5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Going on Exchange

Tips and tricks to feel as prepared as possible!

Tip #1 - Look into Term Dates

When picking a soon I remember saying, “OH MY GOSH THAT ENDS SO LATE!!” and then not choosing a certain school because the end date seemed to surpass the start date for my internship. Little did I know that many schools actually end earlier than they may appear. A lot of schools have block classes, so sometimes you do not have to take classes in every semester (European school periods/semesters are broken up differently). Additionally, you can see when the examination periods are. If you choose a course without exams then you can finish at the start of the examination period. There is a lot more flexibility with end dates if you do the research and plan ahead!

Tip #2 - Get your visa early

As soon as you find out where you are going, apply apply apply! You will be required to provide a lot of documentation, and despite the VISA office saying you have submitted all your documents, they will likely follow up asking for more. This is especially important if you are going to France!

Tip #3 - Make sure your school is close to an airport (bonus if it is a Ryanair airport)

Just because the country you are in is centrally located does not mean that your city will be easy to travel from. Lots of cities in central countries like France are not close to an airport, so you would have to travel by train for a couple of hours before even getting to an airport. This is both time-consuming and expensive. Also, not all airports have Ryanair flights, which means you could be stuck paying for expensive flights or travelling to a farther airport to get a cheap flight. If travelling is a personal priority for your exchange, this is important to consider when picking your school.

MY EXPERIENCE: I went to school in Helsinki, Finland, which is about as uncentral as you can get for travelling, but I had a surprisingly awesome setup. The Helsinki airport is the main airport for the entire country, so almost all airlines operate out of it, including Ryanair and Easy Jet (another discount airline). I also lived a 30-minute tram ride away from the airport, so getting to my flight was super easy. The tram came right outside my apartment building and would drop me off outside the terminal doors, so there was no need to worry about long train rides or expensive taxis.

Tip #4 - City Centre vs. Outskirts Living

Lots of schools are not located close to the centre of the city in which they are located, thus evoking the time-old exchange question of whether or not to live close to the school or the city. There are pros and cons to both, and the right answer will be different for everyone. Living closer to the city centre allows you to have a more vibrant nightlife without worrying about late-night transit. Also being closer to the city centre you are more directly exposed to the lifestyle of the locals and not just student life. But in most cases living close to the city centre is more expensive and entails a long commute to school. Living close to school can be great if you have tons of in-person classes spread out across the week. It is also great for integrating into an authentic student lifestyle and can help you meet more students. But you then are more constricted with your ability to go out in the city, and you will likely have a long commute to go out.

Tip #5 - Pick people to travel with who have the same travel goals as you

Some people only want to party and sleep in; some want to go to every museum, and some want a mix of both. Just because you’re friends does not mean you want the same things out of travelling. Before booking a trip, clearly communicate your expectations regarding activities and costs. You want to ensure that the trip leaves the group chat AND that the group chat will leave the trip!

Learn from our mistakes and make your exchange experience as seamless as possible!