Posted in 2014
Alisa Silven, University of Maryland, Post #3: Saying thanks & goodbye
Hi all!
Before all the studying for finals started, there was Thanksgiving at the last weekend of November. I was very lucky that two of my roommates asked me to go with them to their families to spent a real American Thanksgiving in their families’ houses. It was exactly as I expected it to be: a lot of food! Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, everything! These days were great and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to experience this.
Currently I’m almost done studying for the finals. Last week and this week I made three essays, five final exams, handed in three projects and did three presentations; it has been quite busy. Unlike the finals in Delft, the finals here don’t make up 100% of your final grade for the course. Homework, attendance, quizzes, midterms and projects together count for approximately 60-80% of your final grade, depending on the course. Even though the finals don’t have such a big influence on passing or failing the course as in Delft, you still need to put a good amount of effort in it, in order to remain a good letter grade. One bad final can bring your grade down from an A to a C (from a 10 to a 6, converted to our grading system).
Now I’m almost done with all my courses, it is time to say goodbye to all the friends I made here. It is so strange to say goodbye to people you lived with or spent so much time with, maybe I’ll never see them again (I don’t hope so though!). For now, I’m going to enjoy my last days here at the University of Maryland and then I’m off for a vacation, to return to Delft, where the “normal life” will start again.
Bye!
Oscar Heerkens Thijssen, Clemsson University, post4: Academics
Dear reader,
This is the last week before the finals. Academics so far have not been hard so far. I am take two mechanical courses and two electrical courses. During the semester there are a couple of midterms and usually you are expected to do homework. Both, homework and midterms, cover around 60% of the final grade. So by the time it is exam week you have a pretty good idea what your final grade is going to be like.
For one of my electrical engineering classes, power engineering, we went on a tour to a coal power plant in Charleston. We arrived the day before, after a five hour drive, and spent the night in one of the lodges of the utility company. Charleston is great for going out so we very much enjoyed ourselves. The day after we had a little hard time focusing during the presentations, as expected. However, the power plant itself was very impressive. There was a pile of coal worth $200 million laying if front of the plant and the sheer size of the boilers was overwhelming. In total it was one of the best trips I did.
Besides the courses I am working on a robotics project with a group of mechanical and computer engineering students. We are programming a robot that will assist humans in assembly tasks at the BMW manufacturing plant in Greenville, and potentially throughout the US. The robot is able to tell different car parts apart using its cameras, can grab the single part and place it on the right spot in the dashboard. Baxter, as the robot is called, is not yet fully functional but the trip to BMW to show our results is already planned.
During fall break our group was invited to a conference of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Two of us went there to present our project. The flight and hotel were paid for by the US Navy. Unfortunately I could not go since I had the New Orleans trip planned. When I comes to academics Clemson has a lot to offer. Especially the projects, named ‘creative inquiries’, are worth checking out.
Kind regards,
Oscar
Rik van der Vossen, University of Pittsburgh, Post #3: Finals week
Hi!
The weeks here are flying by and next week is actually finals week. That means that last week we had our last lectures of the semester. The semester is a little shorter here than we are used to back in Delft. But that means that after this stressful week I got some time to relax until I have to start my classes in Delft in February.
Since we had to take so many quizzes and hand in homework every week most of our grade has already been determined, and I think I’m in pretty good shape. This makes this last week a little bit more relaxed, but the pressure is still on. People make long days here and the library is open 24 hours. Pulling all-nighters is not for me but you see a lot of people collapsing over their books if you go in there now.
After the last finals on Saturday people start packing immediately. Everybody who lives in the dorms has to leave their room clean and tidy the next day and the University closes until January. I will have a farewell party with all the people I met here and after that I’m on my way to NYC and will travel around a bit before going back to the Netherlands in January. I will write my last post next week to tell you guys how my finals went and what my general impression was about this semester in the US.
Rik
Oscar Heerkens Thijssen, Clemson University, post3: Looking around
Dear reader,
The end of the semester is getting closer every day. All of us are desperately trying to squeeze some more trips in before going home. Looking back, we have seen quite a lot of places though.
During Halloween we went to New Orleans with a group of 20, mixed international and American students. We rented a big house just across the Mississippi so every night we took the ferry which dropped us of right in the city center. New Orleans is one of the biggest party cities in the states so we did not have any problems enjoying ourselves. We filled the days with sitting on our front porch, wandering around the city and doing tours to the swamps.
