Final Report Studying in Oklahoma City

Transcription

1 Final Report Studying in Oklahoma City In fall semester 2009 I was studying at Oklahoma City University (OCU), which is a private Methodist University. One reason for choosing OCU was its slogan Where You re a Name, Not a number. which is the best description for OCU. This college is a big family and the faculty wants you to enjoy studying there and I did it. Application for Visa I think the most complicated matter concerning my exchange semester was the application for the J-1-Visa. First of all please visit the homepage of the Embassy of the United States ( where you can find all required documentation: DS-156 DS-157 DS-158 NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION SUPPLEMENTAL NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION CONTACT INFORMATION AND WORK HISTORY FOR NONIMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANT Furthermore you need the DS-2019 which will be issued by OCU. When you have all documentation you have to make an appointment at the Embassy (Parkring 12a, 1010 Vienna) where you need all forms, passport, passport photo (50 x 50 mm against a plain white background) and a self-addressed return envelope. The fee for the Visa is EUR and extra USD 100 for the Homeland Security. Andreas Bräuer 1

2 Flight I booked my flight on which was via Munich, Germany and Chicago, Illinois, and final destination in Oklahoma City. Unfortunately I missed my connecting flight in Chicago, because I didn t have enough time for entering the states, rechecking-in and changing the terminal. For this reason I suggest everyone to have more than two hours to the first connecting flight in the U.S. Finally I arrived more than seven hours too late in Oklahoma City. At the airport there were two OCU students waiting for me, my airport pick up, which is a special offer for all international students. Housing As international student I was living on-campus. My dorm was called Smith Hall, which is for male students. I had a double room and shared the room with a student from Colorado. It was really great to have an American roommate because he gave me a ride to the nearest supermarkets that I can buy all necessaries and I was forced to speak English. I suggest all future students to apply for Centennial Hall. This dorm is more expensive, but therefore it was built some years ago and the rooms are better and more comfortable. Food At OCU you have the choice from different Meal Plans, I took 12 Meals a week which included 150 Starbucks. All regular meals were served in the caf(eteria). On the one hand you have typical American food like Hamburger, Hot Dogs and French fries and on the other hand they offer pastas, salad and Andreas Bräuer 2

3 healthier food. In the caf you have the principal of All you can eat (and drink). In the case of a starving feeling you can use your Starbucks at Alvin s, where you can order coffees and snacks like Pizza or different Sandwiches and next to the campus there are a Buy for less and Walmart where you can also buy some snacks and sodas. Safety Safety of students is one of the most important issues at OCU. For this reason there is an own Police Department which is only responsible for the campus. When you have to walk over the campus late in the night you can call a number and a policeman will escort you to your destination. In Oklahoma there can be tornados (I was lucky and didn t see any). You can sign up online for the OCU Emergency Notification System and in the case of an emergency you will get a text message. Classes Studying in the States is completely different than in Austria. Either you have (all) classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays or you have them on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Normally the attendance is required and you have to do some homework or written papers. In every class you have at least two exams, midterm and final exam. Andreas Bräuer 3

4 I took the following classes: Intermediate Accounting I (C. Weber) 4 exams and 2 short papers Investments (S. Quintero) 3 exams Business Law (D. Necco) 3 exams International Financial Management (H. Shafa) 3 exams and best class ever!!! I also attended voluntarily the German classes. The professor of German, Dr. Griffin, was living in Austria for many years. I really enjoyed his classes because they were much fun and it was also easy to get to know new students. Student life The student life at OCU is brilliant and it can t get bored. You have Athletic events (Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, ), concerts and musical, performed by OCU students, and different special events. My two favorite events were the free movie nights, which are on the last Thursday in the month where you can watch the latest movies for free, the second was Oozeball, which was 4 on 4 volleyball, but the playing area only consisted of mud. I had to do my laundry four times to clean all my cloths. Andreas Bräuer 4

5 Money In the United States credit card like Visa is a must. You can pay almost everything by Visa Card but sometimes it is good to have cash, especially when you travel. In Klagenfurt I applied for three scholarships to finance my exchange semester and finally I got two of them: Joint Study Scholarship Privatstiftung-Kärntner-Sparkasse Scholarship In the following table you can find my total expenses for this semester: Text Currency Amount Flight VIE-OKC-VIE EUR 1, OCU (MealPlan, Dorm and Insurance Fee) USD 3, Books USD Sale back - Books USD Traveling USD Miscellaneous EUR Subtotal EUR 5, Joint Study Scholarship EUR -1, Privatstiftung-Kärntner-Sparkasse Scholarship EUR -1, Total EUR 3, Andreas Bräuer 5

6 Conclusion The last semester was the best I ve ever had. It was a great opportunity, it was so much fun and, which was much better; I got to know some really good new friends. Special thanks to Eleanor Inglis, Director of International Education, who helped me during my preparations for this exchange semester, the enrollment process at OCU and other issues, I appreciate it so much. Finally I also want to give thanks to the Privatstiftung der Kärntner Sparkasse for the financial support. Suggestions Establish contact with the Office of International Education as soon as possible. Sign up on Facebook. Attend the Orientation Week Apply for a credit card. Ask for different scholarships at the University of Klagenfurt. Don t take insurance in Austria You have to do it at OCU! Contact me if you have any question. Enjoy your exchange semester!!! Andreas Bräuer 6