Hey guys! I’m still in the U.S, but it won’t be long now
before the big send off day. Still, there is a lot left to do. So for that,
I’ll dedicate this post to the journey to get to this point… and all the hoops
I had to jump through. I initially applied to study at the University of
Queensland. It was a larger university, with a “better sounding” name than
Queensland University of Technology, which was actually one of the main points
that I originally applied to that program. I sadly, wasn’t accepted into the
program, seeing as they only had like two seats available. But, still the
opportunity to study at QUT came up and there was no way that I was letting
that one pass me up. The application process to study abroad wasn’t too hard,
but wasn’t a piece of cake either. There were some essays and also references
that I had to get from professors. I was struggling to get the application and
my references in on time, but it all happened and I applied.
Like I said, I wasn’t accepted into my initial program, but
everything fell into place and I got the QUT acceptance. I had to fill out so
many forms after that! These included things like accepting the offer and
sending a bunch of forms into the Study Abroad Office and to QUT. I had to do an orientation online and go to a
physical orientation that was like 3 hours long. It was all very helpful and
helped me to better understand the process and what to expect during my
experience, but it was still lengthy. I had to send forms in and pay for
insurance and meet with my advisor to choose classes that would transfer from
QUT to USC. We actually messed up when we did this because my advisor and I
chose classes from the Semester 2 units (that’s what our “courses” are called
over there) and I would be attending during their Semester 1 session. Some of
the classes we chose weren’t even offered during Semester 1 there, so I had to
choose different ones and make sure that they would transfer. But, I got that
done and then had to go online and choose the courses online and verify those.
Then I got my visa information and applied for that online. Our visa process
wasn’t as extensive as a lot of other programs. Ours was just online and we
used a code provided by the school to apply for a student visa. I got my
confirmation the next day.
The reason I wanted to write about this long process is
because I’m working right now to get my flight confirmed. This is one of the
last steps, before housing, that I will be doing. Most of the hard stuff is
behind me! Woosh! I also wanted to write about this process because even before
leaving, I know that it will be amazing and want to encourage others to apply.
It seems daunting, and trust me… it is. I won’t lie. Sometimes I have ben so
stressed with this stuff because it is so much. However, there are some great
people that can help you with any questions you have. You don’t have to do it
alone. I know that sometimes I had and still have to find out the answers to
questions I have. And trust me once again, I still have questions. It will all
work out though and soon I’ll be on the other side of the world. And who has
time to worry when you have something as good as that to look forward to?
