my best/favorite semester of college thus far <3 July 29, 2023
By Nadia L (Public Health, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/18/2023 to 05/12/2023 with
Spelman College: Atlanta - Domestic Exchange for Visiting Students
It was definitely worthwhile!! I learned how to build a community of like-minded friends and peers even in a space where I know nearly no one. My experience at Spelman showed me that I can thrive in a new environment. Definitely go for the entire year if you can, and if not, go during the fall - that's the more fun semester according to Spelman/AUC/HBCU students since that's when Homecoming is, and that's the biggest event every year for HBCUs.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Many exchange students talked about how the academic rigor at Spelman did not compare to their schools, and I can somewhat attest to that. At Wellesley, I'll say the academic rigor is extremely toxic and unnecessary, but at Spelman, especially for the price that the students there are paying, it's the status/level/rigor of a typical state school (and that's what a senior at Spelman told me - that's no shade to state schools either, but it doesn't "live up" to the price and the hype it's given). Additionally, it was concerning to hear instances of AUC students being premed yet not being prepared to take the MCAT because their school courses did not prepare them well enough. I'm not saying that Spelman needs to become elite and competitive or whatnot, but you should at least accurately prepare your students for the fields they're going into. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I think they could have done a bit more at the beginning of the semester to have all the exchange students meet each other and give us more of a proper introduction/orientation to Spelman. Also, just in general with Spelman and not the exchange program, the communication at Spelman and HBCUs in general is lacking. From not being able to get in touch with people to advertising events that don't even happen when they say they will, or never happen at all, it's a bit of a mess. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living in LLC2 was pretty good in my opinion, but some of my other exchange student peers had noisy and inconsiderate hallway-mates. Additionally, housing at Spelman in general is pretty bad with mold being in the bathrooms, bedrooms, and walls, there not being enough housing for students - these issues mainly affect students enrolled at Spelman, not exchange students, but I do think it's important to mention. |
| * Food: |
The food itself did not taste good a lot of the time, and I've heard multiple stories of students getting sick from it. For people with food restrictions and allergies, this is especially an issue. Also, the hours for the one and only cafeteria on campus are already so limited, and yet the workers would close the cafeteria even earlier. Coming from a small liberal arts college about the same size as Spelman yet having about 5 different cafeterias/food options on campus, this did not make sense to me. Overall, the food is okay, but work needs to be done. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel like this relates to the Spelman administration and how many exchange students said they should have done a much better job of orienting us to the campus. Many exchange students did not feel connected to the campus while others like myself were able to find opportunities and ways to get involved and active, but we did so on our own. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I only went to Spelman Health Services once when I was feeling sick, and it wasn't bad - the wait time wasn't too long, and everything was okay. I needed to be up to date on a few vaccines before arriving to campus, but they'll let you know what you need closer to the semester start date. My seasonal allergies (I'm allergic to pollen, grass) were really acting up probably because it started getting hotter earlier than what I was used to and nature would come into bloom more, so be prepared for that if you're not used to it. |
| * Safety: |
The whole checking Spelman/AUC IDs at the front gate of campus and just in general at all the entry and exit points of campus doesn't do anything and is a waste of time. As long as you hold something up for the officers/guards to see, it seems as if they'll let you in. However, they will question you if you "don't look like a Spelman student", or just look masculine, which has resulted in instances of Spelman students who "fit that description" being harassed by the officers and not having a smooth entry onto campus. Additionally, a lot of gun violence happens in the area surrounding Spelman and the AUC. There's also a lot of violence that happens in Atlanta in general. At least five times during the semester, I've heard gun shots while on campus. Also, an AUC student's phone was stolen near the Woodruff library. After outcry from students when a Clark Atlanta student was killed near the beginning of the semester on a street right next to the shared-AUC library, the AUC schools began to take safety a bit more seriously, but only for optics. The system to let students know when to shelter-in-place is severely delayed and basically useless. There's also this idea that the Spelman gates keep students safe, and that's completely false - nobody was hurt, but someone's dorm room was broken into by people easily hopping the gate and entering through their window. Spelman and the AUC has a lot to work on in terms of safety. Don't go out alone at night, and if you need to, have protection on you - I've thankfully never had to use it, but I have pepper spray (you can get it at Target, maybe CVS). |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It's definitely worth it to be able to experience a new school, city, and environment. Especially experiencing an HBCU is worth it, even for just one semester, and it's nice still having the financial aid from your school since HBCU tuition is pricey. You only have to pay the Spelman price of housing, which in my opinion wasn't too much. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
I don't know what a typical Spelman student's budget is, but I would say I definitely spent way more at Spelman than I did at Wellesley - I think I may have spent just as much or even more at Spelman in one semester than I did at Wellesley after having been there for 5 semesters (the pandemic has affected that heavily, but still). |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 - it would range from week to week, but from having to use Uber Eats to get dinner sometimes because the cafeteria closed early or just wasn't good, or Market Fridays (which were fun but also a quick, easy way to unintentionally spend a lot of money), to just being out with friends, I could spend $10 one week and $100 the next |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be at least cognizant of what you're spending, and try to cut down where you can, but still have fun and enjoy your study abroad experience!! I don't even want to think of how much money I spent during my Spelman semester, and I probably should have been more aware of how much money I was spending, but I wouldn't change it for the amazing experiences I had (I do have some financial security and am not struggling too much, so I do understand the privilege I have in saying that, and it's okay if you really can't spend that much money to go out or buy things). |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I honestly feel like there's no advice I would have received before going that would have changed how I went about the semester (except to take advantage of the Career Ed Services at Spelman, get in touch with someone there about the movie screenings and other off-campus events they have because they're not publicized a lot, but they're really cool!!), but here's some more advice for students doing the program: - Don't be afraid to go to events/places by yourself (I went to a lot of events by myself during the semester, but if I had the energy to go to even more I would have!!) - There's only the one library shared between the AUC schools, Spelman has no individual library, and the academic buildings on campus close by around 7pm, so try to find spots early on in the semester where you can do work, especially if you need silence or need to be alone to get work done. - Explore ATL! There's so much to see - I was able to explore a good amount, but there's definitely so much more I could have seen. Explore with friends you make, or go to a restaurant or a park by yourself! Ask Spelman/AUC students about must-see places in ATL. - HBCU culture can perpetuate classism and elitism in a lot of ways, and it can feel isolating sometimes feeling like you may not fit the HBCU aesthetic. While being at a PWI isn't fun, being at an HBCU, especially coming from a PWI, comes with its own possible isolation in feeling like you're not dressing up enough or you're not "Black enough" - don't let these thoughts get to you, and know that you're valid in your Blackness, and there's nothing wrong with you. - Have fun! Yes, this is technically still a semester in college where you have to take classes and you can't completely flunk out, but...live it up!!! :) |
