By Arial Collins
The University of Louisville has a diverse student body, with students having various backgrounds and originating from a range of places. Because of this, both local and out-of-state students can have different experiences on what college looks and feels like. Adah Mays, an out of-state student, and Bowee Chang, a local student, share how they’ve adapted to college life based on where they are from.
Adah Mays, a junior majoring in dental hygiene and minoring in public health, is from Carbondale, Illinois. She chose to attend U of L as an out-of-state student because of its dental hygiene program; her dentist and mentor also attended the university’s School of Dentistry.
Mays claims that attending the school as an out-of-state student has granted her new and positive experiences.
“I have been able to step out of my comfort zone, enjoy my first time living in a city, and appreciate being able to attend a university with a diverse number of opportunities and dental school that is all around amazing,” Mays said.
She found that her biggest challenge going to an out-of-state university was the tuition cost, but she found ways to alleviate this through working and taking out loans. One of her most fulfilling moments coming to U of L was being able to work for the housing department.
“Housing is a very sensitive topic on campus for some, however the environment behind the scenes is where I saw my fellow employers and bosses always being willing to help students to the best of their abilities who had unfortunate housing situations, while keeping policy,” said Mays.
Mays would advise any out-of-state student coming to U of L to get involved on campus anyway they can.
“Never stay in your comfort zone and join clubs on campus, and always create relationships with your professors,” she said.
On the other side of things, Bowee Chang is a senior majoring in chemistry who is local to the Louisville area. Chang made the decision to stay in Louisville for college because she was offered the most scholarships and would be able to stay connected with her family easier. She finds herself enjoying going to college locally.
“I live close to campus, so the drive is not too bad, and I found amazing long-life friends going to U of L,” Chang said.
Unlike Mays, Chang has found that going to a local university has made getting out of her comfort zone more difficult.
“I tend to stay close with the friends I had in high school, so it took me a while to make new friends,” she said. “Also, I am already familiar with the city, so I didn’t get a chance to explore and live in a new place. Traveling to different countries and cities gave me the opportunity to still live at home but experience new places and make friends on my own.”
Chang would advise local U of L students to be willing to travel and meet new people, which can help gain fresh experiences despite already being familiar with the city.
“If you want to still travel and explore new cities there are a lot of opportunities to travel within the school, whether that is through clubs or study abroad,” she said.
On a smaller scale, Change recommends simply talking to unfamiliar people on campus.
“You will meet all kinds of people that came from different cities or countries, and they are looking for people to become friends with,” she said. “This also gives you a chance to meet new people opposed to the ones you already know. U of L is bigger than you think.”
