A Blog about Education Abroad

Category: Semester Exchange Postings

Blog Postings by Returning Stellenbosch University Students

  • Anna-Marie’s Semester in Oslo

    Anna-Marie’s Semester in Oslo

    Pre-departure:

    I was very excited to know that my exchange plans were becoming a reality! I waited quite long for the admission letter from UiO, and so my flight ticket was a bit more expensive than I would have liked. Maybe this was also just a fact of the time of year – I flew just after Christmas. I am very fortunate to be well-travelled so the flights and train rides were not stressful at all. I needed to be in Oslo by the 12th of January and on the way there I visited family friends in Sweden. This was great because I borrowed bedding and other household items from them, useful savings in expensive Norway. However, I did the normal thing exchange students do – a visit to IKEA. In Oslo, there is a free bus (with wifi!) that runs quite regularly from the city centre to the IKEA.

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  • Tian at Maastricht University

    Tian at Maastricht University

    Prepare for… (admin) lift-off! This statement pretty much sums up the entire pre-departure experience.

    To any student considering an exchange abroad I would suggest an entire mind-set shift. It is quite a tedious and time consuming process and makes you wonder why you applied for an exchange in the first place. Applying for a visa, arranging accommodation, selecting the cheapest flights, deciding on which exchange courses to take, and suddenly realising you are actually still a student and not a travel agent takes a lot of time and patience. (more…)

  • Jana at Leiden University

    Jana at Leiden University

    Pre-departure:

    Before approaching something as big in your life as an exchange abroad, you should prepare yourself for A LOT of administration. Of course, in the end, this will all be well worth it.

    Things you have to organize by yourself to go to Leiden University in the Netherlands in particular are your bursaries, accommodation, travelling arrangements and visa applications. The exchange coordinators at Leiden University are very helpful, fortunately, they tell you exactly what to do and when it should be done. It is very important to keep up to date with all the deadlines for certain payments and applications that they give you, so that you are sure you will get you visa on time. You also do have to go to the Dutch embassy, so again, be prepared to spend a lot of time organizing. Even though I felt overwhelmed by all the different applications and forms at times, it is not something that I really feel overshadowed the whole experience, so just do what you must, when you must, and everything should run smoothly.

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