Kristen Russell
Degree: Bachelor of Communication (Media Arts & Production) / Bachelor of Arts in International Studies
ICS University: L’université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland
I chose to study a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies to push myself out of my comfortable bubble and experience what our big, wonderful world has to offer.
Kristen completed her ICS in Switzerland in 2018
Q&A with Kristen
What was the highlight of your ICS in Switzerland?
I chose Switzerland because of its beautiful scenery and I’d have to admit that the towering mountains and lush green fields were probably the highlights of my year. Oh and also the cheese and chocolate.
How did your language and intercultural skills improve?
While my speaking skills aren’t quite what I thought they would be, my listening and writing skills have improved immensely through my studies. Exchange has also allowed me to make friends from all over the world, which opened my eyes to different cultures and how they may differ from my own.
What skills have you developed in the past year that will benefit your personal life and/or career?
Being able to live independently in another country is probably the best skill I could have gained. I feel so much more confident now that I’ve returned to Australia, which I think is important for every situation life throws at you.
How did university life in Switzerland differ to Australia? How did you adjust, if needed?
My university was very small, which was probably the biggest difference. I didn’t really need to adjust to this but it did feel a little weird at first.
How did you finance your ICS (e.g. scholarships, loans, budgeting)? Any advice?
I received the OS Help Loan, which is offered to any student who studies overseas. This was a massive help. I also worked my butt off to save a pretty decent amount of money before I left. While overseas I stuck to a budget just to make sure I had enough money to last the whole year.
What’s an assumption about your country that you found to be untrue?
Everyone told me that Switzerland would be very expensive and that is true...to an extent. Eating out is expensive but living there isn’t any more expensive than living in Australia.
What was your research project and what were the findings?
As I’m studying Media Arts I decided to do my project on Swiss cinema, looking at how the youth of Switzerland perceive it. I found that a lot of young people don’t watch Swiss cinema but they believe it is still important to Swiss culture.
If you were going through a tough time, what support did you receive or access?
I was lucky enough to have a fellow UTS student living in my apartment building, which was good. Also, the UTS staff are only an email away and they could help with any university struggles.
If you could redo ICS, what are some things you would do differently?
I would get more involved in university activities earlier in the year and probably travel around Switzerland more, even though I already did a huge amount of sightseeing.
Why should International Students students choose Switzerland for their major?
Switzerland is a beautiful country! The people are lovely, the climate (while pretty chilly in winter) is really nice in spring/summer and travelling from the French part into the German or Italian feels like travelling to a different country. Before I left, Switzerland was a bit of a mystery to me, but I know now that it is a diverse country full of pleasant surprises.
Blog #1 - Moving to Switzerland
When I first knew I’d be studying abroad, it felt like a long, long way away. ‘It’s okay,’ I’d think to myself, ‘it’s still 3 years away!’. Then suddenly it was 2 years away, then 6 months and then before I even had time to process it, I was boarding a plane to live on the other side of the world.
For those 3 years leading up to my year abroad, I thought about it every single day.
I always found it to be a mixture of thoughts. I’d be struggling in my French classes and think, ‘Am I going to know enough French to be able to communicate with locals?’. Or I’d be sluggishly getting ready for another shift at work and think, ‘You need to go to work today, you need all the money you can get for exchange!’. Something would always bring my attention back to the fact that I would be living overseas for a whole, entire year. This kept me in a permanent state of excitement, but also in a state of anxiety.
My anxious thoughts weren’t about having enough money, which I’ve noticed a lot of other students have. The thoughts were mainly due to the fact I’d never lived out of home before and the furthest from Australia that I’d ever travelled was to Fiji. There were moments before I left where the anxiety almost convinced me not to go… but after a while I realised the anxiety was a normal part of the study abroad process and that I wasn’t alone in these feelings.
I love the fact that I’ve been able to push myself out of the cozy, little bubble that I called home because 3 years ago I never, ever thought I had the potential to live 16,000 kilometres away from everything I know to be familiar.
In the last 3 months, I’ve had some amazing experiences and wouldn’t change any of my decisions. I’ve been lucky enough to explore so much of Switzerland, including skiing in Grimentz, Interlaken, and going to the highest accessible point in Europe! I’ve also been lucky enough to travel to Cinque Terre and Rome, which was really incredible. I’m super excited to keep studying and travelling and I can’t wait to see what this once in a lifetime experience gives me next.
