Motivation
I wanted to experience another culture and meet people from different countries. I also wanted to experience schooling life in a different country as I have only studied in Brisbane before. I also wanted to develop my independence and adaptability.
Advice/Top Tips
I highly recommend exchange. It is the most life-changing experience and so much fun. You can experience new cultures, see new places and for many, live alone for the first time in your life. While you will inevitably face problems on exchange, ones that make you stress and cry, overall, you will undergo such huge character development and make the most amazing friends who you would never have crossed paths with otherwise. Exchange has truly been one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I have learnt so much about the world and myself. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Personal Development
I gained so many new friends and met people from all over the world. While I did not quite grasp much German, I gained independence and learnt how to problem solve. Exchange has taught me responsibility and flexibility, allowing me to take risks and not miss out on opportunities.
Organisation and responsibility were two key skills I learnt as it was up to me only to make sure all administration work had to be completed on time, where failure to do so could result in financial penalties. Further, I learn adaptability as when you're in a foreign country, very rarely does everything go right so I had to learn to keep my cool and adapt accordingly.
Academic Development
Academically, I realised UQ has a very well-structured learning system that many other universities do not have. UQ's way of learning is more hands-on, especially compared to UZH which predominantly only has lectures for each course. The workload at UZH, however, was just as much if not more compared to UQ and most courses just have a 100% final exam. It was hard adjusting to this new learning system but overcoming this required hard work and patience.
Funding
I received a scholarship from the University of Zurich. This came as cash which was a little inconvenient as I had to get set up a Swiss bank account. The money was very much needed though as Swiss living costs are quite high. I used the funding towards my living costs, such as transport and groceries and found the amount to be just enough for funding my groceries and local transport my entire exchange stay.
Accomodation
I found out about accommodation through my host university. They sent out applications which I filled in and then gave me a spot. I couldn't choose unfortunately; I could only stay in what was given to me but I got incredibly lucky and was able to stay at a student accommodation which was located right in the city and next to my uni. I had a private room but shared bathroom and kitchen. While this was a new experience, I highly recommend accommodations that have a shared kitchen as this is the perfect opportunity to make more friends. Being able to cook and enjoy meals with roommates is a highlight of my exchange actually. For future students, while you may want private housing, shared student accommodation is the key to being able to make friends.
