Are you interested in going on an exchange at some point during your university experience? Are you curious about the application process, and what an exchange experience is even like? If you are, then this is the blog for you!
I had known, even before starting university, that at some point I wanted to go on exchange, and for me, third-year sounded like a great time to do it. So, I contacted Western’s International office, reviewed which schools around the world offered my programs (English and Geography) and decided to begin the adventure.
The way Western’s International Exchange Program works is that you write an application to the International office answering questions about why you would like to go on an exchange, and then you list, in order of interest, the schools you would like to do an exchange at. If the International office accepts your application, they will then nominate you to your top choice school as a candidate for that exchange program. If the exchange university accepts you (which is likely!) the process of picking courses and preparing for the exchange begins!
During my application process, I chose King’s College London (KCL) as my number one pick. And this semester, I am lucky enough to be studying here at KCL!
In anticipation of this adventure, many anxieties swirled around my head: Will travelling to England go well? Will I become familiar with the city and transit? What are classes going to be like? Am I going to be able to adjust to this new environment?
I write this blog with the knowledge that many Western students have questions and concerns about studying abroad, just like me. So, throughout the semester I will be providing updates on my exchange experience, including things I didn’t expect and any tips I may have. At the time of writing this post, I have been in England for a week and a half, and classes start tomorrow—ahh!
Something I very much appreciated, and something that made this experience much less nerve-racking, is that my mom came over with me to help get me settled. She took this as an opportunity to go on a trip, and to see the city together. It was really nice to have someone by my side, helping navigate the complexities of London, and someone whose presence also lessened the severity of saying goodbye to home.
We packed in as much tourism as we could in a week. We did a river cruise on the Thames, saw Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. We walked all around different parts of London, including the proper City of London, Soho, South Kensington, and many others. We also worked on getting me settled here (i.e., buying bedding, pots and pans, etc.) as I am living in residence for the semester. You really can’t bring much from home when travelling overseas! Having her here for a bit made the transition to living in residence much smoother, and lessened the intimidation of moving to a new country.
While I have much yet to explore, what I can say already is that London is absolutely beautiful— the architecture, the streets, the parks, the old buildings. Everything has a history here, and it's so cool admire a building and casually learn that it was built 500 years ago.
So far, I am really enjoying my time here. My mom has now left, but there are still familiar faces around—in fact, another Coterie blog writer (and my roommate) Asha Saha, is studying at King’s as well! I am currently anticipating the academic semester to come, the people I will meet, and the fun I will have—exchange is so exciting!!!