Hoi hoi! Greetings from the Netherlands! I’m Stephanie, and I am a Canadian citizen currently living in Utrecht, Netherlands, where I recently completed my Masters degree in Science at the University of Utrecht. Until recently I had never lived anywhere but Canada, so when I had the chance to study abroad, I jumped at it. Once you get the travel bug, you jump at any opportunity. These past years have been some of the best of my life, and as I look toward doing my Ph.D. I only see more opportunities to travel. Who knows what’s next-Iceland? Switzerland? Spain?
To give you a bit of background first, I did my Bachelor’s at the University of Toronto in Forensic Biology. It’s one of their more intense programs, with a fairly strict scheduling of courses and prerequisites. So much so that a semester abroad usually means losing a year of credits and, as some courses were offered only during alternating years, sometimes even two years. Long story short- I never got to do the much ballyhooed (that means sensationalized) semester abroad.
That’s why, when I decided to go back to school for my Masters, I decided to go to Europe (Utrecht, in the Netherlands to be precise, for their superb training in medical sciences as well as our family ties to the land of bicycles and orange). As part of my program in NL, I also got the chance to go to Argentina for a research project in tropical medicine in Buenos Aires. Abroad while abroad? Sign me up!
Research
Do it. Do lots of it. Find out all you can about the countries you’re interested in, the cities, schools and programs. Find out if the school is particularly known for a field of study. Find out if there already exists an exchange program or at least relations between your school and the ones you’re interested in (trust me, it makes everything a lot easier). Find out what the visa requirements are and if you need vaccinations. Most schools will have an International Student Office full of lovely, well-informed people who are getting paid to answer your questions. Also ask if they have student representatives - young people who have already done what you’re about to do and will give you the totally honest answer. Also, ask your friends if they know anyone who lives there or has lived there. Knowing what someone else has gone through will make you so much more prepared for your stay. They can check out housing options, make sure you don’t get stuck in a dodgy neighbourhood, recommend all sorts of things and basically guide you through the process.
Passport/Visas
Obviously the most important part of going abroad. And yes, your photo will most likely make you look like a terrorist or drug dealer. Ask me about getting stopped in Atlanta while connecting from Bogota on my way to Amsterdam. No fun.
The Canadian passport is well-recognized and well-respected, but don’t think it’s your get-out-of-jail-free card. Know what you need to provide to get into the country. Universities are usually quite good at helping you with the student visa application process, but you’ve got to do most of the leg work. Don’t be surprised if you’re asked to provide your long-form birth certificate, a criminal record check, 2 to 4 passport photos, proof of financial good–standing (sometimes your parents can back you up on this), a letter of acceptance from the school, etc. etc.
Credits
Remember, you are going abroad as part of your education, so you should get credit for your 6 months abroad. Most of Europe is on the ‘ects’ program, an EU-wide credit system that makes transferring credits really easy between educational institutes in Europe. Unfortunately, Canada is not a part of this system, which means that your law credits from England or biology courses from Germany might not have equivalents in Waterloo or Victoria. If you’re lucky, and with tons of documentation, you might convince the registrar’s office to accept them as equivalencies. If you’re less lucky, they might be considered as electives. Worst case - they don’t count for anything and you’re sans credit for that semester.
This is where it pays to have done your research, and to have picked a school that has already established a link with your school. That being said, don’t let that limit you. If you have your heart set on studying Viking ruins in Denmark, go for it! Accept the fact that you might not get your credits, but it’s still an amazing learning opportunity. And bring back as much official documentation with you, letters from professors, course descriptions, etc. and put on your puppy-dog eyes and visit with the registrar’s office. Better yet, try to set something up before you leave.
Money
It costs money to go abroad. At the moment, the Canadian dollar is fairly strong, but unless you’re going to Eastern Europe or South America, count on everything costing more. Plus your airfare, visas, vaccinations, international calling (hello, Skype!), etc., etc. Check for scholarships, both at your school as well as the school you’d like to go to.
