Exchange at Penn Penn Is What You Make of It

Alex is one of the EAP Correspondents writing and sharing his experience at Penn during the Spring 2023 semester. You can also follow along with Alex and our other students on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.

I first decided I wanted to go to Penn at, pretty much, the start of my first year of university. As someone who grew up moving constantly around the world, I’ll forever have a thirst to explore as much of it as I can: going on an exchange in third year, then, was always a massive priority for what I wanted out of my degree. American college, specifically, was something I was fascinated to see for myself, and when I looked down the list of possible destinations to go from Edinburgh, Penn immediately jumped out to me. It was a world-renowned school with a rich history, situated perfectly on the East Coast—at the time, I honestly knew little more than that. I set my goal and got to work (much to the detriment of all of my friends at home, who had to listen to me go on about it for two years).

The result, I’m ecstatic to report, has been everything that I dreamed of from my Covid-lockdown bedroom and more. So, with the bittersweet feeling of my time at Penn finally coming to an end, I’d like to impart some of what I’ve learned and experienced here in the form of a few pieces of advice.

1. Get Involved!

Easily the biggest difference between Penn and home is the incredibly integrated and involved campus culture. When I first arrived back in August, I was really worried that as an exchange student, I’d struggle to fit in with that culture and the full-time students here. On getting here and settling in, though, I quickly found that this was far from the case. I’ve been lucky to be involved in so many of the awesome clubs on campus: from hosting and competing in Model UN conferences with the International Affairs Association, to writing articles and covering events for the Daily Pennsylvanian newspaper, adopting a whole new sport with the Ultimate Frisbee team, and connecting with friends from all across the world with the Assembly of International Students. From major events like Homecoming to Hey Day (pictured above), too, I’ve truly managed to become embedded in Penn through the amazing group of friends I’ve made and am going to miss dearly when I leave.

Rather than rejecting me for only being here for a year, these people have taken me in with open arms, and I couldn’t be more thankful I put myself out there and met them. I would have been able to do none of these things, though, if I hadn’t broken out of my comfort zone, been outgoing, and been willing to get stuck into things I’d never tried before. Exchange is about new experiences: make sure you make the most of them.

2. Value your community

Though the wider Penn population has been hugely important for me, my year has been largely defined by the community of other exchange students I’ve been here with. One of my favourite parts of the day is sitting down to eat for lunch and dinner with them. Though you may arrive here knowing no one, you’re blessed from day one with a diverse group of interesting and wonderful companions, all of whom have also chosen to take the step of spending a part of their degree at Penn. There’s a certain solidarity there in that you’re all navigating this crazy time together; it’s a unique bond that really brings you together. From Brisbane to Barcelona and beyond, I now have a vast group of friends from all around the world who I met through our exchange here. I even went to Puerto Rico during spring break with whole group of other exchange students, which is one of my most cherished moments from the year. Hold onto that community, because it will define so much of your time here.

3. Embrace your (limited) time

Our time at Penn is at first daunting, often incredible, and, at times, scarily short. But as I said in my last post, it’s far too easy to sell yourself short and focus on the end in the future, rather than the present time you have left. Instead, then, make it your philosophy to maximise your time here, and not let it limit you. Go to that trip or event, apply for that club, try that new restaurant or dining hall or activity. The memories you get to create will stay with you for the rest of your exchange and, I hope, the rest of your life. (And don’t worry excessively about the school work—you’ll catch up). As someone at the end of their trip, I assure you that I’m infinitely gladder it’s happened than I am sad that it’s over. Whatever you want to do, I promise you: Penn has a place for us, too. It’s up to us to find it.

To Penn—full-time and exchange students, the team at Penn Abroad, faculty, staff, and administrators—thank you. I can genuinely say I’ve had the time of my life visiting your wonderful little world, and the memories I’ve made here are ones I’ll hold dear forever. None of that would have happened without all of you. In my application essays over a year ago, I said that my main aim of my exchange was that I’d be able to truly call myself a part of your—our—community by the end of it. I’m happy to say that I think that I’ve achieved my dream.

And finally, to those who come after me (some of whom I hope will read this): good luck! I have every belief that your exchange will be every bit as fulfilling as mine has been, and I couldn’t be more excited for you.

Our Penn experience is what we make of it: this was a brief summary of what I’ve made of mine. The rest, as I’ve said, is up to you.

—AB, signing off.

05/05/2023