Go Wildcats!

Hi everyone,

My name is Sam and I'm currently studying Chemistry at the University of Arizona. I was a little apprehensive about being out here with all the problems Arizona is having with Mexico but I haven't seen anything that would make me think there are any issues.

I arrived the day before Undergraduate orientation started so I would be getting very sleepy in the afternoons due to jetlag but I quickly got over that.

There were two things I knew I'd have to get used to very quickly: the heat and the size of the place! It has been 100F almost every day here which makes a stark difference to when I left England. The actual city of Tucson is very spread out so public transport is a must! The campus is a lot busier than Nottingham with a lot more bikes so you always have to be alert..otherwise you'll get run over!

I went to my first American Football game last night. I couldn't believe how many residents of the city came out to support their team as well as all the students. The marching band, who performed before the match, were amazing. They would form various formations such as the shape of Arizona and an 'A' for Arizona. The atmosphere every time our team scored was amazing. Everyone went crazy!

The university system here is so different from back home. I'm in classes with people who have been studying for their bachelors degree for almost 5 years! There is a lot more work than I'm used to with exams every couple of weeks!

The university has set up a system where International Students are paired with a Tucson family. I will see my host family every couple of weeks. They've turned into my tour guide while I'm here and are happy to take me sightseeing to any places that I want to go. They've also said that I can come and take advantage of their pool and home cooked food!

I'm meeting with any Arizona students who want to come and study at Nottingham in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping to get lots of them to sign up so other Nottingham students can experience what I'm experiencing here!
I'm so glad I took up this opportunity!