-
Finding Your People: Societies and Club Sports at Rutgers
By Alex Toomey, Rutgers New Brunswick, USA One of the quickest ways to feel at home at Rutgers is by joining a society or a club sport. These groups provide instant community, built-in adventures, and a welcome break from the library grind. Two of my favourite experiences were with the Rutgers Ski & Snowboard Team (RUST) and Rutgers Club Field Hockey. Rutgers Ski & Snowboard Team (RUST) I’m an avid skier, and even though I’d heard that East Coast skiing is nothing like the Alps I grew up with, I was determined to find a ski club at Rutgers. I’m so lucky I found RUST. This is a competitive team that races during…
-
My ultimate guide to Rutgers dining halls, swipe-friendly cafés, and the downtown New Brunswick food scene…
By Alex Toomey, Rutgers New Brunswick, USA Dining Halls: All-You-Can-Eat Livingston Dining Commons (Livi) – My Home Base 10/10Livi was my second home and easily the best dining hall on campus. I would sometimes swipe in once and stay the entire day, setting up my laptop in a booth with friends and turning it into our private study lounge. Unlimited coffee refills and decent Wi-Fi made it a surprisingly productive spot. The food kept us going too. The salad bar was my favourite on campus, with endless fresh toppings, grains, and seafood (sometimes even mussels and prawns) so you could build something different every time. The Asian section served stir-fries,…
-
Rutgers: The Birthplace of College Football
By Alex Toomey, Rutgers University, USA Before I came to Rutgers, I thought American football was just… a worse rugby with more padding and commercials. But little did I know, game days here are a full cultural event—like a mix of a music festival, street fair, and sports match all rolled into one. Whether you’re into sports or just here for the vibes (#guilty), trust me when I say: you don’t want to miss this part of the Rutgers experience. So, here’s everything I wish I’d known before my first game day… The Basics: So, What Even Is American Football? And if you’re ever totally lost, just ask someone nearby.…
-
The Ultimate Guide to the Rutgers Bus System, Campus Life, and Getting Around NJ
By Alex Toomey, Rutgers University, United States of America So you’ve landed in New Brunswick, bags unpacked, Target haul complete, and the emotional goodbyes are slowly fading into your mental rearview mirror. But now comes the real challenge: figuring out how to get around this sprawling maze of a campus (hello, five campuses?!) Fear not, future Scarlet Knight, buckle up for the lowdown on everything from the infamous Rutgers bus system to NJ Transit tips. RUTGERS BUS SYSTEM: CHAOS? YES. USEFUL? ALSO YES. Let’s start with the Rutgers bus system—both a miracle and a mild source of trauma. This free, student-only shuttle system connects all five New Brunswick campuses: College…
-
Korea’s South Coast: A Digital Archive
Our end-of-year Roadtrip along the South Coast of Korea will remain one of the most enjoyable trips I have ever been on. Good food, interesting culture, and most importantly… the best company! Myself and two of my friends I met in Korea had decided to take a 2 week trip around the South Coast of Korea at the end of our second semester abroad. We’d been talking about this for months, but didn’t end up booking anything until around two weeks before we left for our first destination. Even with the last-minute rush, it was well worth it! Our first destination was a culturally and historically rich area on the…
-
Countdown to Canada: Nine days to Go
By Deborah Oshidero, University of Calgary, Canada With my flight just 9 days away, the countdown is starting to feel real. It still hasn’t fully sunk in that I will be spending a year in a completely new continent and honestly I don’t think it will till I set foot in Canada. It feels surreal, but as the days get closer, my preparation has shifted into full gear.
-
No Guidebook for This: Diaries of a Black (African) Female Solo Traveler
By Zahra Sachikonye, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Decolonizing Solo Travel: Why Representation Matters When I would research different destinations to travel, almost all the blogs and travel guides I read were from a very similar perspective. These articles were written by mostly white, mostly Western points of view. Their advice, whilst useful, was only relatable to a point. When thinking about safety, I had the added task of researching the levels of racism in a place, something most people have never even thought of doing. As someone with an African passport, I had to apply for visas for countries most of my friends could just walk into. This…
-
My First Week in Singapore…
By Micha Raja, Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore My first week in Singapore was crazy, jam-packed, and exciting. I felt so busy everyday even though Uni hadn’t started yet. The first couple of days, I spent settling in, buying house necessities with my flatmates and doing that first big grocery shop. This was really exciting though as it allowed me to explore the area and find out the cheapest stores to shop at. I landed a couple of days before Singapore National Day. As it was their 60th anniversary this year, the celebrations were very big! We headed to Marina Bay Sands and watched the jet show and the fireworks…
-
Navigating the End. Some Reflections and Tips After Coming Home.
By Alex Moore, Australian National University (ANU), Australia I found myself sitting back in my childhood bedroom, a year and a day after I first left to go to Australia, feeling like the past year was just a figment of my imagination. It’s hard to comprehend everything that has happened when you are back where you started. I was excited to see my family and friends again, and it’s been so nice to catch up on everything we have missed. But it’s also strange as people talk about their graduations and finishing the uni chapters of their lives. I think, especially because I live very rurally, the change in pace…
-
No Plans, Just Presence: Let Go of the Itinerary
By Zahra Sachikonye, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong ‘What’s on your bucket list for Hong Kong?’ Nothing. ‘Any must-see spots?’ No. I’ve finished my year abroad and I still don’t have a list (Please don’t click off the article yet, I’m not crazy). When I landed in Hong Kong, I had no idea what I was walking into, and that might’ve been the best thing I did for myself and for the places I visited.
-
From Amsterdam to Dunkirk with a bike and a backpack
Written by Will Fisher, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands My exchange in Amsterdam ended at the start of August, and if there’s one thing I’ve spent my year doing, it’s cycling. Wondering just how good I’d gotten on a bike by now, I carved out a few days and planned a 4-day route from Amsterdam to Dunkirk entirely by bike. My student loans had mysteriously ushered themselves from my bank account by this point, so I eschewed hostels and instead planned to stay at free campsites along the way. It all seemed easy enough: 5-6 hours of cycling a day, three nights camping, and take the ferry over the Channel.…
-
Saying goodbye to Sydney :( some final recommendations and realities
By Logan Tilley, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia It has taken me a couple of months to get around to writing my final blog about Sydney as it just doesn’t seem real that it isn’t my home anymore. I remember seeing these goodbye blogs when I was excited to leave for my year abroad not too long ago and I didn’t think too hard about it as it was so far away. But, one of the realities of such an incredible experience to study abroad is that time does feel like it flies by quickly. Days are filled with new and exciting things to do and see and…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
