Study Abroad Report – MA Student at UNC Chapel Hill 1. Preparation
1.1 Study Abroad Application
I informed and prepared myself for the study abroad application by talking to Dr. Marietta Messmer, the study abroad coordinator from the American Studies department, and attending multiple events for the American Studies exchange. I also talked to a former American Studies student who went to UNC Chapel Hill in his MA, because I found it hard to find information for (Research) Master’s students specifically. As I did the American Studies BA, I could apply via the American Studies program.
1.2 Application to the host university
I had to apply through the system that UNC Chapel Hill provided, all the steps could be found at https://studyabroad.unc.edu/incoming-exchange/how-to-apply/. I got an email from the exchange coordinator there, Adrienne Cromwell with all the steps. I needed to fill in a variety of forms to be signed by the University of Groningen, my grades (signed and stamped) and that sort of thing. However, there were some difficulties for me, as I found it hard to get through the system, and because there was one box I could not check UNC initially declined me. Dr. Marietta Messmer sent an email to Adrienne Cromwell, and in the end everything was alright, but I had to be very fast with selecting my courses. I would recommend trying to do these things as fast as possible, and immediately contact the help desk or the exchange coordinator if something goes wrong.
1.3 Visa
Part of the UNC application process is that once all steps are completed, the exchange
coordinator from UNC will send you your Visa documents over mail, so I received a package with my signed F1 form. The Visa application process takes a while, and you have to go to the embassy in Amsterdam to get them improved. Make sure to bring all the forms (especially your F1 form and DS160).
1.4 Language
The completion of my BA American Studies was sufficient to prove my English language proficiency.
2. Stay abroad
2.1 Arrival and orientation
As an MA student, I did not apply for the mentorship program, which in the end was a shame because mentors did pick up students from the airport which would have ensured a smoother and less stressful arrival. UNC had arranged a very nice and informative exchange student orientation, where they made it very clear what was expected of you and what things are to keep in mind (from health care plans to meal plans to sports). The social afterwards was great, and there I met a group of internationals that became some of my best friends during (and after) my stay. They also had a nice fair with everything varying from sports to political parties and boardgame groups. This was great, as I joined the intramural competitions for
volleyball and 3 versus 3 basketball, and attended several meetings for the Young Democratic Socialists of America, good places to socialize.
2.2 Your study programme
The courses I followed were 2 PhD level courses from American Studies, AMST700 “The History and Practices of American Studies” and AMST890 “Seminar in American Studies” (above 700 level is PhD only, and these courses were very hard—I had to read whole books, sometimes multiple each week or heavy theoretical texts and write either a 1000-word response or a 5 page response to these reading each week. Amazing courses that had an incredible impact on my development as aspiring scholar, but hard). Apart from that I followed a course from English Literature, ENGL681 “Film Comedy,” which was a super interesting course with a course load comparable to the courses from University of
Groningen, and from political science POLI418, “Mass Media and American Politics.” The 400-700 courses were very comparable to any other course at University of Groningen, in both level and expectations. Bear in mind, for UNC Chapel Hill, unlike the impression that people give for other American colleges (like Charleston or Arizona), you had to work hard for an A. There is one restriction for UNC: you cannot follow any journalism classes, because the journalism department is separate. The English language was no restriction for me.
Another thing I noticed is that for graduate courses in Chapel Hill, the grading is different. For these courses the grade system was High Pass, Pass, or Fail. After my return to
Groningen, I ended up asking my professors at UNC to send them the letter grade for the courses I followed (since I did quite well), and only with them sending an email with a recommendation letter to the Exam Board here, my grades got translated into regular grades here instead of a pass. (My A’s became a 9, Passes stayed a “Pass” or “Voltooid”)
2.3 Housing
For undergraduate students, UNC provided housing for an affordable price (I think you’d have to pay around 600 dollar per month for living in a dorm, which most of my international friends did). Graduate housing, on the other hand, was much harder to find. Through UNC you can only live at Baity Hill, which is more expensive. There is a roommate matching program but I was unable to find housing there. After that I sent emails to any apartment complex and room that I could find (UNC has some kind of off-campus housing website as well), and eventually I ended up at Collins Crossing apartments in Carrboro, which was a 10 minute (free) busride from campus, sharing an apartment with another MA student. I paid 780 dollars per month for a private room+bathroom and a shared kitchen and living space, all furnished. There was also access to the complex’ pool and (small) fitness space. This would have been alright, expect in the end it turned out that I had to find someone myself to take over the lease, which was incredibly difficult. I ended up giving the next resident a 1200 dollar discount (which I had to pay myself) just to get someone to take over the lease. That was very stressful, but Collins Crossing was the only complex that had responded to my inquiries. My tip would be to join UNC student housing’s Facebook pages (as early as you know you’re accepted!) and browse them, because there are more students like me looking for subleasers and students to take over their apartments for short amounts of time. I think that
most shared apartments like mine range between 600-1100 dollars per month, based on location.
