area for my entire life and was fairly set on following a path that was very familiar (staying in the Seattle area and aiming to work at a big tech company that pays well). Studying abroad was my first glimpse into a world outside of the one I had known for my whole life, and I was lucky for it to have been in a place where I truly felt at home and resonated with the cultural differences. I can say with confidence that without studying abroad, my future would look completely different right now.

Do it! You will not regret it, and it is such a great opportunity to experience new things and get out of your comfort zone.

I grew up in Seattle, and when I decided to go to UW I wanted to complement that by studying abroad as well. I had been learning German, so going to a German-speaking country was a big factor. I enjoy hiking, so being close to the Alps was a plus. ETH also has a great reputation for theoretical computer science, and in particular, it had cryptography classes I was excited about.

My favorite memories are of hiking in Switzerland – the mountains are very picturesque. I went on a weeklong backpacking trip in the Alps, as well as doing lots of shorter hikes on weekends. My favorite hikes were around the Walensee.

ETH has a huge course selection due to the sheer size of the school and its STEM focus, which was really nice for me because I had very concrete ideas about specific things I wanted to learn that didn’t necessarily have dedicated courses at UW.

I took a course on the Swiss German dialect, which was very cool. I already spoke German relatively well, but the dialect in Switzerland is so different from the standard German (hochdeutsch) that I barely understood anything when I arrived. Besides being practically useful, I found learning the dialect very entertaining.

You should go! I would definitely recommend doing some travelling while abroad, but it’s important to find what you like. For me, that meant doing more hiking rather than visiting cities. I would also recommend exploring the language before you go – I found it quite helpful, and UW’s language classes are great.

I have considered studying abroad since my freshman year, and after reaching an academic slump, I believed it was the best course of action to further my academic goals and personal growth. I specifically chose Yonsei University because I wanted to go to a school in Korea, and the Yonsei exchange wasn’t associated with a specific department. This allowed me to take computer science courses if I pleased, as well as other classes that I found interesting. I was hoping a new environment would help me understand my major in a new way and force me out of my comfort zone to enjoy new experiences. I believe that there is more to being skillful in computer science than being successful in the field. Having more understanding and social skills in addition to coding abilities is valuable as well.

At first, I was afraid to travel, due to language barriers and not knowing the customs, but studying abroad has inspired me to travel more in the future. I want to make it a greater priority; therefore, this has motivated me to do well in school and work harder for my career. Now I am more determined to find a job that will support my travel goals. Additionally, going to graduate school abroad is now something I am considering, due to my positive experience studying abroad and learning the cost of university abroad vs in the United States. Traveling abroad isn’t as intimidating as it seems, and I’ve met many kind people who have helped me. I’ve also learned that if you really want to do something, being alone shouldn’t stop you from doing it. If it’s something you’ve always looked forward to, you should still be able to enjoy it nonetheless.

For those who are considering studying abroad, I would greatly encourage simply going for it. When I first entered UW, my cousin, who is an alumni, told me her biggest regret was not studying abroad. Now I agree, because there is not another time when you could live in another country for an extended period of time while meeting people from all around the world. It’s a time when it’s easy to find a community, and resources are provided for you. As a computer science major, once you get a job, it’s hard to find time to travel, much less for months. If finances are a concern, there are definitely more budget-friendly countries, programs, or scholarships you could apply for.

Absolutely amazing! It made me a better person and helped me sort out my priorities. It is also an irreplicable experience for exploration in a time when you have minimal strings attached.

I have always wanted to study in Scotland, so this was a childhood dream come true.

Wandering the streets during a light snow.

Wake up. It is rainy, so reminiscent of Seattle. Then, walk to class, study in the library, lunch at the flat with groceries from Lidl <3. In the afternoon, maybe a walk while it is still light, study in the flat, dinner at home, and then out to the pub for trivia night.

I did not have my class schedule until my third week, and I was starting to get stressed and lonely. So, I made a friend through a Facebook group (we tried to understand a Scottish comic), joined a couple of clubs, and chatted to the people in my classes.

Quite comparable, which is nice because I got double the credit.

Scottish Devolution – The class was an interesting mix of UK, Scottish, and international students. The topics covered helped me understand the society I was living in as well.

Give it a couple of weeks. Your first impressions compared to your first week compared to your first month, and then how you see it a year later will change, but generally, it will be good.

Just do it! It is your time to have fun and explore something new.