University: Boston University
City: Boston
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: International Business Administration, Sociology
Study type: semester abroad
In the winter semester of 2015, from September to December, I completed a semester abroad at Boston University. Check mcat-test-centers.com to see University of California Los Angeles UCLA.
Studying at Boston University is a dream come true for me. I’ve dreamed of trying out an American degree for a long time, and the experience has solidified another goal of doing my master’s degree in the USA.
First of all, it should be mentioned that I did not complete my semester abroad at a partner university of my university in Germany, which made the application process a bit more complicated. But with the help of MicroEdu, an application to a non-partner university also became feasible. The various bureaucratic hurdles would then be easier to overcome. The TOEFL test is one of the requirements of the university, which required me to get a certain number of points before Boston University would even consider my application. In very special cases, if the total number of points in the TOEFL test has been reached, but the distribution does not correspond to the information provided by Boston University, there may be a further examination of the qualification. Then you can still be accepted, for example with a letter of recommendation from an English professor as a special case. In addition, applying for a visa in the USA can be quite intimidating. Not to mention all the costs incurred during the application and later for the tuition fees.
Therefore, if you are not 100% sure whether Boston University offers exactly what you are looking for, you can always contact the university personally. This is a strength of the American system. The on-site employees take a lot of time for the potential students and are happy to answer any questions. And after the university’s approval, all the worries that had arisen in advance were dispelled and only the anticipation spread.
For me, too, the cost was another daunting but made less intimidating with the PROMOS grant. I have already applied for various scholarships and consider the PROMOS application process to be a very fair and clear process. Again, I can only encourage other students to apply. During my time at Boston University, I also met other German PROMOS scholarship holders, which strengthened my view of the scholarship, which supports many different personalities.
Various individual organizational things had to be done on site and I was often on my own. I would therefore recommend the semester abroad to largely independent and open-minded people. Any experience in this direction poses challenges that must be overcome. However, as a result, my language skills have not only improved in many new technical terms, but also in many different everyday situations. In addition, the international office on site is excellently organized and has a lot of experience with a wide variety of problems that could arise from visas or the strict American health regulations. The communication between the University of Boston and MicroEdu in Germany also worked smoothly and flawlessly. Some of the MicroEdu staff were informed before I was, for example when I was accepted at the university.
Of course, studying in the USA is very different in various areas than I was used to in Germany. Nevertheless, I have had different experiences here in different courses. I had everything with me in my four courses, from classic face-to-face teaching to small seminar groups. And that mix was ideal for me. The intensity of the demand for performance was also very different. In some courses, weekly performance records were required, in others I only wrote a thesis. But the new environment invites you to many unusual excursions, activities and campaigns, so that my semester abroad can hardly be compared with my German studies.
The city of Boston is one of the most expensive in America, but even that is affordable for four months. I really liked the city. Boston is an absolute sports-mad city, even as a non-fan you can often feel the exuberant atmosphere. Not many cities in the US can hint at their “ancient history” as charmingly as Boston does. From the balcony where independence was proclaimed, to the “Freedom Trail” and Boston’s most famous sons (and daughters), to the Presidential Library honoring John F. Kennedy; Boston has a lot to offer.
Boston University is one of the best universities for international students in the world. The number of foreign students is particularly large and there are also many different offers for American students to complete a semester abroad. Discussing current geopolitical issues with other international students and thereby getting to know different perspectives and cultural influences is one of the most valuable experiences of my semester abroad. I don’t think I’ll have the opportunity to broaden my horizons like I’ve had in these four months any time soon. I therefore recommend all potential applicants for a semester abroad to take this step and surpass themselves.
