Exchange Student's Survival Guide no3: Applying for the Exchange

Now that you have decided where you want to go, it's time to submit your application to your school. Every university will function differently and submission dates and such will vary, but essentially what I will be suggesting and the advice in the post is general and can be applied to most exchange programs in my opinion.

-Write a GREAT essay/cover letter 
There will most likely be a section where you need to submit an essay describing the reasons why you want to go to a specific university abroad. In my case, I had to submit essays in the language spoken in the countries I wanted to go to. The French essay was not an issue, but the German one gave a bit more of problem. I had been studying German for a couple years, but it was still difficult to write a professional essay that conveyed the proper motivation factor.  Take the proper amount of time to write these letters. Don't rush through them and make sure you get your point across clearly; you want and need to go on that exchange!

-Apply for bursaries 
Going on exchange is not cheap. A great way to be able to enjoy such an opportunity is to apply for bursaries. There are many bursaries out there that help students get the chance to study abroad. It's one of the absolute best ways to build character and experience the world. In Quebec, where I am from and where I studied, there are even government funded bursaries for students going on exchange. Doing some research about all this stuff is essential.

-Talk with professors and fellow classmates
Discussing the exchange and the application process with professors and other students is an excellent way of getting extra information that could be useful in the essay or later on. It's always good to get as much information as early as possible in order to properly prepare. Another good thing about professors is that they can look over the application with you and help you in any of the parts that may pose a problem.

Those are my tips for the application process, hope this has helped some of you out there !

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