Where to exchange in the US

Hi Aussie Finance bachelor, looking to exchange in US for a semester. Currently I’m thinking to apply in order of preference,
NYU
PENN
BC
GW
Miami
University of San Diego

Thoughts?

 

I don't think the school you transfer to for 1 semester is going to make much difference (if any at all) on IB recruiting. I would suggest you make your decision with other factors in mind since this is an opportunity you're not going to get too many times in life.

NYU is going to be a lot of fun cause it's New York. Plus, it's the financial capital of the world and even if it doesn't affect recruiting the things you'll see and do there will give you great insight as a finance student.

Penn (assuming you mean the Ivy League school and not the state school) is really prestigious. But that doesn't really help or mean much. If you like Philly tho, I would go for it. Lot's of interesting culture and history here, and the food scene is pretty good too. Again, lots of interesting finance exposure if you're at Wharton. If it's Penn state, that school isn't really that prestigious but it's insanely fun. Party scene is amazing.

BC is a really nice school. Not a whole lot of fun imo because of the lack of a big social scene. However, Boston's a nice city. Cool history and nice food. Lots of other students at the other colleges in Boston, many of which are extremely prestigious (namely Harvard and MIT) and getting involved with them during your semester might feed your intellectual curiosity. And it's just an arm's reach away from some of New England and the Northeast's most beautiful natural destinations. It's worth noting, however, that BC is not technically in Boston and is actually about a 20 minute drive away.

GW is in DC. A pretty decent school, DC's not the most fun imo but can be quite fun. A lot of interesting history in this town, the museums are unbeatable if that's your thing. If you're into politics, this town might be fun as well. Really nice weather in DC as well.

I'm not sure which Miami you're referring to. If University of Miami, then it's really fun. Solid party school and it's literally in Miami one of the "sexiest" if you will cities in America. If Miami University, then you should note that this school is in Oxford, Ohio, which in many ways is the opposite of Miami. Still a nice cute little town and it's really pretty if that's your thing, but certainly not to be confused with Miami, Florida. 

San Diego is gorgeous. Probably some of the best Mexican food in the world without actually being in Mexico. Really nice beaches.

Hope this helped!

 
Most Helpful

TL;DR

- Do NYC if you want culture

- Do Penn if you want a rounded experience (unless you've always wanted to live in DC or Bos for some reason)

- Do the Party Schools if you want to do US college stuff

Boston, Philly, and DC - Northeast Cities with great college populations

  • Philly: definitely the most "local" population on the list (the city, not Penn). It's probably not the best abroad experience and travel without a car there is somewhat challenging. Penn and U-city are cool and the general area is pretty nice/easy to be involved. Classic college experience is readily available.  Cool history and close NYC and DC. Penn is obviously the best school if that matters.
  • Boston: BC is far from Boston and its really cold. Would not recommend despite thinking Boston is a nice city.
  • DC: not super familiar other than tourist trips, metro isn't too bad. Feels like it has less identity than the other two (aside from the obvious US gov involvement).

New York: the biggest city in the US, easiest to get around, most stuff to do, and easy access to the other big cities. 100% guaranteed to meet other cool internationals outside of school and in school. Less classic college stuff: you probably aren't going to play a club sport, drinking parties will be less college (less slip and flip and beer bongs). COVID would probably bone the NYC experience the most out of any of these cities. 

Party Schools: Miami and UofSD - +50% of the girls are knockouts + vacation destination and pool parties/beach trips + classic college experience with regional attributes. 

Not trying to push in any kind of way, but your abroad semester won't matter academically (Penn/NYU might catch an eye) and the Aussie accent would definitely play at a party school

Shocked there are no sports heavy schools like UNC or UCLA/USC. That's definitely a big part of the experience.

 

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