Motivation
I wanted to experience living and studying in a country that I had never been to before.
Personal Development
The biggest asset that I gained from my study abroad experience was the ability to travel to places I never would have been to before, both locally and across the USA. It has changed me as it forced me to adapt to a new living. I got to meet people from a variety of different countries, particularly as none of my roommates spoke English as their first language.
Academic Development
It impacted me academically as it made me realise that the content taught in different countries is a reflection on the culture and values of that particular country. I enjoyed a different academic environment, and it was particularly interesting studying journalism in a country like the US where journalism is more important than it has ever been before. The workload was different in the sense that the content was much easier to understand, however there was more frequent assessment.
Professional Development
My exchange experience will undoubtedly contribute to my professional development and future employability as I was forced to collaborate and work with people from backgrounds and cultures I've never necessarily interacted with before. There was also a lot of assumed knowledge that I was expected to know (for example, American history and cultural norms) which was difficult at times.
Costs
Upon reflection, I should have gone on the meal plan to be able to eat dinners at the dining hall. Groceries were very expensive in the US. Public transport was rarely reliable so we had to get a lot of Ubers. We didn't eat out that much, but especially to students attending the University of South Carolina, I would highly recommend making good use of the Gamecock Community Shop. You get a number of points a month and are able to use them to get free groceries (canned goods, bread, frozen meals, toiletries).
Accommodation
I was told our accommodation options through UQ - we got given the choice between Park Place and South Quad. I lived in South Quad but had quite a few friends living at Park Place so we visited there quite a bit. The benefits of living at South Quad was that it was essentially in the university, so a five minute walk from all of classes. The negatives (if you would even call it that) was that you shared a room with three other people as opposed to just one other and you didn't get your own bathroom (I did not mind this "disadvantage" at all though - it meant I got to make more friends, and the girl I was sharing a bathroom with was tidy).
Highlights
The highlight was experiencing the people and culture of the USA south.
