“Why did you choose
University of Arkansas as a place to study abroad when you could have gone to
California, Florida or New York?”
Well, every international student has heard this question so many times. For me it was always easy to answer. “Because you have to find new places to go. People already know so much about the big places in America, so why should I go there if I could go visit them anyway?”
Well, every international student has heard this question so many times. For me it was always easy to answer. “Because you have to find new places to go. People already know so much about the big places in America, so why should I go there if I could go visit them anyway?”
To be honest, to me there was no better choice to make but to study abroad at University of Arkansas. Let me tell you why.
The Nature, The Campus, The Sports, The Size, The People,
The International Students’ Diversity.
No other state has earned its title “The Natural State” more
than Arkansas does. It is does not matter where on- or off-campus you live, it
is never more than a five minute walk into a forest or a natural place. And we
students how good some relaxation in the nature feels. :)
Secondly, the UofA has the most unique campus I have ever
seen. Build on a slightly hilly square mile, being on campus is always
something special. It feels like you are on top of the region when you go to
college here and it is the only campus that I have ever seen from which you can
actually have a widespread view around the area (sunrises and sunset on that
campus are just fascinating).
Thirdly, the affinity to sports – Being part of the Arkansas
Razorbacks is what actually made me choose come here. Arkansas is one of the
top-tier schools among collegiate sports
in the US with sold out Football games (74.000 visitors per game),
Basketball games (19.000), Baseball (10.000), Gymnastics, Swimming, Track and
Field, Volleyball and many more programes. The point is that it is free to UofA
students and the entertainment and fascination that I experience at any event
still gives me goosebumps every time I go there.
Another big advantage is the size of the City of
Fayetteville itself. Including the region around the town , about 150.000
people live here which makes the size exactly the way a college town should be.
Modestly large populated but low times consuming to get whatever you need. Fayetteville
offers literally everything a student wants and everything can be reached
easily and, more importantly, within a few minutes.
The People. So far, I have only made the best experiences
with people from all nationalities, social classes and ages at this place.
Everyone was and is nice and people highly appreciate students from abroad
coming into this town and sharing their culture.
One of the major points why so many students actually love
the UofA is because the tremendous work the International Students Network and
all its employees do for incoming students. Here are a few examples: You will
get discounts on living costs, there are events for international students
every week including a lot of free food and drinks, they host movies evenings,
they organize free trips to experience the beauty of the state, they provide
pals to you that studied abroad before that will show you around how everything
works, and they are always there for you, truly always.
Arkansas, the North-West Arkansas region, but especially
Fayetteville and the UofA are clearly one of the hidden jewels the United
States offers and it is one of THE
PLACES TO BE. A thriving place for
business, enormous job opportunities but especially international students, I
am convinced that Fayetteville will be one of the most wanted places to stay in
the near future. In the recent years, a large number of companies settled down
here because they have already seen the gigantic qualities and opportunities
they have here for their business. Not many people from abroad know this, but
Walmart, the biggest employer on this planet, is located in this region and
hundreds of current and former University of Arkansas students currently work
for Walmart in all fields of its business, and btw, make a great amount of
money.
However, I have also travelled a lot during the breaks and I
have been to 26 states, 32 university campuses and I can truly tell that the
University of Arkansas is a top-notch school among all the places and colleges
I have seen. I would never wanna go to another university if I had the chance
to study abroad again. The beauty and the life here has caught me and this is
the reason why I have extended my stay at University of Arkansas two times
already.
Still underestimated by a lot of people, this is one of the
hot spots to stay in the future.
I can say nothing but highly advise everybody to come here,
enjoy the time, see the beauty of the region and be part of a thriving
university town. Go Hogs !
Uwe Holli, AUSTRIA
Exchange Student at University of Arkansas
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Application information is announced via the listserv usually in June
for the fall semester and November for the spring semester.
