Studying abroad

Going on student exchange to Canada was one of the best things I have ever done with my life. Not only did I get the opportunity to do some topics at a prestigious law school which never would have been offered at my existing school, but I had an amazing time partying, exploring and making new friends, and it changed me pretty deeply. I think every uni student should be able to take advantage of opportunities to study abroad on exchange, which is why I'm writing the following lists for your motivation and planning benefit.

Reasons to go study abroad on exchange:

- Travel
- Adventure
- Absorbing a new culture
- Study topics you can't take back home
- Learn from the world's best researchers and textbook authors in their universities of residence
- Getting out of your small town into a big city with diversity and distraction everywhere
- Getting out of your big city to the fresh air and beautiful scenery of a rural campus in another climate
- Meeting friends for life
- Professional networking with new international colleagues
- Get an edge over other graduates
- Experience another country as a local, not just as a tourist
- Get some independence from your family and communities back home
- Learn a new language

No more lame excuses!: Why your reasons for putting off an exchange are dumb

"I'll have to spend an extra year/semester at uni!" - Not true. You get credit for the topics you do on exchange, and the units are carefully converted by your faculty administration so you get the most credit for the time and work you put in overseas. Usually, you can't do core topics overseas, so make sure you have enough elective (or 'breadth' units) left in your degree; if you want to do an exchange, don't use up all your electives at home while you're applying or waiting to go.

"I can't afford it" - The idea behind an exchange is that universities swap equal numbers of students, and each student pays fees at their local tuition rate, not the international student rate. This is great for Australian students on HECS, and students in other countries where tertiary tuition is free or paid at a token rate. In terms of airfares and living costs, your university's scholarships directory will list all the free money you can apply for as a potential exchange student. Myself, I got a scholarship which covered half my airfare, and a loan which went on my HECS, called an OS-HELP loan. These are worth about $5K per semester. Depending on where you are and the type of support you get, you may also be eligible to continue receiving student benefits when overseas; check with your Centrelink/social security/student welfare person. Another great option is self-driven fundraising; you can sell unwanted valuables, have a party to raise money, or use a commercial fundraising scheme. I wish I'd known about wine fundraising when I was going on exchange. Some countries will also allow you to work while you study; this is usually limited by time or location, for example international students in Australia can only work 20 or so hours, and in Canada international students can only work on campus unless they get a separate work permit.

"I'll miss my friends and family"- Boo fucking hoo. It's not like you'll never see them again, and with the newfangled magic of telephones and mail (not to mention Skype, international text messaging, FaceTime, email, social networking etc), you can keep in touch with them as much as you like- although you'll probably find you're busy with so much new and exciting stuff you barely have time to upload all your jealousy-inducing photos, let alone miss randoms back home. On a deeper level, from my understanding, some people are worried that if they move overseas for six months or a year, their friends will forget about them and they'll lose their hard earned place in their social circle. My response to that is, if they forget about you or stop liking you after that short a time, they were probably pretty shit friends to begin with. Sure, they might develop new traditions and in-jokes while you're away, but if they're real friends they'll welcome you back with open arms and start inviting you to stuff again. Plus, you'll make even awesomer new friends overseas- indeed, I know one guy at my old uni who met his gorgeous girlfriend on exchange in England, and they've been in love ever since. Imagine if your One was sitting in the class you could have been taking on exchange, and you never met them, cos you were an epic wimp! So yeah, do it.

Planning checklist:

- Check your university's website for exchange program information; see whether your degree is eligible for it, which universities in which countries your university has an exchange agreement with, what topics you can take on exchange there, what the application process is (you may need to fill out two separate applications, one for the exchange program itself and one for the partner institution). Most importantly, check application deadlines.

- When you have decided on a partner university, research its location and details such as housing availability, and general living costs; don't forget to research the cost of groceries and utilities, as many applications will require you to draw up a rough budget to prove you have planned out your living expenses appropriately.

- MAKE A COMPREHENSIVE CHECKLIST OF APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS AND THEIR DUE DATES. You may wish to organise this by category, such as 'exchange program', 'partner university', 'passport', 'housing', 'visa', etc.

- If you have questions, make an appointment with the co-ordinator of your uni's exchange program.

- Begin preparing your application:
* Research the topics you want to do overseas, and get approval from your faculty- this is one of the most   annoying and time consuming parts of the process
* Get academic, professional and personal referees to back up your application
* Begin drafting your personal statement as to why you want to go on exchange and why you would be a good candidate/representative of your university and country
* Start gathering your financial evidence- statements and proof of how you will fund your exchange, i.e. bank statements, parental support, declarations of intent and eligibility to apply for loans/OS-HELP/scholarships

- Submit your completed application before the due date; this way, if there's anything missing, the program administrator can let you know and you can fix it before the deadline

- Get a passport if you don't have one already; these can take months to process

- Wait for both your letter of acceptance into the program and your offer of admission from the partner university overseas. You will need these, as well as other evidence and materials like extra passport photos, to apply for your student visa, and to apply for bank loans, student loans, and scholarships.

- When you have your passport, book an airfare as soon as possible in order to get the best deal: see my post below about creative planning. Make sure you arrive a few days before orientation, or longer if you're looking for your own accommodation.

- Apply for a student visa; make sure you read the information on your host country's immigration website carefully, so you don't waste time applying for the wrong visa for your situation.

- Apply to live in college/on campus as soon as possible; these places fill up fast. If you want to live off campus, book temporary accommodation for an appropriate period of time, so you can look for places to live once you land (booking private accommodation whilst still at home is impractical as it is expensive and can be legally dodgy)

- By this stage, you'll have a passport with a student visa in it, letters of admission from the host university to show to immigration when you get there, a place to stay, and information about orientation and your upcoming classes. Now is the time to plan little things like vaccinations, airport transfers, packing your luggage (take the bare minimum with you and buy everything there), and the all-important insurance. Most countries will have an official cover scheme for international students; in Australia for example, it's OSHC Worldcare. You should also buy travel insurance for your time in transit; in fact, there are several excellent travel insurance products out there which will provide comprehensive cover, including medical cover, for the duration of your exchange. Some countries have it better than others; I remember hearing a story about a guy who went on exchange to a European country which shall not be named. He went on a weekend bender in the neighbouring country, drank so much alcohol he poisoned himself and needed urgent medical attention- he was helicoptered out at the expense of his host country.

- Pack your suitcase, and organise currency for your first few days in your new country; you can open a bank account with your passport, visa and proof of residence in most countries, and it's something you should do to avoid the astounding fees your bank will charge you for withdrawing cash overseas or using your credit card overseas.

That's all I can think of; of course the key with organising something like this is to start early, make to-do lists, and keep it all in perspective. Enjoy your amazing study abroad experience, or if you've already been so lucky, encourage a friend to do it!

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