Two weeks later, in an attempt to top the New Orleans trip we rented a cabin in the mountains. The cabin was located in the woods with a lake nearby. One of the main activities was trying to squeeze everyone in the hot tub, which was quite a challenge considering that we were 30 people. There were pool and football tables and a fireplace which was burning constantly. We also spend a lot of time fishing and hunting around the lake.
I celebrated Thanksgiving in New York with Janine and her family. It was very special to be a part of such a family tradition. I would recommend everyone to go home with one of your American friends during this holiday. New York is a cool place to visit anyways. Especially the 9/11 memorial and museum are very impressive.
A part from that we did trips to Washington DC, Atlanta, Charlotte and Charleston. A few people even went to Florida and Chicago. Gas is extremely cheap and on weekend we just rented a car and drove somewhere. So, no reason to get bored.
Kind regards,
Oscar
Alisa Silven, University of Maryland, Post #2: Traveling, Studying & Combining
Hi all,
It has been a while since my first blog post, but in the meantime I have done so much, here is a small update!
I think I can say that I’m used to living as a student in the USA now, combining studying with doing several fun things; it is getting better and better. Since my last post I’ve visited Boston, completed four midterms, had a million quizzes, homework assignments and project deadlines, turned 21, celebrated Halloween the American way, and visited New York City with my parents.
A new experience for me: midterms! I am not used to the American way of studying, learning definitions, and theory by memorizing the exact words in the exact sequence, but in the U.S. I have to. This required me to develop a new way of studying. In the end, it turned out well and I passed all the midterms.
On October 29th, I turned 21, which means I’m an adult in the U.S. now. Two days after my birthday, was Halloween. Since Halloween is not a big deal in the Netherlands, I was curious about the celebration of Halloween in the U.S. Well, it’s a huge thing here. Everybody wears his or her costume (even to class!) and celebrates Halloween not only on the 31th, but also on the 30th, and the 1th of November (actually it is more like a HalloWeekend).
On Wednesday the 5th, my parents came over! I showed them around campus, Washington DC, and we spent the weekend in New York City. It was amazing and we saw so much in just a short time!
Bye!
DC seen from the Lincoln Memorial
NYC from the Brooklyn Bridge
Visiting MIT in Boston
Oscar Heerkens Thijssen, Clemson University, post 2: Clemson at it’s best
Dear reader,
Football is big in Clemson. The games are insane. There are fireworks, cheerleaders, a big band and a stadium with a capacity over 80,000. The color of Clemson is orange so everyone is dressed up in orange. It is as American as it gets. Hours before the game starts fans from miles away gather around the stadium for a tailgate party. Thousands of people load their trucks with bbq’s, beer and food and pre-party on the parking lots surrounding the stadium. The game itself usually takes around two hours. If you want to know what Clemson Football is like, watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbvtdXHXaLU (4:00).
During half time we usually walk to downtown Clemson to watch the rest of the game in one of the many college bars. There is air conditioning and beers which both the stadium lacks. Since there are no bars on campus, downtown Clemson is the place to be. Students, regarded that they are over 21, come downtown mostly during the weekend.
Also, if you are planning on going to the States, make sure to attend a few frat parties. These are house parties thrown by fraternities. They usually only let girls in but if you play the exchange-student-card you will be likely to end up at an awesome party. The girls, united in sororities, live on campus so they host their events downtown. They often organize mixers. In that case different sororities meet in a bar for a theme party. If you are lucky they will ask you as their date.
Kind regards,
Oscar
Rik van der Vossen, University of Pittsburgh, Post #2: Student life
Dear reader,
As promised this entry will be about my classes here and the different area’s in Pittsburgh. I’m taking bio engineering classes here to complete my minor and so far it has been very different from applied physics. The courses are less fundamental and more tailored to dealing with problems you’ll face in your career as a Bio engineer. The work these engineers do is closely related to healthcare. For one of the courses, called artificial organs, we actually have to visit a hospital and we get to witness an open heart surgery in the OR, quite an experience! There is a lot of homework in each course, so the final exam will only make up 25% of your final grade. This means that you really have to keep up with all the assignments and homework deadlines, even more than I’m used to in Delft.
There is still enough time to enjoy the city, though. Pittsburgh has some nice neighborhoods besides Oakland where the campus is located. The strip district is famous for its many restaurants and ethnic supermarkets, and a nice place to spend an afternoon in the weekends. Pittsburgh also boasts an area which has one of the highest bar densities in the US according to some locals and luckily I get to enjoy that as well.