Blog #2 - Getting to know Neuchâtel
I really didn’t know that much about Switzerland when I chose it as my International Studies major. I knew it was a neutral country but didn’t know what that really meant. I also knew it was absolutely gorgeous, with snow-capped mountains and lush green fields with dairy cows. But besides that, I didn’t know much else. In the last 4 months, however, I’ve been able to get to better know this country every day.
I live in Neuchatel, which has a population of around 33,000. Compared to the other cities I could have chosen, Neuchâtel is the smallest. Because of this, it has a real homely vibe, which I absolutely adore. Around Neuchâtel, and like most of the places in Switzerland, there are hundred of nature hikes. My favourite hike in Neuchâtel is the Creux du Van, which takes you to a natural cliff face sometimes considered as the Grand Canyon of Neuchâtel.
I’ve been lucky enough to spend my weekends exploring this gorgeous landscape and really satisfying my love of nature. Switzerland is really perfect for that.
Besides nature, the towns here in Switzerland are also something to behold. Most places in Switzerland have an old part of town, highlighting the history of Switzerland. It’s awesome when your daily trip into town turns into a trip back in time. Personally, I think Switzerland is a hidden gem that people don’t normally think about. There are so many interesting things to learn about, like their history and culture! If you’re considering coming to Switzerland but aren’t sold yet, let me tell you… once you’re here you’ll never want to leave!
Blog #3 - Balancing study and travel
Imagine you're living in another country and you're surrounded by a bunch of other countries. Now imagine you're scanning through the internet and you find a cheap flight to one of these other countries that you’ve probably never been to before. A rush of excitement waves over you as you start to organise a weekend trip away. But wait. What about the homework for your language classes that’s due at 8am Monday morning? Or the 2000 and something word essay that you need to finish for UTS?
I’ll be honest, it can be easy to forget that I’m here for study. When you can travel to Amsterdam for the weekend or spend Easter break in Italy, the travel bug can easily take over. But it’s important to remember that while the travel opportunities are normally a big part of choosing International Studies, we all still have study obligations that are the main reason why we are here.
For me, balancing study and travel is super important to make the most of my year abroad. I always make sure that I’m on top of my studies before I commit to a trip somewhere. Doing all my homework the day it’s given is a good way to keep up to date and if it’s given over the weekend, I’ve even taken homework away with me. It doesn't always work out smoothly though and I did turn down a trip to Austria, purely so I could complete an essay that was due the next week, and that’s okay.
Now that it’s summer here in Europe, I’ll be travelling for a full 3 months so hopefully that keeps my travel bug at bay for the time being.
Blog #4 - The things you learn when travelling
Are you sick of scrolling through your Instagram to see yet another person on a European summer holiday? Well, I’m sorry to say it but if you are heading overseas for International Studies, you're most likely going to become one of those people!
You’ll post about all the amazing travel you're doing and about all the great experiences too! But you don’t need to be ashamed. It happens to the best of us and I can admit that it has happened to me too.
As it is summer here in Europe, everybody, and I mean everybody, is travelling the continent in search of that perfect pic or story to tell. This isn't a bad thing though because the benefits to your exchange are enormous. If you thought being immersed in one culture was good, how about immersing yourself in a number of other cultures too!
I have been able to travel to 10 countries in 6 months and absorbed so much from these places. I’ve learned about historical events in Germany and I’ve learned about the fragile ecosystem in Iceland. This type of information can only come from travel and experiencing these places with curious eyes. Also, it ain’t so bad to share your perfect travel pics and stories along the way.
What I love the most about studying in Europe is that you don’t just enrich your knowledge of your host country, but that you get to enrich your knowledge of a whole continent. I find that truly valuable.
Blog #5 - Money, money, money
One of the questions you may be asking yourself right now is ‘how much money will I need for a year overseas?’.
There isn't a straightforward answer to this question. It all depends on how comfortable you want to be or how much travel you’re planning on doing. It's all about the goal you set for yourself.
