The past couple of months had been a life changing experience, for which I will forever be grateful for. It was definitely hard at times, but afterwards I realize that it’s doing those times where I have learned the most about myself, my degree, different cultures and in general life.
Tag: semester exchange
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Christine at KU Leuven, Belgium
Pre-departure:
The pre-departure process is extremely overwhelming and quite stressful. Despite making hundreds of lists of things that need to be done, and completing something almost every single day, it still feels like no progress is being made. However, once I started asking around, I realised that many other students felt the exact same way.
In order to stay (relatively) organised, I made a folder for all my exchange documents as well as a folder for all emails sent and received in relation to the exchange. I knew that if I needed something, it would be there.
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Meshaan at Bocconi University, Italy
Pre-departure:
I would suggest that you should start making lists of the things that you need as you start thinking of them and buy them as you go along, this saved me the stress of having to pack the day before. Make sure that your suitcases are big enough to fit everything (I know they are expensive, but investing in a good suitcase is well worth it). If you’re going for the Fall semester, then rather pack more winter clothes than summer clothes because the summer months are not that long and there are MANY summer clothing sales in September [Milan is the fashion capital of the world- just saying 😉 ]. I unfortunately can not give advice regarding the visa application because I have an EU passport, but Bocconi University does have a very detailed information list on their website regarding what you need, further the Italian embassy in Cape Town are very helpful and friendly.