Before leaving for Belgium, my main points of administration were (1) selecting modules and finalizing my learning agreement, (2) booking airplane tickets, (3) arranging accommodation, and (4) applying for a Visa.
Because I was a post-graduate engineering student that already completed compulsory course work and submitted my thesis before leaving for Belgium, I was able to select any modules of my choice and I had not minimum credits to fulfill. Ultimately, I shortened my time abroad to three months by selecting two engineering modules that had no written exam and a language course in Dutch that I could complete in three months exactly. I will elaborate more on the modules later. Ghent University approved my learning agreement under these circumstances.
In making the decision to do a semester exchange (or an exchange of any length) can seem pretty daunting. There is a fair amount of decisions to make at this point already; How long do you want to be on exchange? Which Universities would you like to apply to? What types of funding and learning agreements are available? I spent a fair amount of time reading about the various options on the website of SU International. They give you a pretty good idea of the different types of exchange programs available, the institutions that they have learning agreements and the financial help they can offer. Their two phased application processes is also very well laid out on the website.
"When it comes to suitcases: backpack beats duffle bag, suitcase with wheels beats backpack and convertible backpack with wheels trumps everything. " Summer School Traveler Corneli Smit
