Emotional Farewell, Boston & New York

Hotty Toddy,

and here I am again sitting in Bavaria in our new house, writing my probably last post about my experiences during my study abroad semester. The 4 months went by so fast...

The final week went very well. The results speak for themselves. However, it was not an easy week. So many goodbyes... So many amazing people, such a great flatshare, such a great place! It's hard to leave. Of course, there were also some parties to celebrate the end. One evening, I went out with Hannah, Steve, and Kyle-Lin. That was really funny :D We even visited William Faulkner's grave.

After a short night (about 2-3 hours of sleep), I went to the airport. After the security check, I received the message that my flight from Chicago to Boston was canceled. No alternative was offered. Great! About 1.5 hours before departure, I got my new routing: MEM-ORD-CLT-BOS. Since I didn't want to fly zig-zag, I asked for alternatives and guess what, there was even an earlier direct flight from ORD to BOS. I arrived in Boston in the snow, lots of snow! The walk with my 2 suitcases, backpack, and camera bag was really difficult. In addition, at that time, I still didn't have winter shoes. With wet shoes, I arrived at the Hi-Boston after about 10-15 minutes. It's really a great hostel, highly recommended!

The 6 nights in Boston were really great. On the first day, Philipp and I did the Freedom Trail, including 297 steps up to the obelisk and a ship tour of the oldest still functioning ship. On the second day, we went to Harvard and did a brewery tour at Sam Adams. In the evening, the New England Patriots played against Miami. Two divisional rivals, Boston vs. Miami. We went to one of the countless sports bars in Boston to watch the game. Funny enough, the Patriots even lost, which affected the mood in the bar.

Days 4 and 5 were mainly spent walking through the different neighborhoods and along the river. There are beautiful parks in Boston. In one of them, we fed squirrels. These creatures are quite trusting. One evening, we went from the hostel to a stand-up comedy night at the Dropkick Murphy's bar. All unknown upcoming artists, but still very funny. Another evening, we went to an NBA game, Celtics vs. Denver Nuggets. Once again, it became clear that there is not as much enthusiasm from the fans at such games. Quite a shame.

Since we went for a drink after the NBA game, I spent Thursday mainly in the hostel. I did my settlement, wrote my experience report for the university and the scholarship, and in the evening, I went to my first NHL game. The atmosphere was better there, but still not comparable to Germany. But the game was great, even though the Bruins lost to the Washington Capitals. On Friday, I took the Greyhound bus to New York City!

There, I had 5 nights to revisit the city that never sleeps for the third time. Of course, I went to the usual places like Times Square or the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, but also to new places like the High Line Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Little Italy, China Town, the NFL Experience, and some great restaurants. All in all, it was a very nice time with great company. One day, I visited the Kühne + Nagel office in Jersey to ask about some things for my bachelor thesis.

But then the inevitable happened: the flight back home. By now, I have arrived safely in my new room in Weilheim again and was warmly welcomed by family and friends. But I hope that it was not the last time I saw Oxford. You take so much with you, you have such great experiences... You go through so much, meet super nice people whom you hopefully stay in touch with for a long time. You hold so many things dear to your heart, which is why the farewell is accompanied by a certain sadness. Ole Miss is a family and I am glad to be a part of it.

And before I get too sentimental here, I have some announcements. Right after this, you will find my experience report, which I read at both the DHBW and the BW scholarship, and a short summary of my time there. Furthermore, soon (probably in English), there will be a post about general tips and tricks for all readers who get to spend their study abroad semester at Ole Miss. But that's it. Unless I come up with something I forgot to mention in my blog posts, this will be my last entry.

Thank you to all readers! Thank you to all the internationals who made this time so special, I hope to see some of you again soon! Thank you to all university staff, professors, cafeteria staff, who welcomed us so warmly. A huge thank you, of course, to my roommates Chris and Benny, with whom every evening became incredibly funny and we did all kinds of crazy stuff (cicada, jelly beans, and so on). Thank you to all fellow travelers on the many trips (hiking, Memphis, kayaking, NOLA, Atlanta, Boston, New York), each time was something special! Thank you to the whole International Office at Ole Miss - especially to Skip and Hannah - you always had an open ear and tips! Thank you to all fellow students from all corners of the USA who often gave interesting insights into the culture and way of life at an American university. And finally, thank you to my family for their support in all big and small problems.

Best regards and Hotty Toddy

Franz

P.S.: My video is finally finished (19.01.2018):

P.P.S.: Here is the experience report:

Hello,

How do you prepare someone for a study abroad semester with the help of an experience report? How can you convince someone that the University of Mississippi is the right university for them? I don't know. I can only tell you about my experiences and feelings associated with this place. For me, the worst week was the finals week. Not because of the exams, but because of the goodbyes. Towards the end, you realize just how much the place and the people mean to you! This time will really influence you and your life!

