What it’s like coming to Penn State to study abroad

Spring semester is by far the best semester to study abroad, without having to miss football, while getting to avoid the miserable State College winter.  My current Facebook timeline is full of pictures of my friends playing with owls in Dublin, eating at the oldest restaurant in Spain or finding love in Paris.

However, for Jessica Hill, she’s decided to study abroad right here in State College, PA.  Originating from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Jess finds a new family in the heart of Happy Valley and couldn’t be happier with her decision.

First thing’s first, first impressions of Penn State: “I met a lot of international students before meeting my American orientation leaders who were very fun, outgoing and charismatic. Although it’s FREEZING here, people are always very welcoming!”

“Making friends here is almost like dating, I really have to think about what to say or do before I do it!”

Jessica is currently a Junior here at Penn State, although they call it “third year” in New Zealand. She’s a Media Design major and has been enjoying all that Happy Valley has to offer.

So far, her frat experiences have been really fun although she didn’t really know the Greek alphabets and couldn’t really differentiate the fraternity houses. “They really all sound the same to me!  I find it so interesting! Frat parties are possibly the weirdest things I have ever been too. The culture around them is something that New Zealanders would probably not get amongst haha… But apartment parties I totally dig. That’s what I’ve enjoyed the most! It’s great to be able to meet some interesting people, have a few beers and have a jam. For me apartment parties are the closest thing to home in terms of partying.”

After dancing the night away, they ended their night at the iconic $1 Canyon pizza which “actually pretty good.” Dollar pizzas are good for those weekends nights, but Jess has to give a big shout out to “Big bowl Noodle. I love it! I always get their pad thai!” Besides Big Bowl Noodle, Chipotle was a close second. I asked if they had a Chipotle in New Zealand. Jess looked confused and asked “Is Chipotle a chain restaurant? Also why do they charge extra for guacamole?”

“The food was definitely a lot better than I expected. Originally, I was expecting the place to be flooded with fast food joints (can’t we say a BK on campus back home lol) but appreciating the healthier food on campus! At home everything is very fresh, so it’s nice to be able to have some juices, salads and sandwiches at lunch here!”

Personally, I love fashion so of course I had to delve into the stylistic difference between Penn State students and those of New Zealand. After giving it some thought, Jess said, “hmmm in Wellington NZ people dress a lot more alternatively and are more into cutting edge fashion! I’d say here it appears to me that comfort comes first, people have more of a generic taste! But I love how people rock the Timberlands, I totally splashed out and bought myself a pair the other day!”

As for the education, she absolutely loves the casual and intimate relationships students are able to have with their professors here

She says: “Relationships with professors back home are more formal whereas professors here are very approachable.”  Not only are relationships between professor and student different here, the dynamic between hall mates are quite different as well.

In New Zealand, girls in the dorms almost form a sisterhood bond whereas here the dorms feel more like a place to sleep at night. However, “Everyone is very welcoming and friendly, I’ve really appreciated how people are so inviting and make you feel as if you are a part of the Penn State family. People are full of energy! I love it.”

A typical day at Penn State for Jess would be waking up minutes before her class, getting ready quickly, skipping breakfast and making her way to her classrooms.  Jess always listens to music whether its alternative music like Banks, Alt-J, Ta-Ku or CHVRVCHES, or hip hop like Kendrick Lamar.

But as a whole Jess is very happy with her study abroad choice. “I am so happy I chose to come here. I am very impressed by how much Penn state embraces diversity and universal perspectives.” Penn State is happy to welcome more people into our multi faceted and ethnically diverse family. We will check in at the end of the semester with Jess but feel free to say hi to her if you see her around campus and give her that warm Penn State welcome!