It is amazing what you can do if you set your mind to something. Three years ago I received an email about studying overseas as a part of my degree. Whilst the idea immediately appealed to me, it would have been so easy just to delete that email and dismiss the whole idea of an exchange as being too complicated and too much trouble. But I didn’t. I made a choice that to this day stands as my best decision to date – I decided to go on Exchange. From that point onwards my actions were devoted to ensuring my ‘dream’, as it became, developed into a reality. For the next 18 months I worked extra shifts, consciously saving my dollars. Time not working or studying was spent harassing the lovely people at STA Travel with my endless planning. What started out as a six month exchange by myself at McGill University in Montreal, Canada soon evolved into an 8 month world trip encompassing 13 countries across 4 continents with 3 of my close friends (one of whom even decided to do an Exchange at the same University!).

I guess the biggest factor when you look at planning a journey such as this is often money. Whilst I was lucky enough to receive scholarships from UQ which helped with the money side of things, there are many options for financial assistance through the Government, the university and even sometimes the possibility of working whilst on exchange. So yes there’s money to be saved and forms to fill out, visas to obtain and a waiting game to be played but it’s worth it, it’s just so worth it.

Studying at a different university meant I was able to undertake a wider variety of subjects than had I studied at UQ and gave me the opportunity to strengthen my knowledge base and apply my skills in different areas. As I am undertaking an Education Degree (Music Education) my future students will also benefit from my experiences.

I can’t recommend highly enough the valuable experience that going on exchange was for me. It wasn’t just about studying in another country, for me it was about experiencing new things, seeing the world, meeting new people, living in a bilingual city, observing different and varied ways of life, experiencing four very varied seasons and seeing things I’d otherwise never get to see… and all before I’ve even finished my degree. And all it took was a decision.