SARA LIND ARLAUD

competitive university like USC, the academic level was not as high as I expected. Since classes were not restricted to business or politics students (with some exceptions), the level among students varied a lot. Combining that with curved grading, I often found myself in a favorable position to get good results without a very heavy workload. This is not to say that studying at USC was not challenging, but the challenges were different from those at CBS. There were more day to day assignments and more presentations and class engagement, which in some cases put me outside my comfort zone. An example was in my negotiation and persuasion class, where we would role play different kinds of negotiations every week with the other students. This was very different from CBS and taught me a lot.

How was exchange in Los Angeles? Wow, where to start? Exchange was absolutely amazing! Having the opportunity to go to another country and get out of the routine of life in Denmark and at CBS was such a blast and it really allowed me to gain some perspective on IBP and life in general. I chose to go to Los Angeles partly because I was curious about living in a big city in the US. Los Angeles is such a vibrant and diverse place where you very quickly get a feeling of endless opportunity. This was a very motivating environment to study in and it gave a good reminder of the international aspect of IBP and how a career after uni is not constrained to Denmark. Aside from the big-picture thoughts inspired by the city, LA is also just such a fun place. There is always something to do and you would be hard pressed to explore it all in one semester.

What was it like studying at USC? Did you get all your courses and how were the courses?

USC was an interesting experience, let’s put it like that. The campus was beautiful and included a distinct USC Village with cafes and shops where many hours were spent in the sun. The university is known for being very social, so I got to experience some of the stereotypical American uni activities like tailgating for football games and frat parties, which was a lot of fun. The university system in the US is very different from what I was used to at CBS. The way classes are run is more comparable to high school, where the professors check attendance, expect you to raise your hand and participate, and hand in homework throughout the semester. All these factors combined with midterms and exams are components of your final grade, which definitely took some readjustment after spending semesters at CBS mostly cramming for a single final exam. I was lucky enough to get all the courses I applied for and was very happy with all of them. I was surprised to find that for a

Before summer you said you lived in an apartment with other CBS students on exchange in LA, how was that living situation?

Yes, I lived in an apartment with five other CBS students at an off-campus student housing complex called the Lorenzo. It was a 3-bedroom apartment so we stayed two students in each room with a common living room and kitchen. The Lorenzo was a great place to stay with amazing amenities including several pools, hot tubs, gym, rooftop bbq, cinema, and more. It also provided frequent shuttles to and from campus, which was great since the area around USC is not the safest due to the high homeless population in LA. Staying with other CBS students was great and it made it easy to make connections fast, both with each other (of course) and with the people each of us met in class. There was always someone to do stuff with and since we were all there on exchange, our priorities mostly aligned regarding activities and trips.

And, tell us about your trips! Did you get to travel to Las Vegas and San Francisco?

We took some amazing trips during the semester. All of us had Fridays off so the long weekends were perfect for getaways to some of the destinations around LA. Las Vegas was our first trip as it was on the list for all of us and we wanted to get there during the summer season to experience the infamous day parties. It was such a blast, and we certainly made the most of the trip with a very packed schedule. We also went to San Francisco and drove up along the coast, which was a beautiful drive with a good amount of stops along the way such as Santa Cruz and the Danish city, Solvang. Additionally, we went to San Diego, Palm Springs, and Orange County where we celebrated Thanksgiving and had a great time. While the trips were certainly amazing, there are also so many cool places in LA to spend time such as Santa Monica, Venice, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Malibu, etc.

Do you have any tips for IBPers going on exchange? Any tips for the US or California in particular?

Hm, enjoy it! The semester goes by so fast, and it really is an incredible opportunity to make memories, new friends, and challenge yourself. Figure out what kind of semester you want and choose the destination based on that. I would say that USC is the right place for you if you want to experience the US, sunshine, and have fun while getting a recognized uni on your resume. As for California, it is more expensive than I expected. Inflation and a very unfavorable exchange rate means you burn through money fast, so I would prioritize the time necessary to apply for scholarships. On a more fun note, Kyte Rentals is a great app to rent cars for trips in the US, and as a student you don’t pay insane premiums for being a young driver. Finally, if you plan on going to LA and Las Vegas and you want to go out, promoters are a big help and can save you a lot of money (especially, but not exclusively, for girls).

What would you say was the highlight of your exchange semester?

That’s a tough question. Las Vegas and Palm Springs were the most fun trips and created so many memories, but what made them highlights were ultimately the amazing people I met and experienced it with.

Lastly, were your expectations met?

They were met and exceeded by far! I didn’t really understand the very LA-saying of ‘living my best life’ until this semester – I think that pretty much describes it.

Louise Dohm Mogensen

What was it like studying at the University of Sydney? Did you get all your courses and how were the courses?

It was a very different experience studying at USYD compared to CBS. In general, I would say that courses at USYD are less difficult but demand a higher work effort throughout the semester. For instance, my final exams only acconted for 30-40% of my grade - the rest had been covered by in-semester quizzes or assignments. Moreover, 2nd and 3rd year courses (read: the interesting courses) did not have any mandatory participation, which made my week pretty flexible. Specifically, I had the following courses:

• Investments and Portfolio Management

• Marketing

• Intermediate International Relations

• Experimental and Behavioural Economics

Before summer you said you didn’t have a place to stay, but we are guessing that worked out fine? What was your accommodation like?

It was actually much more difficult to find accomodation than anticipated! But it turned out really great in the end. I had chosen not to take the student accomodation on campus, and instead looked for something near the beaches together with the other people from CBS. My roomie and I ended up finding a really nice place in Coogee (right on the beach), that had two seperate rooms as well as a common room. The key to finding a place that was both affordable and liveable was definitely that we ended up renting something unfurnished. We just rented some beds and bought some necessities from IKEA, which we sold again once leaving Australia.

Do you have any tips for IBPers going on exchange in general, but also people going to Australia?

General tips

• Take the trips! Wherever you go, make sure that you go on as many weekend trips as possible - exchange is going to be over before you know it!

• Make sure to apply for the scholarships - you are going to be so grateful for the extra cash once you are leaving.

Aussie tips

• Aussies are really friendly and often want to give you advice - so take it! Advice from locals is always the best.

• Write down your bucket list - Australia is a huge country, so it is nice to get an overview early on.

How was exchange in Sydney?

Exchange in Sydney (and Aussie in general) was just as great as I imagined!

• Do not drink in public! Australia has laws against public displays of drinking... Personally, I am a big fan of the “gå-bajer” (walking-beer), which is really a no-go in Aussie.

What would you say was the highlight of your exchange semester?

The highlight of my semester was probably taking a road trip up the east coast together with my boyfriend during the so called ’spring break’.

Lastly, were your expectations met?

YES - it has really been such a good semester. I am so jealous on all the 2nd years that are able to look forward