So, these next few posts might be extremely boring and extremely informative at the same time. This IS what happened during the application process for studying on exchange at CUHK for (their) Term 2, 2013. Happy reading!
So, I submitted the online application for the International Asian Studies Program (IASP) - essentially the fancy name of their undergrad exchange program - on September 4th 2012. Then... nothing. Really. I received nothing from the Office of Academic Links (OAL - in charge of undergrad, postgrad, summer school etc exchange and study abroad students) for the entire month of September. However, on Spetember 14 I did receive notification that the University of Adelaide had applied for an International Student Exchange Scholarship on my behalf - worth $5000. Of course, payment of this scholarship was contingent on my being accepted by CUHK. (I would attach a link to the scholarship info, but the government department that was in charge of the scholarship - DEEWR - is now not in charge of it anymore. Good work guys! But the money has been confirmed. (*Angry Face* I'll believe it when I see the money in my account...)
And then, it was time to play the waiting game.
Below is what happened in October and November.
9th October - Was teased by the good people at OAL.
I was sent an email asking that IF my application was successful, would I be living on campus, or would I be finding my own accomodation? The email went on to say that IF I intended to live on campus, then DO NOT REPLY TO THE EMAIL. However, IF my application was successful and IF I wanted to live off-campus (which was advised against unless you had an arrangement with family or friends) to then please reply by the 21st of October with details of where you intend to stay.
So basically I was asked to actively ignore the only contact I had had with my prospective exchange university. It was frustrating, to say the least.
12th November - ACCEPTANCE LETTER RECEIVED! Oh Happy Day.
But wait, there's more! In the email there were instructions about what to do next, namely, fill in visa forms, dorm preferences, permission forms if you are under 21 etc. Fair enough. A handy checklist with all these items and more was attached to the email. And then...
You are required to complete and return all the documents to our Office by courier before November 19, 2012.
Um, what?
There were approximately 40 pages of documents to fill in.
And I had 5 working days to get it to them.
Suffice to say, it happened. But not without lots of stress.
Look forward to my next post: "How To Complete The Documents For A Semester-Long Exchange Program IN TWO DAYS". Hopefully next year's participants will then know what to expect and might be able to prepare a little in advance. Or at least will be aware that CUHK may want the documents returned to them essentially within a week of notification of acceptance.
Moral of the story. Once you have applied for exchange, check your email regularly. You might not have much time to do what they ask you to do. They say jump...
And then, it was time to play the waiting game.
Below is what happened in October and November.
9th October - Was teased by the good people at OAL.
I was sent an email asking that IF my application was successful, would I be living on campus, or would I be finding my own accomodation? The email went on to say that IF I intended to live on campus, then DO NOT REPLY TO THE EMAIL. However, IF my application was successful and IF I wanted to live off-campus (which was advised against unless you had an arrangement with family or friends) to then please reply by the 21st of October with details of where you intend to stay.
So basically I was asked to actively ignore the only contact I had had with my prospective exchange university. It was frustrating, to say the least.
12th November - ACCEPTANCE LETTER RECEIVED! Oh Happy Day.
But wait, there's more! In the email there were instructions about what to do next, namely, fill in visa forms, dorm preferences, permission forms if you are under 21 etc. Fair enough. A handy checklist with all these items and more was attached to the email. And then...
You are required to complete and return all the documents to our Office by courier before November 19, 2012.
Um, what?
There were approximately 40 pages of documents to fill in.
And I had 5 working days to get it to them.
Suffice to say, it happened. But not without lots of stress.
Look forward to my next post: "How To Complete The Documents For A Semester-Long Exchange Program IN TWO DAYS". Hopefully next year's participants will then know what to expect and might be able to prepare a little in advance. Or at least will be aware that CUHK may want the documents returned to them essentially within a week of notification of acceptance.
Moral of the story. Once you have applied for exchange, check your email regularly. You might not have much time to do what they ask you to do. They say jump...
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