A Blog about Education Abroad

Tag: semester exchange

  • Victor at West Virginia University, USA

    Victor at West Virginia University, USA

    As an International Studies student, my choice to study in the US was based on the leading position the country holds in International Affairs, though this position may recently have come under strain. Studying at West Virginia University was truly an amazing experience, but before we get to that…

    Tired of your friends rattling on and on and on… about how eye-opening, culture shocking and simply amazing their semester exchange abroad was. You’ve made up your mind, you’ve done your research and you’ve found a programme that has a perfect blend of academics and the “kuier” culture we’re so accustomed to here at Stellenbosch University. You’ve got the brochures, the go-aheads, the thumbs up, you’re good to go… but are you really?

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  • Vasti at Åbo Akademi, Finland

    Vasti at Åbo Akademi, Finland

    Pre-departure:

    Preparation for going abroad was certainly more work than I anticipated. I had to organise five months worth of medication, organise health insurance, and apply for a visa. The visa application itself was not particularly painful, I was quickly granted a residence permit that I had couriered to my home. It is important to note that the only Finnish embassy is in Pretoria, so I had to fly there for my interview and to get my fingerprints recorded. It was also very expensive to apply for this residency permit – 300 euros, which works out to about R4500, so I had to make sure to budget for this from my travel bursary.

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  • Aghmad at the University of Zurich, Switzerland

    Aghmad at the University of Zurich, Switzerland

    I am very happy and grateful to have received the opportunity to do a semester exchange at the University of Zurich in Switzerland for the Spring Semester of 2017. I will be leaving the sunshine and blue skies of my home town, Cape Town in search of knowledge in a land currently made up of ice and snow. I have booked my flight with Emirates airlines who are extremely generous as they have given me a total 46kg check in luggage with a regular economy ticket.

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