<p>Currently i'm a computer science student in the Netherlands. Next year I have the opportunity to study abroad for one semester. I really like to go to the USA (although Australia is a good second choice). Yesterday I talked with the international coordinator of my department, but unfortunately my department doesn't have any (formal) connections with universities in the USA.
Are there ways to study in the US for one semester without these connections (no exchange programs etc.). Is it a good idea to just approach some universities where the courses look very interesting, or is this doomed to fail?
I really, really like to go to the USA, so I was a bit disappointed to hear that my faculty doesn't have any exchange programmes with universities in the USA, so I hope I you can give me some good advice :)</p>
<p>Many US universities have summer programs that are opened for all. E.g. I met two students from India who just the summer attending Harvard Summer School (<a href="http://www.summer.harvard.edu)%5B/url%5D">http://www.summer.harvard.edu)</a>.</p>
<p>Thanks. But I like to study in a 'normal collegeyear', so I'm not looking for summerprograms.</p>
<p>Why don't you MAKE an exchange program with the school you want to go to. It takes some planning/work/ass-kicking on your part, but if you are actually motivated to go then that shouldn't be a problem for you.</p>
<p>I did exactly that, which is why I'm in Estonia right now. It took some phone calls, emails, and kicking some very lazy people in the ass in the international office at the University of Amsterdam, but now I'm here and it was well worth it. What school are you at in the Netherlands? Which universities are you looking at in the US?</p>
<p>I second nauru's brilliant suggestion. Talk to your dept professors and ask them to introduce to their US peers and then go from there ...</p>
<p>Are you interested at UW-Madison? As alumni, I could fire off e-mails to Intl Student Office and few other offices to get the ball rolling ...</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply's :)</p>
<p>dallas808, I've visited the website of UW-Madison and the courses offered there looks very interesting. Thanks for your offer, it would be great if you could send some e-mails to ask what my options are.</p>
<p>nauru, I've tought about it. I'm very motivated, but I currently have no clue how to make a exchange program, how to approach them for the first time. But if I and the international coordinator have selected some universities, I think this is something I will definitely try. How much time does it took for you to arrange an exchange program?</p>
<p>I'm a student of the university Twente. I'm especially interested in artifical intelligence, so if a university offers some interesting courses in this area it would be great.
Of couse I like to go to a good university (good ranking), but I have no clue what is realistic. I have good grades, and although I don't have hard statistics, I would guess that I'm at least in the top 3 of my year. But most important for me is just to get to the USA :)</p>
<p>Why do you want to go to the US so badly? Not that it's a bad thing or whatever, really. But I was just wondering. I want to study at either Columbia or Yale, so that's what gets me going. I'd die in Twente. No offense, but I'm not really used to a rural environment and well...Overijssel...no thank you :) I'm from Den Haag, by the way.</p>
<p>dong_n: Utrecht is the only Netherland instituition that has a formal exchange program with UW-Madison. Look at the following page to see if you qualify under one of the "special student" status. <a href="http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/students/univspec.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/students/univspec.htm</a></p>
<p>To make an exchange agreement, you need to phone the international office coordinator in the department of the uni you wish to attend. You will be making a lot of calls, so use an internet phone because otherwise it will get very expensive. The person you need to talk to will almost always be "out of the office" so you need to be persistent. </p>
<p>When you finally get the decision-maker on the line, be prepared and professional. Don't just recite your proposal, sell it! Why would they want an exchange agreement with Twente? How would their university benefit from this? What unique educational/cultural opportunities/experiences does your institution/country have to offer their students? Make them an offer they can't refuse. </p>
<p>Make sure you've done your research though. Check out their website to see the exchanges they already have. Your best bet would probably be to approach a school that does not yet have an agreement with a Dutch university. But even if they do, they may be happy to get another one, especially if demand for the first Dutch school is high. (Tallinn already had an agreement with Delft, but still agreed to sign another one with my school)<br>
Remember, in the Netherlands universities are state-funded institutions of higher learning; in America universities are run almost like businesses. So adjust your approach to account for that cultural difference.</p>
<p>Another major consideration is the competence of the international office staff at the destination institution. If they are lazy wankers who never return your emails, they could totally mess up your plans late in the game, by neglecting to mention a key rule to you, or forgetting to tell their superior about the plan, or just losing your file altogether. Unacceptable. Choose a school with competent administrative staff, or at least a pay structure that keeps the office workers motivated.</p>
<p>How much time/effort did it take on my part? A lot. So start early. (at least a year in advance) I didn't leave anything to chance, or to the possible incompetence of international office staff at my university; everything was arranged by me.</p>
<p>Personally i think trying to do an exchange at a school because of its "ranking" is a waste of time, since you don't actually get a piece of paper from them. Also, since Twente isn't a highly ranked university it will only make your life more difficult trying to get the exchange agreement signed by the foreign school. Why? Because American universities take "prestige" very seriously and don't want to be associated with universities considered "less prestigious" than themselves. My sister did her Ph.D at Yale, and said it sucked ass largely because that attitude pervades so many aspects of the institution.</p>
<p>For example, I personally chose Tallinn over Paris I Sorbonne, Bocconi, U Melbourne, NYU, Warwick and basically everything else on the very long list of established exchange agreements with my school.</p>
<p>I mean, if there's some prof/course/local environment that makes you really want to study in a certain place then maybe the extra effort will be worth it to you. As a Canadian in Europe, it baffles me why the United States would be a desired exchange destination for a western European. The world is full of way more interesting places to spend six months of your youth than another rich western country, many of which also have excellent universities. But of course it's your choice. If America is what you really want, then go for it. </p>
<p>As a final note, don't expect this to be easy. In most cases the pay structures of the people you will be dealing with allow for these people to be paid the same amount whether your exchange works out or not. So they will most likely not be motivated to help you in your cause. Be prepared to babysit, coax, and cajole fully grown adults who really shouldn't need to be convinced by someone half their age to do the job they're being paid to do. Though frustrating at times, it can be done. And the harder you work, the more satisfying it will be when you finally step off the plane in America.</p>
<p>You can actually have your semester abroad much easier than that (depending on your finances). You can apply to most or at least a lot of American universities as a guest student (=non-degree seeking) for a semester or an academic year.
The backdraw is that you have to pay regular tuition, so it is much more expensive than via an official exchange agreement. But I doubt that you will be able to set up an official exchange agreement in time to study abroad yourself. Most of those programs take years to be negotiated and set up before the first exchange really takes place.</p>
<p>Yeah, I already found info about that b@r!um, but unfortunately I don't think I can afford that. Studying in the VS is so expensive compared to the Netherlands, here all universities cost the same and is only 1500 Euro a year.
I've surfed the web and I found that university Twente had a exchange agreement with university of Washington, but according to their site this agreement has "yet to be renewed". I guess arranging this is easier than arranging a brand new exchange program, so I think this is worth trying.</p>
<p>I hope you succeed...</p>
<p>I just wonder... I assume U Was probably will cost 20000 dollar per semester...
Are you still gonna pay 1500 euro instead of the 20000 dollar, when you go to UW as a Dutch exchange student... I kinda not believe that Twente will pay that difference</p>
<p>No, he will pay his normal tuition of 1500 euros to Twente. And the American student who goes to twente will pay his/her normal tuition of 20k to Washington. That's the way exchange programs generally work.</p>
<p>If there's an exchange history with Washington, go for that! Don't do this visiting student stuff. You should not be paying a penny more in tuition.</p>