A Blog about Education Abroad

Author: may

  • Priviledge at Konstanz in Germany

    Priviledge at Konstanz in Germany

    Pre-departure:

    Preparing to go abroad can be really demanding and stressful. Fortunately for me, I went to Europe (Belgium and the Netherlands) in 2013 and was familiar with the preparatory stage. However, the Germany Embassy has a different visa application process. For the Germany Embassy, the visa application process is handled by Intergate Visalink. As such one needs to be aware of this, as an online application is required – after which, you book an appointment and it is recommended to do this online.

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  • Marthinus in Norway

    Marthinus in Norway

    Pre- departure

    My journey to Norway was a long one. Not merely in terms of travelling distance, but due in large part to the process surrounding admission into an international exchange. After finding out about the possibility of applying for an exchange to Europe, I was surprised that I had not learned of such an opportunity before. Studying abroad and experiencing a foreign culture as a student has been a dream of mine for quite some time. My sister, who studied at Stellenbosch a few years ago, was granted the option of doing her Masters in French literature & translation at the University of Strasbourg in 2006. She ended up enjoying it so much that she stayed. She has been living and working as a translator in Paris ever since. With me being 15 at the time of her leaving, her stories of seeing new places and meeting people with completely different outlooks on life set my mind on embarking on such an adventure myself. I am grateful that I have been able to realise my dream, and I would recommend an exchange to any person who has considered doing so. It is something through which I have learned more than I expected to  – about the world outside of Stellenbosch, Cape Town & South Africa, the importance of challenging oneself by moving out of your comfort zone and meeting people from all corners of the world, and most importantly I have learned more about myself. Travelling alone means that you have time for introspection about the challenges and possibilities in life. Whether I was hiking up to Djevelporten (The Devil’s Gate) in the majestic Lofoten Islands, or presenting a video advertisement that I compiled in a group with British, American and Chinese students for a course in marketing – this one month that I had the privilege of spending in Norway is one which I will cherish forever.
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  • Jan at Weimar in Germany

    Jan at Weimar in Germany

    Pre-departure experiences

    I found my summer school the same way I find all other things, using Google. If you are interested in a summer school or exchange program, make a list of good universities, ask your study leader if they can contribute to the list and then let Google do the hard work for you.

    My preparations for the time abroad had to be made quite fast. Not only did I have only three months from conception to departure, I was also away from the University, as well as a proper internet connection, for a month and a half. The PGIO helped a lot in realizing this time frame, if you are unsure about something ASK!! Our experience with the German consulate were good. They had a website that explained the whole visa application process step-by-step, as well a checklist that you can run through to ensure there are no problems with your application. In German tradition, it took one and a half days to complete our applications and let us know that we could collect our visas. This being said, we had all our papers and no curveballs, some of the other clients at the consulate said they had to come back after some issues. This is not really such a big deal, as long as you have a week or so planned as contingency time.
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