Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid: CSEP W24_Sophie Dube
My favourite part of going on exchange was…
Meeting the people that I had the privilege to meet; my friends and my fiance. Definitely meeting my fiance, which was most probably the last thing I thought would happen on exchange but the most beautiful thing.
Going on exchange challenged me because…
I left as a relatively reserved person and had to give myself a push to be a social butterfly. The last thing I wanted was to live 5 months in my own bubble the same way I already do back home. Now, I have friends from all over the world including Spain, and I even met my fiance, all of which would not have happened if I stayed in my comfort zone. I got lucky to have connected with my roomies so much as well, and I regularly keep contact with them.
I recommend going on exchange because…
It affects your life in a long-lasting, positive way. I have never heard a bad story about an exchange gone wrong expect for extreme and unpredictable reasons. You come back to your home country with a new sense of the world, and making the effort to blend into that new country's culture for a while really does make you rethink some of your own mentalities, and it pushes you to be more openminded and critical.
A tip I would give students applying for exchange is ...
Make. A. Budget. And. Stick. To. It. And most importantly, prepare a safety cushion for your budget, because you will most definitely surpass it even if you try not to. That's fine, because it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you should make the most of it, but up to a certain point. Debt *will* affect you more permanently, especially if you don't handle it responsibly. *Some* debt can be helpful for you credit score, but unplanned debt that you have no way of covering will not be so helpful. And if you can, stay as far away from credit as possible, really try to save up as much as you can so you save yourself stress later on.
