<p>I'm currently in my first year studrying for a BA in International Business at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (my hometown).</p>
<p>As part of my degree, I have to spend a compulsory semester abroad in my 3rd year (commencing September 2011)</p>
<p>From a very young age, I have had an obsession with America and I really don't know why! I have options to go to a number of other countries but it is the US and Canada that appeal to me the most.</p>
<p>The problem is, I know nothing about these schools that are on offer.
Hopefully some of your superior knowledge could help be decide</p>
<p>Arizona State University
Brock University
Carleton University
Concordia University
Purdue University
University of Regina</p>
<p>In terms of (general) subjects, I am taking Management and Hospitality and Tourism Management.</p>
<p>However, I do not necessarily want to go to the best business school or the best for academics (perhaps naively!). I want to go to the place where I will have the best experience and really enjoy myself.</p>
<p>Any feedback/information would be greatly appreciated and if anyone wants to ask anything about schools in Scotland I will happily answer them for you!</p>
<p>Are these the only choices? If it were me, I’d want to go to school in a place that was fairly easy to get to and from, or in a fun city. Possibly the school in Ottawa would qualify–I don’t know much about Canadian schools. </p>
<p>Arizona State is in Tempe which is a resort town in the mountains. It might be a very fun place to spend a semester. </p>
<p>Purdue is in West Lafayette, Indiana. The town is fun only by virtue of being a college town, and Indiana has the benefit of being pretty much equally far from anywhere else in the US.</p>
<p>You should look at some maps of Canada and the US and see where each of these institutions are located. For example, Concordia University is in Montreal which is not only a very charming city, but also one of the great cultural centers of North America. Purdue (as mentioned above) is in a city that is a classic “college town” with very little happening that is not due to the university’s existence. Both are very interesting places to live and study, but your experience would be quite different depending on your choice!</p>
<p>You also need to know that the US and Canada are big. Really, really big. Australia-sized big. You cannot pop into a car and drive from Purdue to Arizona State in just one day. mapquest.com can give you good estimates of driving times between locations in the US and Canada, and any travel website (kayak.com is my favorite) will yield information about the length of time a trip by air would take, and the cost. For rail travel in the US visit [Amtrak[/url</a>] and in Canada [url=<a href=“http://www.viarail.ca/en]VIA”>VIA Rail Canada: Train travel in Canada]VIA</a> Rail Canada: Train travel in Canada](<a href=“http://www.amtrak.com%5DAmtrak%5B/url”>http://www.amtrak.com)</p>
<p>If you think a bit about the parts of these two countries that you would like to visit during your exchange year, you can choose a university that will put you in a location that will work as a good home base. You can have a wonderful year at any of these universities, so feel free to choose the one that just seems right for you.</p>
<p>Wishing you many adventures!</p>
<p>P.S. Montreal is perfectly do-able with only minimal French or no French at all. Don’t worry about the language issue. If you go there, you will pick up enough what you need very quickly.</p>
<p>“The Purdue University College of Consumer and Family Sciences is one of eight major academic divisions, or Colleges, of Purdue University. All of the college’s teaching and research activities center on issues related to family and consumer science. Its Hospitality and Tourism Management program has been ranked first in the United States.”</p>
<p>Since you are interested in Hospitality, I would definitely choose Purdue University if you want to study in the United States.</p>
<p>Ignore what others say that there is nothing to do there. College towns are generally thriving places. You are also within driving distance to Indianapolis and Chicago.</p>