Personally, my goal was to save $30,000 but in the end, I saved a total of $40,000. I achieved this over 3 years and it wasn’t easy. I definitely made little concessions throughout that time. It may mean that you have to deny yourself that second coffee of the day or miss a night out with your friends, but just remember that money could mean the difference between a summer trip to Croatia or not.
If you are thinking of choosing Switzerland as your major, it is important to remember things may be a little bit more expensive. Don’t be put off by this fact, embrace it and maybe set your goal a little higher. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t reach your goal though.
If it comes to the day you fly out and you don't have as much money as you wanted, there is an overseas help loan that gives generous support to ICS students. If there is anything to take away from this though, it would be to work hard now because the upcoming rewards are so worth it.
Blog #6 - Learning a language
This has been the hardest part of my whole exchange; communicating with the locals. When I left Australia, I had just finished French Language and Culture 4, which is where most international studies students finish. My French wasn’t the best.
It was tough when I first got to Switzerland. I had a rough idea of what was going on when people would speak to me, but honestly had no way of answering them back apart from a faint "oui " or "non". My mind would go blank and any French that I did know would fly out the window! This is totally normal.
Here in Neuchâtel I only take French classes. They're a little different from the language classes at UTS. I take about 4 classes a semester and each class is centred around a specific skill. This semester I’m taking grammar, orthography, vocabulary and translation. Another thing that’s been really useful for learning French, is attending different student events. While you would think that an international student group would mainly speak English, this doesn't really happen in Neuchâtel because of how small the town is.
It’s important to put yourself out there and not to worry about making mistakes. Most people here are still learning too, so no one really cares!
While I still feel a little nervous when speaking the language, I think my other skills have improved significantly. I mean, how could they not living in a foreign country for 8 months? It’s definitely been tough but the gains are so worth it.
Blog #7 - Photography, dancing and hiking
I’ll be honest, moving overseas is hard sometimes. To combat the hard times I think you really need to continue doing the things you love while you're here overseas. For me, doing what I love means photography, hiking and dancing.
Switzerland is very photogenic so the photography part was very easy to continue doing and of course, Switzerland is probably the best place for any hiking enthusiast. I’ve been able to do some great weekend trips that combine both my love for photography and hiking. But the biggest thing I worried about was that I wouldn't be able to dance here in Switzerland. Fortunately, thanks to a great university sports program here in Neuchâtel, I’ve had no shortage of opportunities to shake my booty.
In first semester, I took a contemporary dance class for free, which was great for maintaining my flexibility and fitness. Another class offered with the uni was Zumba! This class has really been great for staying fit on exchange (it’s really balanced out my constant consumption of Swiss cheese…yum!) and is a great social activity too that I get to do with people I’ve met at uni.
One of the things I thought I was going to have to go without for the whole year was my pole dancing. I’d recently fell in love with it before leaving and thought there was no way I’d find a place to do it in Neuchâtel. But boy was I wrong. The uni luckily offered a semester's worth of classes for just 30 Swiss francs! Bargain! If my experience is anything to go by, it’ll be easy to continue doing what you love whilst on exchange. And trust me, it’ll help you feel more familiar in a year where most things are going to feel unfamiliar.
Blog #8 - What to bring to Switzerland
With one month left of my exchange, I’ve been thinking about all stuff I’m going to have to try and bring home with me. So it’s probably an important point to start talking about what you might need to pack for your year abroad. It can be super hard to narrow down all the things you want to bring, so here are some tips.
- Bring a mix of both winter and summer clothes.
Because I’d never been to Switzerland, my impressions were that it was going to be really cold when I first got here. And of course it was, but what I hadn’t prepared for is how good their heating systems are. I would wear long sleeves tops to uni and about 5 minutes later be sweating! So don’t forget to take a good mix of different types of clothes. - Bring any notebooks and pens you may need.
I was not expecting this when I first came to Switzerland, but stationary is crazy expensive! If you need any notebooks, pens or even folders, definitely buy them at Officeworks before you leave. - Don't forget your camera.
I have taken over 15000 photos this year and gone through 5 SD cards! Having a camera to capture your year abroad is so vitally important, so you really don’t forget this little baby.
And remember…
…if you do forget anything, you can always buy things over here. Keep in mind though, if you are coming to Switzerland, things can be a little expensive.
More information about ICS
- Read about the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies
- Read about In-country study in the UTS Handbook