5 minute read
EXPLORING YOURSELF AND THE WORLD
Three Engineering Technology Students On Exchange At The University Of Florida
Looking back on their semester at the University of Florida, Lennart Peus, Chatainya Vishnu Srivatava and Lars Cooreman are unanimous: it was a unique experience that had a profound impact on both their academic and personal development.
Lars shares, “I returned in the middle of December and had to immediately readjust to the Belgian evaluation system and prepare for the January examination session.”
Even though Lars, Chatainya and Lennart are all students in the international Bachelor of Engineering Technology, they decided to expand their horizons even further by going on exchange to the US. The University of Florida, one of the nation’s leading public universities, boasts a truly American campus in Gainesville, far from metropolitan areas such as Miami or Orlando.
Lennart puts it aptly: “The campus is the city, it is a world of its own”.
Study in the US
One major lesson they have learned is the engaged and outwardgoing student culture in the US. The university has over 400 clubs on campus, and students are actively encouraged to take up a variety of activities. These student clubs are also actively connected with companies such as Apple, Honeywell, and organisations such as IEEE.
The American academic approach to engineering education took some adaptation: students at UF go to the professor’s consultation hours to ask questions, and continuous activity is required throughout the semester with weekly quizzes, papers etc. With a course load of 15 credits for the semester (this corresponds to 30 ECTS), they were exceptions to the rule in taking a full course load.
Lars: “At UF there is homework, quizzes, three exams per semester for each course… you cannot lag behind. The stress is less on the examination period than in Belgian universities. Another difference is that some of the courses at UF were quite specialized, whereas in Leuven we have a more generalist basis in the first phases of the programme.”
Chatanya : “Professors have a great deal of academic freedom, e.g. in the way they evaluate their courses, and students are encouraged to broaden their horizons through their course selection.”
Nevertheless, the Group T Campus’ solid foundation in the first years of the Bachelor of Engineering Technology proved to be a strong basis to start from, the engineering path at Group T Campus logically builds up to a balanced engineering programme. Lennart: “In terms of student life, a US campus is very welcoming… more than 400 organisations are spread out over the campus. Students automatically find their own community, and the melting pot of student life is very engaging and considerably advanced our social skills.”
Chatanya: “It is very easy to contact American people, they are very open and outward in their communication. The university even has a student government, a scaled-down version of US politics.”
Lars: “We tried to prioritize socializing with US students, to optimise the social experience. The exchange made me a lot more social and outgoing than I was before.”
Be prepared
Preparing for their exchange involved some bureaucracy, such as insurance schemes and visa application. Luckily the University of Florida provided very clear step-by-step guidelines.
All in all, the students’ background as international students proved to be an asset in adapting to the new environment. UF was just the next step in the international trajectory for Lars, Lennart and Chaitanya – there was no time for homesickness.
Lars: “Start as early as possible with the preparation for your exchange. Several of the courses at UF have limited access, so it is important to register early. Professor Stijn De Jonge coached me intensively in composing the programme at UF.”
Lennart: “In terms of budget and expenses, the cost of living is higher in the US, even though on-campus housing is not more costly than a room in Leuven. But of course, students can decide for themselves how much they spend on social life and excursions.”
Chatanya : “The most important message to students is to leave your comfort zone and go for new horizons. And a second message is that students who are tight on a budget maybe should think twice before going to study in the US or save up for it in advance – for ‘the most fruitful four months of your student life’. Socially, academically and personally: getting out of your bubble is of crucial importance to be able to grow. An exchange semester is also an opportunity to compare both systems - you understand better what Group T is trying to do in the long term. Due to our exchange, we understand why Group T is teaching you what they are teaching you!”
Lennart: “The exchange helped us to find out ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What do I want?’, two crucial elements to become a good engineer!”
They conclude: “Whatever you do, go on an exchange!”
- Hilde Lauwereys
