Study Abroad and Domestic Study Away

I studied abroad at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates during the spring of 2023 through the ISEP exchange program. Exploring the middle east has always been a dream, and I am thankful to have been given this opportunity.

AUS is in Sharjah, which is so beautiful and everyone here is welcoming and kind. I was positively surprised by how easily people remembered my name. I shared a room with a local who quickly became my friend and study buddy. The day before school started, we took a stroll around the university and discussed about food, friends, and our common major, computer science.

On top of that, I was able to make some friends during the orientation week designed for exchange students. This week is probably the fondest memory of my experience. I visited Dubai, went on a desert safari, went to the traditional markets (Souq), learned more about the culture of the UAE, and got to learn my first Arabic words (yallah shabab! Meaning come on guys). I took an Arabic language learning course, and three other finance and CS courses.

Also, Sharjah operates under a 4-days work week, which is convenient and fosters more productivity. It also helped me maintain a great study-life balance. The exchange office is incredibly helpful in navigating the new environment, I always felt comfortable talking to them and asking questions. They also made sure to have events organized for us at least once a week. The women’s dorms are so neat, shoutout to the cleaning staff!

I am so grateful to them and the whole entire staff for making us feel at ease! Ultimately, I have grown so much from this experience! It was truly fulfilling, and I think anyone should take the leap of faith and study abroad!