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UK Student studying in University of Maine

Hello all,

I am currently in my first year at university studying American Studies and English Language. For my second year (starting Sep 2011) i have recently been accepted as an exchange student to the University of Maine in America.

I am very nervous but excited to go. Just wondering if anyone has any tips or advice - either about studying in America in general or specifically about Maine. Will the classes be harder? Are people friendly etc?

The main worry i have is that i was advised to choose level 3 modules at Maine as that is most equivalent to level 2 modules in U.K. However i am allowed to choose some level 4 modules if i cannot find all 3's. I have had to choose a few level 4 modules for my American History part as there was no equivalent level 3's. Will level 4 be too hard for me? Will this mean that i mix with a lot of different people?

Any help or advice will be much appreciated :smile:

Thanks

Reply 1

skamp

Congratulations on your acceptance!

I think you'll find that you don't need to worry as much as you think you do :smile:

First, even though you are pre-enrolling in classes, most American universities accomodate a lot of switching around in the first few weeks of class. Go to the classes you've signed up for, ask the professors anything you have concerns about, and see if they can help make sure you're in the right level for you. It's usually pretty painless to switch to a different course if you need to. I had friends who would attend twice as many courses as they had time for in the first two weeks, and then make their decisions before the "add/drop" period ended. That way they could meet all the professors, get the syllabi, and find out which classes they were really interested in. Make use of the professors! They are there to help you!

American Universities tend to be very welcoming to foreign students, in my experience, especially if you make the effort to get involved in the campus community. But I'm an American student, so I only have an outsider's perspective. Maybe some other UK students who have experience studying in the US can help you out better.

UMaine is a little isolated, but Maine is a BEAUTIFUL area. Especially if you like natural settings. Feel free to ask any other questions. I hope you have a great time!

Reply 2

mnight

Thanks so much for this response! It has set my mind at ease a lot and feel better knowing it should be okay to switch classes etc. I will defo make the effort to get involved in campus community and activities as want to make new friends! I am a little worried about the isolation of UMaine but hopefully i will have the opportunity to travel and see more of America than just Maine. I do love natural settings though and do think Maine and the New England area looks fantastic!

Thanks again

Reply 3

PKU_Research007

OP Maine is probably one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in the world, if you can go to place thats livelier than most places you will ever visit its Bar harbor for you (the place is basically a college town) and Acadia national park is breath taking you will fall in love with Maine. And you get cheap Maine Lobster which is always a plus. There might be some moments of isolation when you start but I've visited UMaine campus and all the people are much friendlier than I've found in other parts of America, there is an folksy charm to it.