Hi, my name is Lachie Buchanan and I’m currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at UniSC and just completed a semester abroad at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, America.

Growing up and studying in Australia you hear and see all about the ‘American College Dream’ all over social media and even movies, but never did I think I would have the privilege to immerse myself in this exact dream.

Hearing about all the massive football crowds, on-campus dorm living, and the American college stereotypes, as well as studying a sport science course led me to picking America as my country of exchange being a very logical choice.

While this may sound just like a normal testimonial cliché to get you to go, no word of a lie, the American college experience is like no other. You live, eat, sleep, party with these people every day; you grow bonds and friendships like no other with people from all corners of the globe; and you get to be part of experiences and adventures that are so unique to college in America.

Constant seas of Tennessee orange on game-day, learning the words to the school fight song, and constantly explaining koalas are in-fact not bears; these lifelong memories that semester abroad provided me really did change my life.

There’s not many other places in the world you can walk out of a sports psychology class and then watch a spring football game in a 110,000-seat stadium. Sold-out basketball games with a full arena of shouting fans, campus walkways with frat and sorority fundraisers, line dancing bars and weekend lake trips are just a couple of the unmatched experiences that came out of my semester abroad.

This semester also gave me the chance to explore bucket list travel items like Washington DC, New York, and Mexico.

If you are contemplating taking a chance on a semester abroad, whether it be to America or somewhere else, just like it did for me, it’ll work out better than you could ever imagine.