Pre-departure sessions

Hey all,

Over the past two weeks I’ve attended some pre-departure sessions to get me ready for the final stages of preparations before I head off on my exchange. Only 80 more days now!

Last Tuesday I went into Melbourne Uni to attend a 2 hour USA pre-departure session run by the US Embassy. In the session the embassy representatives talked us through the visa process (all of which I completed nearly 2 months ago), but also gave us insight into what the actual appointment will be like along with some tips for what to bring to it. A bunch of the session was dedicated to a Q&A, which was actually really helpful because other students had a heap of questions about the visa process that I hadn’t even thought to ask. I also met up with two other girls from Deakin who are going on exchange to the US, one of which is going to Ole Miss with me, and got to chat with them for a bit about a few things.

On Monday I went into Deakin Downtown (a Deakin campus on Collins street) for Deakin’s compulsory pre-departure session for all students going abroad in trimester 2 to all countries. They’d divided us into the three main continent groups (USA & Canada, Europe & UK, Asia & South America) in separate rooms, and we all had to put on a name badge that also listed our exchange university.

The first hour and bit of the 3 hour session was spent listening to Sean (our Deakin North America advisor) who ran us through some basic info such as Deakin’s travel insurance, home sickness, Smartraveller and International SOS. After this, we spent about half an hour mingling with other students in the room, chatting about our travel plans, how far along in our process we were with our colleges (e.g. accommodation, roommates, classes etc.) and what we were most looking forward to about college. The last hour of our session was a Q&A with some Deakin students who have gone on exchange to North America through Deakin Abroad. We were able to ask more important questions about things such as banking, travel visas, driving, and how much their exchange cost each of them, as well as more entertaining questions regarding drinking, Greek life and parties, joining clubs, and any other tips and tricks they could offer. They had some really hilarious and outrageous stories, and just encouraged us to step out of our comfort zones and be a ‘yes’ person so that our time abroad is the best experience of our lives.

This pre-departure session was the last formal meeting before we leave, and I just finished my last week of classes for the semester. Only 1 exam to do and a few weeks off and I’m on my way! Thanks for reading :)

- Emily xx