Motivation
My motivation for participating in this exchange was to challenge myself living in an unfamiliar environment. I saw it as a great opportunity to explore the world and to find new and unique experiences.
Personal development
Being on exchange gives you the opportunity to live with international students from all over the world. This made it an amazing opportunity to make friends from all across the world- people with diverse experiences and motivations.
Academic development
This exchange experience was a valuable academic challenge. I attended the University of St Gallen. Studying here provided a much more hands on approach, applying knowledge to real world problems very frequently which proved challenging and rewarding.
Professional development
I developed some great contacts for my future career from this exchange experience.
Costs
Doing an exchange in Switzerland is very expensive. However, my host university provided some great tools to help minimise costs whilst living there. I'd recommend making sure to have a large buffer in any budget as there is always more you can do whilst overseas.
Funding
The funding I received was extremely helpful. It effectively paid for my rent in student accommodation, leaving me free to use my own savings to cover the costs of enrichment experiences and travel. It gave me flexibility in how many leisure activities I could undertake.
Accommodation
Accommodation in St Gallen was very easy to secure as the university provided housing for lots of us. Living in student housing was an amazing experience as you stay with other international students who are all extremely friendly and eager to make meaningful connections.
Highlight
The highlight of my experience was the friends I made and the experiences we were able to share. From organising hikes or skiing weekends through uni groups or working out how to live in a foreign country together, these experiences are made tenfold better by sharing them.
Advice/Top tips
Exchange is a fantastic experience which I would highly recommend. If you can secure university housing you should. Don't be afraid of going to a smaller city, you can still travel everywhere and they often have the best communities.
