How would you like to trade a southern Memphis 'Hey y'all!' for the more tropical Hawaiian 'Aloha!' next semester? Or try trading the flat scenery surrounding The University of Memphis for the Mission Mountains and Snowboard Ski Area that flank The University of Montana?
The National Student Exchange program will send 22 University of Memphis students to experience the treasures of surrounding state and territory schools for the fall 2005 semester.
The mountains, cold weather, snow and skiing opportunities near The University of Montana were the perfect enticement for Robyn Wolfe, junior communications major.
"I spent last summer in Idaho and absolutely fell in love with the mountains out West, and I have been looking for another opportunity to go West ever since I got back," she said. "Montana seemed like the perfect choice."
The comforts of home can sometimes keep students from developing their fullest potential. "There is a whole new sense of independence and freedom that comes with being out of your comfort zone," Wolfe said. "I think it makes you a stronger person to do something like this. You really learn who you are when you're away from the people who have known you for years."
One of Wolfe's communications professors has a cabin in Montana and constantly praised the state's beauty, a factor that helped influence Wolfe to choose Montana.
More inspiration came from Wolfe's sister, Megan, a U of M graduate student who spent part of her undergraduate career studying at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.
"I think studying at a different university is a wonderful idea. It opens your mind to different cultures and views of life, as well as giving you more experience in the world," Megan said. "Studying abroad let me see a new part of the world and gave me the freedom to travel. It also revealed a different way of learning and made me more independent because I was forced to live on my own."
Although Megan participated in a study abroad program, Wolfe said her desire to see the world focused on Montana after spending the summer in the West.
"I had definitely planned on doing an exchange at some point during college, but I initially thought I would do an international exchange like she did," she said. "However, after I spent the summer in Sun Valley, Idaho, I knew that I wanted to go back to the northwest and be close to the mountains."
While other universities may appear to offer more appealing qualities, Karen Thurmond, academic advisor for students participating in NSE, said students often return with a greater appreciation for The University of Memphis.
Thurmond's job includes making sure the classes students take at other universities transfer correctly.
"In the past, students would make preparations to go, get there and find out a class had been cancelled or some other unexpected circumstance. Then they'd be stuck without an administrator to help them sort things out," she said. "I'm here to try and provide a bridge to that university that will end some of the confusion." With Thurmond's help, students are ensured a smoother transfer.
"I think the exchange is an opportunity to broaden your horizons and find out about the rest of the United States. The NSE is U of M's best kept secret," Thurmond said. She also mentioned that few students realize their scholarships can transfer to many NSE programs, making the exchange very affordable for students.
NSE was founded in the sixties to help students who could not use a study abroad program by forming an exchange between U.S. schools. Through this program the often high out-of-state tuition that hinders many students from attending another state school is waived. Tuition through the NSE is either the in-state tuition of the host or home campus. Since the founding, more than 75,000 students have exchanged schools for a semester or year. About 4,500 students every year take part in the NSE.
Students interested in an exchange program are able to choose from 177 universities in 48 states, the District of Columbia, three U.S. territories and 5 Canadian provinces. Fall 2005 will find U of M students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Hilo, California State University at Northridge, the University of Arizona, Louisiana State University, California State University at Hayward, University of the Virgin Islands at St. Croix, the University of Mississippi, the University of Georgia, California State University at Los Angeles, Montana State University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Alabama, Humboldt State University and the University of Montana.
