This article is sponsored by Swinburne University of Technology.
We all know taking on tertiary study can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be daunting. Couple that with studying in a completely foreign country, one where the native tongue isn’t familiar, so the pressure might only increase.
But, luckily, exchange programs at university can be an endlessly rewarding undertaking, even if it seems intimidating at first. By mustering up the courage to study abroad in programs like those that Swinburne University of Technology offers, you open yourself up to life lessons outside of the lecture hall that you might not have otherwise.
Take Amy, for example, who spent 12 months studying in an exchange program in a small German town.
“My time on exchange taught me a new level of self-reliance,” Amy tells The Latch.
“When you’re sitting there in a random town trying to set up a bank account in German, you get a sense of having no one to rely on but yourself. You put yourself in a position where you just figure it out, which can be hard to do when you’re stuck in your bubble at home.”
But pulling yourself out of your shell doesn’t have to be done alone. In fact, according to Amy, one of the best parts of her exchange program was having other people there with her going through the exact same process.
“When you’re in a country that doesn’t speak your native language,” Amy says, “you just have to do the extra work and put yourself out there, and having other people experiencing that alongside you really helps make the whole thing positive.”
Shanii, who studied for six months in America, agrees wholeheartedly.
“I was living at home at the time, then I put myself in a situation where I was living in an apartment with four other people, all of different nationalities. I can’t imagine another time when that would’ve happened to me.”
Being put into that melting pot helped Shanii immensely when it came to broadening her sense and view of the world.
“I’m so much better at communicating with new people because of my exchange program,” Shanii says.
“I have a much more inherent understanding of how to interact and find commonalities with so many people outside of my bubble.”
Not only does exchange teach you life lessons like persistence, self-reliance and communicating on a deeper level, but you can also leave with friends for life.
In Shanii’s case, she’s now got close friends all over the world.
“I have one friend I made over there who I’m really close to that lives around the corner from me,” she says.
“But, I also just visited another friend I made in their home in London. Those six months really just made the world feel smaller to me, and I love it.”
Much like completing a university degree, one of the biggest life lessons, or feelings, you can get from exchange is achievement.
“I did that, nobody can take it away from me,” Amy says. “I picked up my life and moved to a small town in a country that doesn’t speak my language — I did that.”
Would Amy and Shanii recommend taking on exchange if you’re studying? The answer is a resounding yes. As Amy puts it, “It’s the best thing you can do for your sense of self, which stays with you forever.”