A Blog about Education Abroad

Tag: USA

  • Benjamin attends the System Dynamics Summer School at MIT, USA

    Benjamin attends the System Dynamics Summer School at MIT, USA

    Preparations for departure:

    The American visa is publicized as one of the hardest to acquire. Given the lengthy online application form that ought to be completed, such proclamations may contain some truth. Completing the online application form might take three hours if diligence (which is very necessary) is to be employed. Once the online visa application is completed; the next phase is booking appointment (online) to attend an interview at the embassy/consulate. There are three centers in South Africa, and the consulate in Cape Town is the closest venue in the Western Cape for interview. Usually, the nearest time-lapse between interview booking date and attendance is about three weeks to one month. This varies depending on the consulate´s backlog.

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  • Matt at Stanford University, USA

    Matt at Stanford University, USA

    Pre-departure:

    Once I had accepted my admission offer to Stanford, everything went by fairly quickly. Stanford provided a detailed checklist of all the things that needed to be sorted before I arrived. The list didn’t seem to end.

    The preparations needed for a two and a half month trip overseas are enormous, especially if you are travelling alone. Luckily, my accommodation and food was already all sorted as it was provided by Stanford University (at a pretty hefty fee). The only things left were the flights and the visa.

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  • 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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