Leave Your Muggle Days Behind: Study at Hogwarts!

i really love the harry potter film and i'm actually addicted to the film still don't know its imaginary or not and i hope its not because i want to study in the Hogwarts and have a journey like the film... its a bit scary and fun and imaginary tho and to be a great wizard like Dumbledore and in the end how did harry potter defeated the dark lord to be someone who uses magic in good like defeating the bad things and i have a question tho . if Hogwarts is real means even the dark lord and the bad people {will we really have the journey like harry potter did}??

My semester at Hogwarts was a truly MAGICAL experience! Although I had a little trouble getting to the Hogwarts Express (in my excitement I accidentally ran towards Platform 8 3/4, aka a brick wall, what a muggle mistake!) Madame Pomfrey healed my broken arm and black eye in no time!

When we arrived at Hogwarts the exchange students were immediately sorted into our new houses. Proudly representing Ravenclaw! My only complaint about the Ravenclaw common room was that we needed to answer riddles to get inside, which is tough after a few Butterbeers!

The classes were amazing, although I don't know if I'd recommend a full course load with a time-turner your first semester- it might be a little overwhelming for muggle exchange students. I would recommend taking a few courses such as Transfiguration, Charms, Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. If you take a History of Magic Course, be sure to ask the castle ghosts to help you study, as most of the material is about them! Oh, and only sign up for Divination if you can take it with Firenze, he's gorgeous! ;)

Although the classes were super interesting (for a muggle, at least!) not all of the professors were very approachable outside of class. I mean, one day I asked Mad Eye Moody if I could do some extra credit, and he turned me into a ferret!

The social scene was pretty cliquey, as the houses tend to stick together. It makes for some great competition on the Quidditch pitch, though!

I'm so lucky to have been able to study in my dream location: Hogwarts! A lot of the castle had to be rebuilt but it's looking better than ever. People were friendly to exchange students and it was easy to make friends. There's still a strong rivalry between houses, but it's all in the name of fun - unless we're talking about Quidditch, of course (go Gryffindor!) ;) Don't be fooled by anyone who says studying abroad is easy - academics were quite the challenge here, especially my potions classes. I learned a lot of magic that could be useful in daily life -- too bad there's no magic allowed outside of school if you're underage.

From the second I walked into Diagon Alley, I felt like I had been given a powerful dose of ever-lasting Amortentia. I nearly swooned in Ollivander's and I literally sleep with my wand. The beauty of this study abroad program is that the orientation starts with the mandatory purchase of classroom essentials before the actual school term so that muggles can ease into this overwhelming world.

The Platform at 9 3/4 is everything you could ever wish for (I even dashed back to the other side so I run through a second time) and the snacks on the snack cart were out of this (muggle) world. I was a little disappointed with the surprisingly uncomfortable seats on the train. I haven't the faintest idea how Professor Lupin could have napped on those rock-hard, sorry-excuse-for-a-cushion seats.

During the Sorting Ceremony, I was placed in Hufflepuff. Unlike a fellow reviewer, I was actually pretty pleased with my selection. Everyone was super friendly and not the least bit arrogant unlike certain houses *cough cough Gryffindor cough cough*

I was incredibly pleased with my academic load which I found challenging but not overwhelming. I wisely steered clear of the History of Magic course and that made a great difference. I know some fellow study abroad cohorts who definitely dabbled in some exorcist spells in an attempt to rid themselves of Professor Binns.

The biggest tip I have is to fake it until you make it. This is especially the case for the Divination class. No one ever has to know that you lied about the shape of your tea leaves!

Written by Tucker

I spent a very memorable semester at Hogwarts. It's tough to quantify how much I learned in the four months I was there. As a muggle newbie who came in with zero knowledge of the magical world the staff at Hogwarts is responsible for allll of my magical ability (let's just say I was floating feathers by day 4.....).

The castle (as the students affectionally call the main Hogwarts buildings) is really something. Huge, well maintained, with tons of places to study (and get lost). I literally felt like I was living in a museum for four months.

Really the only thing I didn't like about my experience there was the social scene. All students are sorted into houses. Those houses define your friendships (and enemies). I was placed in hufflepuff and immediately knew I wasn't going to be happy. I shared a room with four other guys my year, none of whom I was crazy about. I found it very difficult to make friends outside my house.