2.4 Grant and costs
The Marco Polo Grant helped cover some of the expenses, but it has been a very expensive stay for me. For me housing was about 760 dollars per month (not counting the 1200 I had to pay in the end, and the 150 dollars worth of furniture, bed sheets, coat hangers, shower curtain etc.), you had to mandatory sign up for health insurance that cost about 1200 dollars, my meal plan (which was not the most expensive version) was another 1600 dollars (I had about 6-7 meals per week, which was feasible because I lived off campus). Travelling just to campus and away cost another 1000 euros. Additionally, I spent another 3000 dollars on travelling (3 weeks of Florida after my stay, and trips to Charlottesville VA, Charleston SC -twice-, Atlanta GA, and the North Carolina mountains -three times-). In summary, the additional costs for studying (next to what I’d normally pay for food, drinks etc.) were about 7500 euros, in total I spent about 10500 euro on travelling and studying in the U.S.
2.5 Free time/ Student life
Student life at UNC Chapel Hill is great. There was an active group of international students (EASE), that organizes parties, sports events, trips and other fun activities. Next to that, there are a ton of sports clubs in any sport you can imagine, political parties, tons of interesting academic events (reading sessions, presentations, and symposia—I wanted to attend more than I could) and all kinds of social groups (people playing boardgames, Dungeons and Dragons and more). There are also intramural sports competitions which are smaller competitions, also a great place to meet new people and try new sports. Then there’s the sports culture, it’s amazing to watch sports, especially American football and basketball games are just great events to attend. And it is also fun to have a meal plan and have dinners and lunches with your friends in Lenoir. Student life is very active, and most things happen during the day or early evening usual. Since the drinking age is 21, there is not as much a bar/drinking culture as in The Netherlands, so that makes it different. I did end up going to some bars, because my fellow students in PhD courses were (like me) somewhat older. But a fun bar in Chapel Hill where you find a bunch of students is for example He’s Not Here, which has nice murals. You do have to be above 21 if you want to get in those bars. There was always a lot going on, there was never a boring day on campus.
2.6 Travelling
North Carolina is amazing, and it is really fun to travel. Travelling is easiest with a car, so a driver’s licence comes in handy. You can easily rent cars via Zipcar, they either charge by the hour or the day, and it’s the easiest option especially if you are under 25. My favorite
destination in North Carolina are the Blue Ridge Mountains and the city Asheville. Fun day trips are to Raleigh and Durham (Duke campus), but I also drove longer to Charleston, SC (very pretty) and Virginia (I went to Charlottesville). I also took the Greyhound bus to Atlanta, which is cheap but probably something you’d better not do alone.
3.1 Contact with the host university before, during and after you stay
My contact person, Adrienne Cromwell, always responded very quickly and effectively. 3.2 Your perspective on the culture of your host country
Americans are very welcoming and outgoing, but it takes a bit longer to really get to know them. I found the younger students (until age 21-22) a bit less mature than Dutch students, as the University arranges most things for them, and the drinking culture is different here. But it is really exciting to spend some time there, and I met really nice people and did a lot of very cool things.
4. Your advice for future outgoing exchange student
Prepare the best that you can, talk to people who have been to UNC Chapel Hill before because everything may seem overwhelming, especially in the beginning when you are arranging everything and in the beginning of your stay. And start as early as you can with arranging things, and if you are in doubt about something immediately ask for advice with your exchange coordinator either here or abroad. That would have saved me a lot of stress. And all the things that I already mentioned throughout this report.
