I though it would be good to first write couple lines about how did I even managed to get this far^^ Hopefully this will be helpful for those who think of maybe applying to exchange in the future or are just interested in the matter.
So firstly,
for you to know a little bit of me before talking about the application process~ Well currently a second-year student of an University of Turku (Finland) majoring Information technology, electronics and communication systems, so basically studying in the field of IT (and yes, I'm a girl~). I have studied Chinese and Japanese a year in high school and now another year at university, but just to mention: my language skills are quite primitive^^' Also i studied Korean about a year.
for you to know a little bit of me before talking about the application process~ Well currently a second-year student of an University of Turku (Finland) majoring Information technology, electronics and communication systems, so basically studying in the field of IT (and yes, I'm a girl~). I have studied Chinese and Japanese a year in high school and now another year at university, but just to mention: my language skills are quite primitive^^' Also i studied Korean about a year.
Our university's application deadlines to the next academic year, in case of the East Asian exchange programs, are usually in January or February, so when the New Year was celebrated, I submitted my application forms. Just to mention, at least in our university the applications can NOT be submitted via email. (Something to remember~) And because I'm very (VERY!) organized person, I did a file about the application forms and all the papers I went through 'cause of it. All in all there were four, no five different ones to send:
- The actual Application Form
- Language Assessment Sheets (of each language)
- Learning Agreement (of each applied university)
- Letter of Motivation
- Copy of the Transcript of Studies (credits you have completed)
(Also some universities required a letter of recommendation, but in this case I didn't have to ask one. Though if one will need the letter of recommendation, it does NOT have to be only about one's academic achievements, 'cause after all, when you apply to exchange you need more than just good brains to live in a whole different culture possibly with no-one you know in advance.)
When writing the applications
I applied to Korea and Japan into fours different universities, so basically I wanted to ensure my changes to be chosen into the University located somewhere in Asia. So while applying, I think it was a good thing to mention my future studies and plans regarding the language and the country of where I was applying to. For example: "I am going to carry out the minor in East Asian studies and in the future hope to work in the field of information systems in the Asian market, where our field of industry is increasing. Furthermore, the contacts and connections..." This is basically what I wrote to my Letter of motivation & on the actual Application form. :)
What comes to the Letter of motivation, you should base it on: "Why should you be the one picked?", "How would it benefit your university?", "What about your studying and future career?" and "Why is this important to you?". Also when writing the letter of motivation, you should always put yourself in good light and show how much you want this exchange position. Use words that are polite but powerful, then preferably show it to someone else too so that you get another opinion in the matter (and possibly all the errors fixed as well.) What I did: I showed it to my English teacher and I got really good advises of what should I improve. PLUS after I finished writing, there were NO misspellings, none. :) I think this was the most important paper of my application and was a great cause of why i was selected, so don't underestimate it's power! ^^
About the language sheets and learning agreements, all of them you have to get proved by the teacher/lecturer in charge or the department's/institution's coordinator. It's easiest done, when (in case of the language sheets) the lecturer already knows you and can evaluate your level in the language in question. When it comes to the learning agreements, well I personally had to do a lot of work with this! The job finding the right courses and some of the universities webpages were a bit tricky, so I recommend you start to do them quite early when you still have lots of time. Thankfully all the coordinators I visited were nice people and helped me through it.^^ Basically you don't have to get all the courses "right" when you return the learning agreement, because it's possible to chance them when you get to your exchange university, but remember that what you put on the learning agreement, might affect your chances of getting selected. So choose wisely~ ^^
I think that was about it regarding the first application forms. The most important thing is to be early with everything, 'cause on the last day: everyone is late! Also when you are applying on the first year of your studies, you might have to have certain amount of credits (in our university it's 24) before the application deadline, plus: be able to prove it. Also for you to know when u are applying, if there is a possibility to go to the orientations where you can ask the question you don't find the answer or get help with filling the applications, PLEASE GO! It may seem like it's pointless if you already know what you're going to do, but at least the people who will pick the nominees will see your face (cause usually those who run the orientations, also have influence when choosing the nominees).
I applied to Korea and Japan into fours different universities, so basically I wanted to ensure my changes to be chosen into the University located somewhere in Asia. So while applying, I think it was a good thing to mention my future studies and plans regarding the language and the country of where I was applying to. For example: "I am going to carry out the minor in East Asian studies and in the future hope to work in the field of information systems in the Asian market, where our field of industry is increasing. Furthermore, the contacts and connections..." This is basically what I wrote to my Letter of motivation & on the actual Application form. :)
What comes to the Letter of motivation, you should base it on: "Why should you be the one picked?", "How would it benefit your university?", "What about your studying and future career?" and "Why is this important to you?". Also when writing the letter of motivation, you should always put yourself in good light and show how much you want this exchange position. Use words that are polite but powerful, then preferably show it to someone else too so that you get another opinion in the matter (and possibly all the errors fixed as well.) What I did: I showed it to my English teacher and I got really good advises of what should I improve. PLUS after I finished writing, there were NO misspellings, none. :) I think this was the most important paper of my application and was a great cause of why i was selected, so don't underestimate it's power! ^^
About the language sheets and learning agreements, all of them you have to get proved by the teacher/lecturer in charge or the department's/institution's coordinator. It's easiest done, when (in case of the language sheets) the lecturer already knows you and can evaluate your level in the language in question. When it comes to the learning agreements, well I personally had to do a lot of work with this! The job finding the right courses and some of the universities webpages were a bit tricky, so I recommend you start to do them quite early when you still have lots of time. Thankfully all the coordinators I visited were nice people and helped me through it.^^ Basically you don't have to get all the courses "right" when you return the learning agreement, because it's possible to chance them when you get to your exchange university, but remember that what you put on the learning agreement, might affect your chances of getting selected. So choose wisely~ ^^
I think that was about it regarding the first application forms. The most important thing is to be early with everything, 'cause on the last day: everyone is late! Also when you are applying on the first year of your studies, you might have to have certain amount of credits (in our university it's 24) before the application deadline, plus: be able to prove it. Also for you to know when u are applying, if there is a possibility to go to the orientations where you can ask the question you don't find the answer or get help with filling the applications, PLEASE GO! It may seem like it's pointless if you already know what you're going to do, but at least the people who will pick the nominees will see your face (cause usually those who run the orientations, also have influence when choosing the nominees).
Hopefully this was somewhat helpful~ Also this was the first phase of the application rumba.. So the next post is about when you get nominated by your university and you have to send your information to the receiving university. There was about a one month gab between the deadlines and the announcement of the nominees, so no panic~ Though trust me, it will seem even longer period of time >.< So good luck, be patient and put confidence in your application! <3 You can do it!
All the best,
Laura
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