Some countries even have whole organizations dedicated to scholarships for foreign students. Check out Canadian-based organizations for the country you’re interested in; I have a friend who spent a year in Leipzig, Germany at almost no personal cost- most of her expenses were covered by a scholarship from Carleton, one from the university in Leipzig, and a scholarship from a German organization in Ottawa. Check any decent scholarship database or Google terms like “study abroad scholarships” or “Country X scholarships”. Ask at your school’s financial office or even the embassy of Country X might have links or be able to suggest something (I would recommend calling the embassy. This is one of those times when it’s better to actually talk to someone rather than email)
Don’t forget to set aside extra money for emergencies. Even the most ardent budget-makers I know have blown it after a weekend of partying or one too many RyanAir flights. It’s not always easy to have your parents send money overseas, so figure out how to do it before you leave. If you can, set up a credit card for emergencies purposes only and know how to withdraw money from it. Check your health insurance to see if it covers you while you’re abroad, or if you’re covered under your parents’ policies or on credit cards. Most countries don’t have as great a public health system as we do in Canada, so you’ll likely have to pay out-of-pocket, and then be reimbursed.
Culture shock and homesickness
The first few weeks you’re abroad, you’ll be so busy with partying, meeting new people, finding your classes and adjusting, you’ll feel like life is one big crazy, fun, whirlwind. But then, you’ll get homesick. You won’t know how to pronounce the names of streets. You won’t be able to find skim milk, ginger or baking powder at the grocery store. The time difference will mean it’s harder to call home. You’ll blow your budget on Oktoberfest; you won’t be able to figure out the washing machine; you’ll get lost, have your bicycle stolen, have to walk home, you’ll cry, you’ll hate it and want to take the next flight back home. It happens to every single person who goes abroad (I did an informal survey) and while it’s inevitable, it’s also inevitable that you’ll have a good cry/scream/run and get over it.
Acknowledging that culture shock will happen makes it a bit easier to deal with. Set up regularly-scheduled Skype dates with your friends and family back home. Write letters and send postcards back home and ask your friends to do the same. Have your parents send a care package full of goodies and reminders of home (I’m 26, have lived away from home for 7 years, abroad for 3 and my parents still send me care packages. Thanks Mom and Dad!). Get yourself invited to dinner at a local friend’s house for dinner and bask in the affection from their parents. Mom-hugs are a universal cure for homesickness. No Mom-substitute available at that moment? Call a friend: even better if they’re also on exchange, because they’re likely feeling the same. Go for coffee, a walk, shopping, a movie, whatever.
Get to know the locals
Please, please, please don’t be one of those exchange students who only meets other exchange students and the local students that run the exchange/international student program. If you really want to experience somewhere, you’ve got to meet locals doing their everyday-thing: Taking the train, shopping at the market, playing sports, working out at the gym, going to the movies. The school I studied at had an especially strong exchange program with Australian law departments. I saw so many Aussie students who only hung out with each other. You can hang out with other Canadians in Canada- use your time abroad to meet people you’re unlikely to meet in Canada. You’ll find that you pick up the language much faster, you get invited to really cool parties and events, and you can avoid tourists. Plus, you might score the much coveted dinner-invite for Mom-hugs.
Make the most of it
Ah, this is the paragraph that Andrea will make fun of me for, sounding all “big sister imparting wisdom”. And that’s exactly what I am going to do.
You’ve decided to take an adventure, so don’t sit around in your dorm room. Adventures never happen while studying calculus. I mean, do study calculus or biology or conflict resolution or whatever it is you’re there to do, but remember that this might be your only chance to live in Singapore or Prague or Melbourne, so make the most of it. Put yourself out there and meet new people. Learn the language, even if it’s just the basics like “Hello, my name is…”, “Where’s the washroom?” and “Two beers, please”. (Side note- always learn to say “please”, “thank you” and “Do you speak English?” in the local language. It’s just polite and people will be much more willing to help). Go on random weekends to the countryside, visit small villages, take pictures, eat the local cuisine (Pigeon? Check. Llama? Check. Guinea pig? No, and I do regret it). Stay out late on a school night every now and then. Have fun!
