Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA (Houda B.)

Hellooooo guys! 

Today a new post about another exchange :)

A student from AUI is sharing with us today her life experience during her exchange semester in the US too! 

Yep, this time we are in the state of Montana, in the city of Bozeman ;)

Let's discover together how it was!! 

So the first time I applied for exchange was only for fun:

One day, my roommate and I have decided to apply to see if it works for real. 

By the end of the week, we found out that we got admitted and that we had to spend the following semester in a host university far from home. 

I was hesitating at the beginning but quickly changed my mind and finally decided to go on an exchange program. In fact, it was such an exotic experience.

Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA

I got admitted to Montana state university in Bozeman Mt. The state was a bit different than any other known state. Montana was typically the countryside of USA.

The journey begun and I had to travel there by myself. It was my very first trip and very first time going abroad. It was a mixture of excitement and fear but it all ended up well. 
I arrived there and spent one of the best moments in my life.

I had the chance to discover the Rocky Mountains one of the greatest mountains in the world. 
Yellowstone Park and the hot spring basically our earth geothermal energy. I got the chance to meet American Indians who are basically the Native Americans.

Places I went to:

The university does not organize trips for their students, that’s why most of us had to travel on their own.

I went to Missoula where a high rate of American Indians lives. I can say from my personal experience that these people were not that heart warming as white Americans.

Missoula is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluences with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot Rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five mountain ranges.

Missoula is described as the "hub of five valleys".

Food:

When it comes to food there was no Halal stuff since the Muslim community is so small there. 
I liked the food though. It was pretty much junk food (hamburgers, pizzas, and fast food everywhere). 
You basically pay only for the access to the dinning halls and you can eat as much as you want.

Some tips students should know:

• Montana State is really designated for people seeking new adventure and I mean discovering the nature, hiking and exploring the national parks.

• Besides this, it gets so cold in there. It may go to -30 degree so bring your warm clothes.

• Avoid going to forests by yourself because a lot of bears live in the forests.

• Cost of living is so low, no taxes.

• It wasn’t easy to integrate with the people there. As a Muslim girl I found some difficulties to live there. No mosques, no large Muslim communities. People were a little bit racist too.

Classes:

The standard of classes can be compared to the one at AUI. They were not that hard, no attendance, and exams were on a very average level.

Even if attendance was not taken, you still see full classes and people who want to learn, not just attend not to be marked as absent (our case at AUI).

Transportation is for free in all over the city. 
Also, I advise people to take engineering courses since Montana is known for its engineering and research programs.

Thank you Houda for your post!! :D

Hope everyone learned some interesting facts about Montana State University, some tips about the life there and what to expect.

Stay tuned for the next exchange life experience...!