Numerous films, series and novels are set at US universities. As a recipient, you will at some point feel very familiar with everyday student life between “student loans”, “bunk beds” and “fraternities”. And maybe every now and then you dream of going to a venerable Ivy League campus like Harvard or Yale. (Although preferably without student loans, bunk beds and student associations!)

But as is always the case with Hollywood clichés: reality looks a little different. There is such a reality check about studying in the USA in our text of the week. Author Isolde Sellin reports on her year abroad at the University of Denver and shares ten insights she gained there.

Some of this surprised me. But a few things are apparently just like on TV.

I hope you enjoy reading

Helene Flachsenberg

, editor of SPIEGEL Start

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A village of 10,000 people called Campus

Photo: Ina Berner

Ten things I experienced and learned during my semester abroad in the USA:

I am an exchange student at the University of Denver in Colorado for two semesters. I've already studied a lot: especially an education system that differs from the German one in many ways.

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Student Wieland in Halle (Saale): “Not a metropolis – but still a great nightlife culture and a broad university”

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Matthias Ritzmann / University of Halle

Why it's good to study in Halle (Saale):

Bar after bar in the old town, parties under the motorway bridge and an opening every week: Halle no longer has to hide next to the neighboring city of Leipzig, says student Paulina Wieland.

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Strikes are annoying. That's exactly what they should do

Photo: We Are / Digital Vision / Getty Images

Strikes remind us who keeps the country going:

There are strikes everywhere right now - and rightly so. Politics and society seem to have quickly forgotten how important certain professional groups are after the pandemic, writes our columnist Sara Weber.

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Literature research, comprehension questions, translations: AI can help with this in your studies

Photo: Parradee Kietsirikul / Getty Images

The majority of students expect AI to make their professional lives easier:

Better work-life balance, fewer errors: If you ask students, artificial intelligence primarily offers opportunities for the world of work. According to a new survey, the majority are already using AI tools today.