In the 2021-2022 spring semester, I went to Gustavus Adolphus College for my exchange program.

Honestly, COVID-19 really makes travel harder, but I still feel worthy being there. Before I came, Jeff, the director of IDO in Gustavus, enthusiastically helped me solve almost all the questions I asked, even though some of them were kind of weird, like how the Chinese restaurant near to the college.

What makes here a big difference from other exchange schools is the extreme weather. Winter would last for almost half of the year if you compare it with Guangdong. But you will be fine if you prepare a coat and warm winter hat.

There is a saying," Minnesota nice", which is very true for me since I met nice people with different cultural backgrounds in school, who are from Japan, Vietnam, Ghana, Brazil, and so on. Talking with them was super fun. Professors here are generally nicer because the scale of the class is smaller than at UIC, which includes 15-25 students in one class. My professor in accounting is a professional who graduated from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He also has a good personality and cares for students who also have been to Shanghai and Xi'an, say I can send him a postcard after I go back to China. Another professor of political science even called me Miss Weng because I could provide some truths about China to my classmates, who are the most interesting professors I have met! I mean it!

Come here and experience an exchange program in your university life! I'm sure you will be more inclusive to face any challenge in the future, more knowledgeable since you encounter different cultures!

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