Program: JUNIA ISA Lille Exchange, Spring
Mackenzie’s Major: Agricultural & Applied Economics, Environmental Sciences
How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?
The program academics were fairly different than any experiences I had at UW-Madison. Classes were structured in blocks of 4 hours, with a short lunch break in between them. Days were pretty long for classes (8 a.m. – 6 p.m.!), but there was almost no homework throughout the entire experience. The classes were also very project-focused, with group projects occurring in almost every class across the entire semester.
I became much more self-confident because of all of the situations I put myself in. Because I traveled there completely on my own, I had to learn how to advocate for myself better and also how to use my resources more creatively. I feel like a much more capable and knowledgeable person as a result of my experiences abroad.
What did you learn about yourself or the world because of your experience?
I learned so much about myself and the world through this program. Because of the large number of exchange students, I was able to learn so much about other cultures from people that are actually a part of them (as opposed to learning through reading about them). I was able to have very open conversations about American customs and ask about any questions that I had. As for what I learned about myself, I became much more self-confident because of all of the situations I put myself in. Because I traveled there completely on my own, I had to learn how to advocate for myself better and also how to use my resources more creatively. I feel like a much more capable and knowledgeable person as a result of my experiences abroad.
What challenges or barriers did you face as you prepared to go abroad and/or during your time abroad? How did you work through them?
The biggest challenge I faced while abroad was definitely the language barrier of not being fluent in French. It was difficult at first for me to overcome it, but I was able to learn as much as I could while there to ensure I could comfortably operate in my daily life. I also formed really great friendships with some of the French students there that were able to step in and offer me help if I was really struggling to communicate.