Did you know that Buffalo State has 179 branch campuses?

That’s because we’re part of the National Student Exchange (NSE). Buffalo State students can spend up to a year studying at any of the participating colleges in 48 states, three U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and five Canadian provinces. Our biggest challenge is making students aware of this option—and of its value.

When I talk to students about NSE, I tell them that competition for jobs and for graduate school is so fierce that they need something extraordinary on their résumés. Participating in a formal exchange program, nationally or internationally, is one way to stand out; taking part in independent studies, research, or volunteer work are others.

We have all those options here. As vice president of NSE, I’ve visited hundreds of campuses. What I see has convinced me that we offer more options to our students than most colleges do. Very few people on campus realize that Buffalo State is the campus home for NSE, and our program is the model for new NSE members.

Our surveys show that the No. 1 reason students participate is for personal growth. Other reasons include a desire to live in a different area, to take courses unavailable at their home campuses, and to look for graduate schools or future employment.

Students with specific academic interests can attend a college with relevant courses. One of our geology majors went to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, located near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where he worked with top volcano scientists. The experience opened doors to graduate school for him. Another student went to the opposite extreme, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, for specialized cartography study. Not surprisingly, many of our students look for colleges in the Carolinas, Florida, California, and Hawaii. For most of our students, it is their first time living outside the state of New York.

Some Buffalo State students worry that, after graduation, they won’t be able to get a job locally. So they go elsewhere for a year to learn how to live away from home and, often, to find out more about a place that seems attractive. Some come back with the knowledge that the grass isn’t always greener in other pastures, but it is not unusual for a student to return to the exchange-school area for employment.

NSE can also enable students to have an experience they couldn’t otherwise afford. Many minority students choose to attend a historically black college or one of NSE’s many Hispanic-serving institutions, such as the campuses in Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas, or California. Our resident students can spend up to a year at another campus, receive their financial aid, and avoid paying nonresident tuition to the host campus.

About half the students who come to Buffalo State through NSE do so to take advantage of our overseas programs. Recently a student from a California college came here because she wanted to study in Australia—Australia’s very popular right now—and we have good connections in Australia. Exchange students who come here will often return for our graduate programs.

Sometimes students just want a different college experience. A student from New Mexico who came here stopped in my office, excited. “Guess what happened!” she said. “My chemistry professor called me by name!” That had not been her experience at her campus in three years.

Wendel Wickland

Campus Coordinator, Buffalo State National Student Exchange
Vice President, National Student Exchange

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