Brody spent the spring of his second year at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa through National Student Exchange. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with him to reflect on the preparation and exchange. 

Why Participate in NSE? 

"I wanted to experience a different lifestyle and culture than the one I have lived my entire life."

Timeline for Considering NSE

"Fall of my sophomore year (exchange year) I was looking at transferring schools and heard about a program that could give me a test run. Some major factors were cost, distance from home, people I knew going and classes I could take on my exchange."

Navigating Responsibilities and Planning the Exchange 

"Have a game plan, and then get ahead of the game plan, start early, and plan things ahead. This will save lots of stress and worry down the line. Tell your friends that you are looking for someone to take your room over and get your name out there. Chances are someone you know knows someone who NEEDS a place to live. Using Facebook Marketplace isn't the only option."

Subleasing my apartment meant that I was still responsible for paying rent, so that was a little stressful. Having 2 payments for rent scared me a little. The way I dealt with this was by communicating to my sublease(r) that rent would need to be paid on schedule so I could afford to pay my rent on exchange. Having clear boundaries helped me build trust and worry less."

Advice for Future Students

"I procrastinated more than you could ever imagine... I would start earlier, not only would it save me stress, it would save my parents tons of stress. The longer you wait, the more worrying you will do. Early, early, early.

I would say there are two main things I would share. First, this exchange program truly is a once (or up to 3 semesters) lifetime opportunity. So take advantage of it! The second thing is that it will all work out, Coming from me, the guy who didn't have a place to live the day before my flight took off! (Pay your security deposit on time) All the planning and tools you have make the process near-fool proof, use your resources, and the trip is 1000% worth it."