Washington Semester Program

Man, I hated DC while I was there. I got there on the hottest week of the year, had no car, lived in middle-​of-​nowhere Bethesda, and knew not a single person in the area besides my girlfriend, who also got accepted to the same program.
I dreaded the mile-​and-​a-​half-​long hike to the always late red line, especially when I had to dress in hard shoes and a suit for my seminar. Everyday I thought about withdrawing from the program and flying back to the Sucka Free. I stayed with it though, and it paid off.
The International Trade Seminar ended up being a fun program. Not academically challenging per se, but it was an experience that few people get to have, even without taking the option to study in China.
The cool thing was that my class was mostly older, foreign students, who all had a passion for what they did. Going to class was never boring because the teacher was engaging, and the all students participated and debated in almost every class. Though class was fun, we only had it twice a week, the rest of the time was spent out in the field, going to different organizations and talking to stately/​important/​noteworthy people.
We sat in at Senate hearings, talked to executives from top-​rated investment houses, went to the Fed (sat in Bernanke’s chair), attended seminars at the World Bank and IMF, and even went to China (or at least the Chinese Embassy). Our class even went to New York and toured the Nymex and the NYSE.
Towards the end of the program, I moved with my girlfriend from Bethesda to an apartment closer to school (on the same block as the zoo in Woodley Park). It with this newfound neighborhood and access to transportation did we get deeper appreciation of the city.
In retrospect, the program was great. Logistically speaking, it was hard at first since the transportation situation was so bad in the suburbs (you really need a car in Bethesda). Otherwise, the program was great. Back at school and work in SF, I feel like a more experienced and more well-​rounded person.
My 6 months in DC really flew by, and I almost kind of miss it now. If you are thinking about studying abroad, but don’t want to spend too much time/​money living overseas, check DC out. Its especially good if you are interested in trade, politics, law, or economics.
The Semester Program at AU, heres your hard earned «5».