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 It was an awesome experience. The student exchange program has given the students direction and purpose and improved their language skills no end. And it will bring them back again after I finish the studies.
It was definitely worthwhile but the students recommend really thinking about what they want when you choose where to go. Most students on Study Abroad programmes participate in exchanges. These are found in virtually every institution. They vary in scale from those catering to only one or two students up to those involving hundreds. Some are of considerable prestige and age. A few, particularly with the United States, have been operating for nearly half a century. Most are relatively recent
and have yet to win – or perhaps to get – a reputation. Some are bilateral arrangements between a single college or university in their home country and overseas. Many are networks, involving perhaps dozens of partners in their home country and abroad. Yet, for all their diversity, they also have a good deal in common. This chapter looks at the kinds of programmes currently available and offers some advice on choosing the ones which would suit best. Not all students on Study Abroad go on exchanges. Some, though a very much smaller number, also undertake Study Abroad independently. Once this was the most common form of studying abroad and, even if it long since lost that position, it still has a following. Studying independently is sometimes regarded as more interesting or more exciting than studying on formal exchanges. Many universities, too, are willing to accept that independent study does have a place. If you have set your heart on studying in some particular country where there is no exchange available or where the exchanges available are not open to you, it may be possible to negotiate your own arrangements. It is never a simple option and no one should take it on who is not determined, industrious and hugely energetic. But, if you are all of those things, this chapter contains some hints on how you might proceed. The rules governing exchanges generally include: • Specific university ‘partners’ • Defined student eligibility • Privileged status • Country choice • Institutional choice • Course choice • Central supervision/assistance Independent exchange study abroad is possible but requires attention to: • Gaining home university approval • Quality considerations • Applying individually • The extra costs • Considering a leave of absence |