But let's start from the beginning. The University of Mississippi (also known as Ole Miss) is located in the idyllic town of Oxford. A small town with about 20,000 inhabitants. The university has about 25,000 students. If you want a typical American university like in movies and TV shows, this is the right place for you! For years, the campus has been referred to as the most beautiful in the USA, and it lives up to its reputation. In the beginning, you might be a little confused by all the buildings, dining options, and sports facilities. But that quickly goes away. There are student associations - called fraternities (for the guys) and sororities (for the girls). The houses? WOW. There are constantly different types of parties and balls being organized, which you should take part in if possible. However, often this is only possible with an invitation and through connections. The other party life in Oxford is mainly centered around the Square. The Square is the downtown area of Oxford and is worth a visit both during the day and in the evening. There are countless shops, restaurants, and bars with different specials every day. We often went to the Rooster on Tuesdays because they had $1 beer. It's rarely boring there.

If you are more interested in sports, no problem. On the one hand, all kinds of sports are offered for you to play, and on the other hand, there are usually several home games of the university teams every week. The sports culture is incomparable to Germany. College football has a higher status than the professional NFL in many parts of the USA. There are heated discussions about every decision made by the coaches and the university. In the fall semester, you absolutely have to go to the tailgating at the Grove. The Grove is located in the middle of the university campus and is normally a park. However, during home games of the Rebels, there is hardly anything left of that. Hundreds of tents and thousands of people enjoy the usually good weather, the great atmosphere, and food and drink. If you don't get excited about football there, you might have to wait for one of the many traditions related to football/university/sports. Just to name a few: Walk of Champions, Marching Band, Ole Miss Chant (you'll have it down after a week at the latest), or simply Hotty Toddy. Hotty Toddy is hard to describe. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. It's a feeling of solidarity, family, fun, and probably also motivation and success. It is used as a greeting or simply to show the other person that you are also a Rebel.

Now let's get to the most important part: the academic performance ;) The courses and exams are completely different from everything in Germany. Well, I'm a DHBW student and used to small classes, so it wasn't a big change for me. I didn't have a course with more than 40 fellow students. Then, in each course, attendance is required. In some courses, this is even so strict that there are points for it. There are quizzes (small tests), assignments (homework, sometimes every week), midterms (usually 2-3 big exams, usually 10-15% of the overall grade), and then a final. Your grade is made up of many individual performances, which makes it easier to get a good grade. In addition, in my opinion, the level is lower than in German courses. Some lecturers also offer bonus assignments for extra points. With a little effort and studying, you can easily get an A or a B here. Depending on your home university, an A is converted into a grade of 1.0, which should definitely help your average!

What else did I experience? The university has an outdoor department that offers weekend trips. I went hiking in Tennessee and kayaking in Alabama with them. During the kayaking trip, we also went to an away game of the Rebels. Then we spent a weekend in New Orleans (only a 4.5-hour drive). Some went to Nashville (also about 4.5 hours away). And over Thanksgiving, all the international students scattered across the entire US. Some flew to California, others to Florida. Some did a road trip to Florida or drove to the Atlantic coast of South Carolina. Personally, I went to Atlanta and explored this great city. There are truly thousands of possibilities!

All in all, those were really great four months. The preparation phase can be quite stressful and there are many things to consider. If you want to know more about this: I documented my entire preparation and also my stay on a private blog. There you will find details, photos, tips, and advice: https://vakantio.de/auslandssemester-an-der-ole-miss Be sure to check it out. You will also find a post about the BW scholarship, which made the financial part of my studies easier. I am regularly in contact with other scholarship holders and we exchange our experiences. I think there could be lasting contacts with some people! It's really great to see everyone's pictures and share our experiences!

I can only recommend to everyone to seize this opportunity and spend a study abroad semester at Ole Miss. The place, the people, the feeling, it's simply incredible. Even if it sounds cheesy, you will never forget this place. Many people say that it's like a big family that is always there for each other. I can definitely confirm that. At the end, I would like to express a very special thanks to Hannah Juliff. Hannah is in charge of incoming students at Ole Miss and has become very dear to me over the past months. Her husband Steve and she are among the most amazing, nicest, friendliest, and most helpful people I have met in Oxford. I hope that we will remain friends for a long time! Personally, I am now going back to university in Germany, but I am already considering whether I want to do my master's degree at Ole Miss.

See you soon and Hotty Toddy!

Franz