JUNIOR YEAR
From Indiana to Colorado
It all started my sophomore year around October 2021. I was speaking with a friend about traveling. I had never lived outside the state before. I had always wanted to travel, but I felt focused on the now with my career in college. Starting my college years during the COVID crisis discouraged traveling from far outside where I grew up. During my sophomore year, I had become comfortable with the city of Indianapolis. I’m the type of person that I find stepping outside my comfort zone to be the next challenge. It was here that I dove deep into research about the NSE program and potential schools that could fit me. I was looking on both the west and east coasts for a school with a physical therapy program. I compared schools using excel with course equivalents from IUPUI. Now, if you ask me how I landed in Colorado, I will tell you the outdoor recreation. Colorado, being one of the most active states in the US, includes a vast array of outdoor sports that I had never tried before. Once more, the excitement to travel and study in a new place opened a world of opportunities for me.
WHAT IS NSE?
National Student Exchange
The National Student Exchange Program is all about giving students the opportunity to learn, live, and grow in a new environment. The program’s mission aims to, “…inspire academic enrichment, personal exploration, and student development by facilitating accessible collegiate study away among member colleges and universities throughout the United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S Virgin Islands.” The reason this program is successful in this is that it allows students to look outside their personal perspectives. Learning is fostered in a hands-on approach whereas students develop practical living skills.
COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY
Grand Junction, CO
I decided upon Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado. This school fits my needs for course equivalents, outdoor recreation, and networking opportunities. Professionally, I have met with many professors, advisors, and staff on campus. Personally, I have made new friends from across the U.S. just by coming to CMU!
