Geography exchange programme
Alice Tustain, BA (Hons) Geography with International Relations, tells us about her exchange year at Montana State University, USA
Freedom and independence
The exchange programme at ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ was a large part of why I came to this University. I was aware of the programme through my Mum's cousin who went on an exchange through ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ to Nebraska and had a brilliant time. I lived at home during my degree, so the exchange allowed me to have the freedom and independence I had not necessarily gained by going away to university.
IÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™ve gained a lot from being on an exchange. IÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™ve found myself being more confident since being back home. From my degree, IÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™ve gained an interesting insight into how different academic systems work between different countries and how theyÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™re not necessarily directly comparable. I found that I had to shift my style of writing to suite the American system, with each lecturer asking for something different.
I met some incredible people whilst I was away, some from the USA and some from the UK that were also on an exchange who I have kept in contact with and visited.
My roommate was Native American and invited me to her home on several occasion, including for Thanksgiving. It was fascinating finding out about her and her familyÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™s culture from a first hand experience. I had some incredible experiences including white water rafting down the Yellowstone River, camping and seeing the Milky Way at Hyalite Reservoir and seeing some amazing wildlife such as bald eagles, bison, and moose.
The independence and confidence gained from the exchange was very beneficial. Not many 19-year-olds travel 4,500 miles independently and live in a foreign country for four months.
Should I wish to work in the USA, I hope that my high grades show that after only a short time IÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™m very adaptable and successful in new environments and with different systems.
Dedicated geography exchange coordinator
At my university in ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ, I coordinated my exchange with a dedicated geography exchange coordinator who I was fortunate to have a pre-existing good relationship with through lectures. Alongside the exchange team in ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ, I was able to successfully match my modules, being advised to take third and fourth year classes in the US to match to my second year modules in the UK. The exchange team at MSU were also brilliant, holding a welcome meeting on the first day to tell the exchange students both the academic and social practices which may be different in the US to their home countries.
I was lucky that my current hospitality employers were willing to keep my job open for me when I returned. I saved money by living at home and working part time alongside my degree but found that after the initial high spend of visas, plane tickets and setting my room up I didnÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™t spend too much whilst away as IÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™d paid for a canteen food package that covered all my meals in one go. In terms of academic organisation, I was required to try to match up the modules I would study abroad with the ones I would study in the UK to prevent me missing out on the same learning as my peers.
Choosing a discipline
IÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™ve loved my time doing geography throughout school. I had a very inspirational geography teacher in Year 9 that took me under her wing and taught me a love and enthusiasm for geography. At A level I took maths, physics and geography as I thought I was going to join the Royal Navy. The geography A level was not necessary for this career path but it was a subject I enjoyed so I took it to get a break from the science A levels. During Covid I changed paths and decided to focus primarily on geography. My degree combines geography with international relations which provided an opportunity to further my interest in Cold War history and geopolitics.
Geography can be very broad in what is covered but it is good to consider what specifically you would like out of the degree as post graduation it can be daunting having so many options but not a direct route into a job.
Consider whether to do human or physical geography in advance. ItÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™s fine to do a combination in first year but after that itÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™s important to have a clear focus on which side of the discipline you prefer and would like to have as a degree classification as they have different career paths post graduation.
IÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™m not completely certain on the path ahead. Over the summer IÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™m continuing to waitress full time whilst also searching for a job. In ten years, I will likely be a secondary school geography teacher, but my goal was to always have a career and life experience before teaching so I could give my pupils real world examples of geography in action. IÂÌñ»»ÆÞ™d love to work for the Foreign Office in an overseas embassy or the MoD but we shall see what presents me going forward.
Exchange links
We have partner universities around the world. Whether you're an incoming or an outgoing student, or an academic looking to take part in an exchange, these links will take you to places that will help you begin your exchange adventure.
