Adventure Time want to study abroad? shona scorringe tells you how you can make it happen The most influential moment of my Deakin life was the moment someone approached me in O’week and asked if I’d be interested in going on exchange. I was with my mum at the time and I remember feeling very overwhelmed by the amount of ‘experiences’ Deakin was offering me from each of the stalls. Do you want to be a DUSA member? “What’s that?” Do you want to try cheerleading? “I’m not very flexible”. Do you want to be an exchange student?
borrow is $6250 (or $7500 if you will be studying in Asia) for a 6 month period. This amount is then added to your HECS debt. On top of this the Study Abroad office will offer all successful exchange applicants a $500-$1000 travel grant, which you do not have to repay. There are also a number of other grants and scholarships offered depending on your destination. All of this information is available on the ‘How can I cover my costs?’ page on the Deakin Exchange website.
12 months later I was about to embark on the craziest three months of my life, during which the phrase “I’m an exchange student from Australia”, would become my ‘get out of jail free card’ (not literally), as I studied in London and travelled across Europe.
If this sounds appealing and you’re interested in taking part in the exchange program, the first step is to attend a compulsory information session, run by the Study Abroad office. This is where you will receive all of the infomation as well as the application forms. From personal experience this is when most people freak out.
Deakin has connections with over 100 universities across the globe with multiple study options: Student exchange, faculty-led study tours, and the Global Citizenship Program, all of which are readily available for you to take advantage of. If, like me, exchange is something that you think is not only a great educational opportunity as well as an excuse to see some more of the world, then here is some information on how you can get involved...
Applying is the most difficult part of the exchange process, but it is the most helpful and beneficial part as it prepares you for all aspects of your trip including budgeting, accommodation and destination selection.
Any Deakin student can apply to the study abroad office to do an exchange that will count towards the completion of their degree. Your only requirements are to have 8 credit points completed at Deakin (with at least a credit pointaverage) and you must have 4 credit points still to complete on your return to Deakin.
The best advice I can offer you is to get onto it early and do your research. The most difficult part of the application is choosing a destination and matching up your Deakin units to units that your exchange university offers. This can be very time consuming because you must get a Deakin academic to approve each unit, who needs to confirm that the unit you will complete on your exchange will cover the same material, or is an appropriate alternative to the unit you would have been studying at Deakin. If you have any electives in your course it is much easier to use them whilst you are on exchange.
Exchange is affordable. There are no extra study fees because you continue to pay fees to Deakin as you normally would. You are also eligible to apply for OS-HELP loan to help you with the costs of airfares, accommodation and any personal or study expenses you may have. The maximum you can
The easiest way to complete this part of the process is to go on to the university’s website and find as much information that you can about the units or ‘modules’ that they offer in your course or area of study. It is essential that these units be at the same level as your Deakin units, i.e. if you’re in second
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