Adam Jones-Bradburn

Host University: University of Maryland at College Park
Year of Study Abroad: 2010-11

Where did you live? Would you recommend it?

I lived in a suite in the South Hill community called Kent Hall. This was in a great position and was near lectures. Bad thing about the suite is that you had to choose the diner plan and the food wasn't always the best, plus expensive for what it was. Shared a room with one other person which took a while to get used to but was fun overall. Other options are the apartments which have a good atmosphere and have a kitchen. There is a food plan at the diner for apartment people which is better value than the normal diner plan for halls and suites and can be useful if you don't fancy cooking all the time.

Which department(s) did you study in?

Mechanical engineering

How does the workload/classes/teaching styles vary to Sheffield?

There is much more work. There are quizzes during lectures, homeworks, lab reports, mid terms and finals. So be prepared for much more work. But the work isn't always very difficult so some of it can be done quite quickly. Exams are quite laid back in comparison to those at Sheffield. Teaching and the environment is more like school than university and it can take a while to get used to again.

What did you do for fun at the weekends and during the holidays?

Some weekends I travelled to different cities in the area. Baltimore is close by and is good to see and New York is only four hours by coach and if you book in advance can get cheap tickets from Megabus and Boltbus. Washington DC is about half an hour using the metro and there is plenty to see there.

During the holidays I stayed in America with friends as had a number of invitations to stay with them over Christmas and Thanksgiving.

At the end I did the traditional road trip along the West coast. It was amazing but pretty expensive.

Spring break is an experience and there are lots of choices with things to do. I went to Miami and the Bahamas but places in Texas and Mexico are top on many people's lists.

Did you join any societies or clubs?

Joined the ski club which was great. There were days trips to local ski parks and there were a number of trips to fantastic places. I went to Quebec for New Years and there were other trips to Vermont and California. There were plenty of other clubs to join and they are a good way to meet people.

Describe the University/City/things to do

The university campus is huge and has everything you need except a bar, but there are a couple of bars near by in College Park.

The sports facilities are incredible and everything is free. For example there are 14 tennis courts that are flood lit until at least 12 at night and you can rent tennis rackets and balls for free. The american football and basketball matches are a must and are free to go to. The american football stadium there holds nearly 56000 people so you can imagine how much they love college sports.

Uni buses are free and can make it easy to get around so have a look on the info for them.

Could you give any travel or immigration tips?

Just have all the papers with you especially visa stuff and your DS-2019 form. If you don't have anything you may need it will take ages to get through. Remember to get you DS-2019 form stamped by the university if you are going home or out of the county for holidays otherwise you may not be allowed back in.

Could you give any advice or tips to a student preparing to go or tell them anything you wished you knew in advance?

When you find out who you are living with try and contact them before you go. They may be able to get things that you need so you don't have to bring them from here. You probably won't need all the clothes and stuff that you think you do as things can be pretty cheap in America so you can always buy there.

Your modules and things probably won't get sorted until you arrive on campus but speak to your department face to face and they will help you out. Some people don't answer emails so you may need to ring them to get the answers you need.

You may not need to get there as early as they say as sometimes they won't have accomodation for you so speak to the international department first to see the last date you can arrive - it may save you a bit of money.

Would you say it is cheaper or more expensive to live than Sheffield?

Clothes and electronics are definitely cheaper but food can be expensive espcially if you are cooking yourself. I guess overall it is cheaper in America but depends on the exchange rate.

Any other information or comments

Ask as many questions as you can before you go so that there are no surprises and don't panic when you get there as there is always someone there that you can talk to and everyone is always friendly and willing to help. The International Exchanges Unit in Sheffield is really good so go in and speak to them if you have problems with anything.