Believe it or not, I am just about a week away from leaving my home city of Montreal to study abroad at the University of Nottingham in England. I am in complete and utter disbelief: just about a year ago, I began applying for exchange after attending one of the Faculty of Arts’ information sessions. For me, studying abroad has been a long time dream, so much so that it was a major part in selecting McGill as my university of choice. I feel especially grateful and thrilled to be embarking on this journey so soon.
Now is the time where prospective exchange students are beginning their initial applications, several students are just returning to McGill after their fall 2014 semester away, and other students are just leaving for their winter 2015 semesters abroad. I’d like to share some wisdom on the many preparatory stages of exchange: what it’s like to apply, what it’s like to pack, and most of all, what it feels like when you’re finally days away from it all.
Expect to fill out a lot of forms: The process of applying to study abroad, particularly in the Faculty of Arts, is quite exhausting. Let me just tell you straightaway: finally receiving the news that McGill has accepted your nomination feels unbelievably amazing after completing the multiple parts of the application. I have heard that a lot of people don’t even pursue this incredible opportunity just because of the arduous process of applying. I’m here to tell you that that should never stop you from pursuing this experience, especially if you’re interested and you’ve always wanted to do it. In the end, these forms may take a while to complete, but they are necessary for ensuring your academic standing and overall safety while studying abroad.
Expect to feel frazzled: I cannot tell you how many times the process of exchange has tired me out. I have run around to different places on campus to get different kinds of advising for exchange (faculty, departmental, Service Point etc.) Nowadays I have been experiencing a new form of study abroad stress, where I become very tired from running around the city, getting dorm supplies and travel necessities. This is all natural: experiences like these take a lot of physical and mental preparation. Even though the multiple stages of preparing to go abroad leave you feeling drained, just think that when you’re finally at your host university, you’ll be ready to live the adventure.
Expect the unexpected: Like I said before, preparing to go study abroad, or really on any kind of extraordinary cross-continental journey, requires a lot of physical and mental preparation. When we are faced with many major opportunities such as studying abroad, we often find ourselves bringing up the dreaded “what ifs”: “What if I hate it there?” “What if no one likes me?” “What if I run out of money?” Yes, it’s normal to feel this kind of anxiety before leaving. If you prepare to the best of your ability in terms of making sure you bring all necessary items and documents, you shouldn’t have to worry too much. As for the adventures to come from being abroad…that I believe no one can really prepare for. Yes, you can book tickets in advance and pack and whatnot (or not – spontaneity is supposedly the thing to try while going away!) but there’s no measuring how these moments will truly impact your life. Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to lately, some of whom haven’t even traveled to this extent, has told me that studying abroad for the next few months is going to be life-changing. I really truly hope they’re right, because I know from past smaller-scale endeavors that great travel experiences can really affect someone’s course of life for the better.
So here we go! This next week is my last in Montreal for a little while, so my plan is to do a lot of packing and sleeping and down time with family and friends. Next time you hear from me, I’ll be adjusting to life in a small town across the pond. Isn’t that just smashing?
Images obtained from: https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6069/6115510699_504f843a3e.jpg, http://zzzbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/travelling.jpg, http://cdn29.elitedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/large-21.jpg