A Blog about Education Abroad

Category: Semester Exchange Postings

Blog Postings by Returning Stellenbosch University Students

  • Mardu at the University of Zurich & ETH, Switzerland

    Mardu at the University of Zurich & ETH, Switzerland

    Pre-departure:

    Most of the important preparations are coordinated by the exchange office at UZH. The preparations does take a lot of time, and there are a lot of things to be sorted out, but the list of things that you should do and the timeline as to when they should be done is all communicated perfectly to you by various UZH coordinators. The main things to get sorted out as soon as possible is your subjects, visa and accommodation. These aspects does take quite a while to finalize, but it is worth it to put in the extra effort.

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  • Kim at Xiamen University, China

    Kim at Xiamen University, China

    Pre-departure:

    I did my exchange program at Xiamen University, China. Most of my pre-departure preparations included internet research. Before applying for my visa, I had to purchase my return ticket. The process was relatively quick. As soon as I bought my flight ticket I headed to the Chinese consulate in Cape Town. I handed in my completed and correct documents and paid R400 with it. They told me to come collect my visa the following week. I think it is important that you purchase a return ticket in order to have your visa accepted. The next week I went to collect my visa at the embassy. Quick, easy and no hassle. However, when purchasing your flight ticket remember to keep the semester start dates in mind. It is advisable to arrive in your hosting country the day before registration (if you can afford to sleep at a hotel, that’s great!) or on the day of registration so that you can move into the dorms immediately. If you do decide to sleep over at a hotel or guesthouse, make sure you make a booking online and keep an electrical copy on your phone and a hard copy with you.

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  • Daniel at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Daniel at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Pre- departure:

    Visa application:

    As I possess a South African passport I had to go through the process of applying for a Schengen visa. The Amsterdam exchange office was however in regular contact with regard to this process and they also sent some documents directly to the Dutch embassy which made the process relatively simple, therefore it is important to check your emails regularly to ensure that you don’t miss any steps. One of things that you will need to organise on your own is medical travel insurance, I just got the basic package covering emergency medical procedures through TIC which is a division of Santam insurance and this was sufficient for the purposes of the visa however you can have a look around as there are more extensive plans that will cover doctor’s visits as well. Once you have all your documents in order then you can book your appointment at the Dutch embassy which is located in Cape Town and after the appointment they will give you a collection date, mine took only a week so don’t stress about it not coming in time. Once you have arrived in Amsterdam then you will have to register with the Municipality and then you can collect your residence permit which is valid for around 9 months allowing you to travel to other Schengen countries after the semester has finished.

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