Students have the option at the University of Idaho to not only study abroad, but to also study away and still remain a little closer to home.
The National Student Exchange is an inter-university exchange program within the U.S., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There are currently 25 University of Idaho students enrolled in the program for this academic year, according to Niki Lee, an intern for the NSE program at UI.
She said NSE is different from study abroad in that it allows students the opportunity to have a different educational experience but remain closer to home.
“It’s a great opportunity because it allows students to see other parts of the country,” Lee said. “A lot of times students aren’t as excited about going to another part of the U.S. or going to Canada because it’s not as exotic as going to another country, but actually there are really some significant cultural differences.”
Lee herself participated in the exchange in 2011, attending Universite’ de Sherbrooke in Quebec, a french-speaking institution.
“My language skills improved significantly and I got to work with a lot of professors who had a lot of first hand experience,” Lee said. “It was a good challenge to be able to navigate my way around.”
Claire Barr, another NSE intern, also participated in the program and said it gave her an opportunity to experience a completely different kind of educational style. She attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
“The classes were really small,” Barr said. “None of my classes were bigger than 20 students, all discussion based and the campus was really small and intimate.”
Lee said that the credits earned at participating institutions are easily transferred back to UI, allowing students to study away and still graduate on time.
“It doesn’t set students back at all,” Lee said. “I think that’s a deterrent for a lot of students — they don’t want to go abroad for a semester and not be able to complete a degree.”
Payment plans are straightforward, Lee said. Students either pay the in-state tuition of the host institution or pay the same tuition and fees they are currently paying at UI. Students are responsible for the price of housing and transportation to their host school in addition to a $225 application fee for the program.
The potential rewards from participating in the program are high, Lee said. The opportunity for personal growth is one of the many things students will take away from the program.
“One of the cool things about NSE is that it really does give you a leg up when you are applying to grad schools or filling out a resume because it shows you are able to push yourself out of that comfort zone,” Lee said. “It’s an opportunity that a lot of students don’t know about. It’s a really fantastic chance to go out and see a different part of the continent.”
NSE can be reached at [email protected] or in TLC 231C.
Kaitlin Moroney can be reached at [email protected]