Jordan Rossi

Host institution: University of New Mexico
Year spent abroad: 2010-11

Where did you live? Would you recommend it?

I lived in the Laguna-DeVargas dorms which are located on campus and are only a 5-10 minute walk from most classes. I would recommend these dorms and living on campus in general due to its proximity to everything that you will need. While the dorms are basic it does not distract from their charm and they provide everything that you will need to live. The vibe in most of the dorms, particularly Laguna, is very fun and friendly with plenty of places to spend downtime as well as study.

Which department(s) did you study in?

Humanities.

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

The American college system is vastly different to the way classes are taught at Sheffield. Many 100 level or freshmen level classes have roughly 200 students or more and are given in a lecture style but 200-400 level classes are seminar sized but taught as a mixture of a lecture and a seminar. The reading load was similar to that of Sheffield but the assessments were more regular and reminded me more of homework rather than daunting assessments.

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

Being a sports fan there is a lot of sport to go and watch in America. In New Mexico I regularly went to watch College and High School football games as well as attending Albuquerque Isotope Baseball games. Other than that there are a lot of landmarks to explore and towns to visit such as Sandia Peak, Carlsbad Caverns, Roswell, Santa Fe, etc. All are very unique and individual and offer something completely different. Also traveling domestically in the United States is very simple and cheap and I made friends in different states and was able to visit New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

Did you join any societies or clubs?

I did not join any societies - they are not as popular in America as they tend to favour fraternities and sororities.

Describe the University/City/things to do

The University is beautiful housing several places to eat and spend time at as well as having three different libraries with the main one (Zimmerman) housing a Starbucks café inside. The campus also has a duck pond which is a great place to sit and read in the summer or just hang out with friends. The city itself is quite big and spread out compared to Sheffield but the buses are easy to navigate and downtown is another nice place to hang out.

Could you give any travel or immigration tips?

Whenever traveling outside of Albuquerque (or your host city) make sure that you take all your documentation with you and if you forget it make sure you have valid identification. The reason being that if you run across any Government checkpoints they will ask you if you are an American citizen and if you are not you need to provide evidence as to why you are in the country. In terms of travelling I found that the American version of expedia was far cheaper than the British one and I saved myself several hundreds of pounds whenever I booked flights.

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

The fact that it is impossible to find a direct flight to Albuqerque, New Mexico as you have to fly from Heathrow and connect through another American airport.

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

It is far cheaper to live in New Mexico firstly due to the fact that the exchange rate is so good as well as New Mexico being a relatively cheap state to live in. The only big expense will be flights but as long as these are booked in advance they should not be too expensive.