Becoming an exchange student pt.1

When I said to myself in late 2011 "how hard can it be to apply to go as an exchange student?" I didn't expect that I would jinx myself as hard as I did with saying that. Or, realistically it is just not easy at all to do it, jinxed or not.

All the deadlines, the decisions, the choices, small text and hard-to-find information literally drives you exhausted.

I remember when I had spent many waking hours to pick out courses from the course list of the university page to put on my application, knowing that I'd have to pick something my teachers would approve of although these courses might not even be available for me when arriving at the university.

After carefully choosing them I realized a couple of days before applying to the University of Iceland that I had to pick 3 schools, even though I knew exactly what one I wanted to go to. So, after rushing through pages of two other universities I picked random courses there.

Actually, I found some of the courses in the other school so interesting that I didn't even care if I wouldn't get accepted into the first one.

Anyway, as nobody seems to be interested in Québec except me on this island I got my answer very quickly. Yes, you have been chosen to go as an exchange student from Uni. Iceland. 

Now you must apply to the school itself.

Actually as I will be going through the CREPUQ exchange net (which is similar to ERASMUS) I needed to send an application through that. 

Which I did. Doing that I found out that I could only apply to one of these 3 as they all stated on their CREPUQ profiles: 

[...] will only accept CREPUQ student applications that indicate [this school] as the first choice institution [...] 

So, no need for the second two I rushed so badly to put into my application - back to school nr 1 again!

After handing in my documents to the International Office I finally sighed with relief - all this mess is finished! Finally! 

After sitting for an hour at the University Center, chillin' with some of my frenchies I was going over everything in my head. Had I done everything properly? 

Signature? Shit.. shit shit shit.

I forgot to sign the only piece of paper that they ask you to sign.

I remember thinking "Ok I'll sign it when I hand it in"

Which I then did not remember to do. After some running and catching my breath while trying to explain what I had done, my International Office affairs-person-lady found my paper and I signed it, half an hour later it would all have been sent somewhere over seas (i.e. Québec) where my signature would've been needed.

Kids, dont do drugs and dont forget to sign important papers before you send them.. It will cause you stress and asthma.

After that I waited for ages, literally ages to get any response from the host university on if they had accepted my application or not. 

I got a notice that all my files were judged satisfying (which only satisfied myself for like a week, then I wanted to know more) and I kept on waiting. Even my friends who applied to go to France (birth country of bureaucracy) got answers before me and their applications were sent in March (mine left Iceland in January). How lovely. 

Finally in late May I got an email...

[...] you are probably getting ready for your arrival in Canada. [...] Did you know that [the school] offers reception services at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport as well as a free shuttle service... [...]

So, I guess I've been accepted? Annoyed I sent an email complaining that I had received this email but my acceptation letter hadn't arrived yet and I was getting worried.. So, my first indication of being accepted was a notice of a free shuttle service. And I dont think I will even use it..

Finally a few days later I got the letter and I started to apply for visas. 

The day after sending an application to be accepted into the province of Québec - yes you need to apply for that too! - I got another letter from my host university apologizing for mistakes in my original acceptation letter (which was on it's way to Québec Immigration by then with my application forms) as the dates were from last year (2011 instead of 2012 etc).

Such an exciting adventure! - so I sent the new and correct copy to Québec Immigrations..

Now I've also sent study visa applications to the Canadian Embassy in London and I'm waiting for all that. 

I'll blog about that and more of my application adventures laters. Stay tuned for the International Office lady who doesn't know her geography!

Here's a picture of a party sheep to cheer everyone up!

Until next time, 

The paperwork-slave

Miriam