Last weekend was Halloweekend, which meant dressing up in a costume and going to a lot of parties. It is very comparable to the Dutch carnaval and I really enjoyed going out with my friends and meeting a ton of new people. That’s it for now.
Alisa Silven, University of Maryland, Post #1: First experiences
Hi all!
My name is Alisa Silven, a bachelor student at the Delft University of Technology. My major is Technology, Policy and Management, but this semester I’m studying Civil Engineering at the University of Maryland. With blog posts I want to give you an insight into the life as an exchange student in the United States.
At August 26th I flew into Washington Dulles International Airport and my abroad adventure started!
The first week all the exchange students had an orientation week. It started on campus; it was so huge! We’ve also visited D.C. and went to our first football game; I didn’t know these games were so long (we left after halftime, after a solid two hours!), but fortunately we won! It was an amazing experience; everyone wore red or something with the print of the Maryland state flag, there were fireworks after every touchdown and during halftime the marching band performed. I always heard everything in the United States was big, and it is true; even the marching band consists of 600 students!
I have planned trips with the group of seven international girls I met during orientation week. We are often visiting D.C.; we have done the Capitol Tour, seen the Washington Monument and the White House, gone on a shopping trip and had a night with diner and drinks at the busy U-Street.
Last week we went to our first Baseball game: the Washington Nationals versus the Miami Marlins. Unfortunately we lost, but it was a great experience. Baseball is also a very long game, the game started at 7 and ended at 11 PM!
All these activities are a lot of fun, but I have to study too! The educational system differs a lot from that in the Netherlands. Each week I have a million deadlines, (homework) assignments, discussions, quizzes, midterms, projects and finals. Studying in the United States is hard work, but combined with the fun trips and activities, it has been an amazing experience!
I’ll keep you updated!
Rik van der Vossen, University of Pittsburgh, Post #1: First impression of Pittsburgh
Dear reader,
As a student from the TU Delft I get to spend a semester abroad at an US university. I wanted to try something different from my major which is Applied Physics and Global E3 gave me the opportunity to both go abroad and try another discipline. I chose to study Bio-engineering at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and will give you a first impression of my experience in the United States so far.
The University is located in the middle of a busy neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh, called Oakland. The area directly adjoining the campus is really nice, as you can enjoy all of the city with relative ease. I chose to live off campus since the on campus housing that was offered to me was expensive and had very limited privacy. It was a bit difficult to find a place for only one semester, but in the end it worked out.
The life of most students revolves around campus, which is a really cool place. There is a ton of stuff you can do and the amenities are endless. During the week most students are devoted to going to classes and working out. The evenings are spent at one of the almost 400 student clubs. But in the weekend there is time to relax and have a little fun. Since the drinking age is 21 most students go to house parties instead of bars. Most parties are in the neighborhood Oakland, which is next to the campus, that is where most bars who cater students are located as well.
In the weekend I spend my time going to the football games, or going away for the weekend on a short trip. So far I’ve visited the Niagara falls, Toronto, Lake Erie and spent a weekend in West-Virginia. In the next post I will elaborate about my classes and the other neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.
Oscar Heerkens Thijssen, Clemson University, post 1: Clemson at a glance
Dear reader,
I was asked to write this blog about my life as an exchange student at Clemson University to give you an idea of what an exchange in Clemson is like. By the end, hopefully, you may be able to make up your mind as for where you want to go!
My name is Oscar Heerkens Thijssen. I am a 21-year-old bachelor student at Delft University of Technology. My major is Mechanical Engineering.
Clemson is a great place! I love the people and place is wonderful. There are basically two parts: the campus and the town of Clemson. Most students live on campus and so do I. It is a perfect place to hang out, drink coffee and meet people. While walking around campus I run into so many people, I met at parties, while going out or at the gym, that walking to class takes longer every day.
When it comes to size Clemson and Delft are very much alike. A big university is a small city. It is one of the aspects I like a lot about Clemson. You will not feel lost and in no time you know a significant number of people around. The location is also a big advantage. Clemson is located in total west of South Carolina. It is very close to the mountains and rainforests of North Carolina as well as the Atlantic coast and cities like Atlanta and Greenville.
The campus is beautiful and lively. There are tons of facilities like swimming pools, restaurants, cinemas, gyms, saunas, dining halls, etc. The campus also has a lake beach on the shores of Lake Hartwell. A lot of sailing and wakeboarding is done here. But, just chilling in the warm waters and zipping a beer is also a perfect way of enjoying the lake.
In my next posts I will tell some more about parties so far, the international community and the football season which is about to start.
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