This post is a little late since most of you already know where I'm going for exchange but well, better late than never right? For this post, I'll be mainly going through what I did pre-departure(including some advice which I may have), minus the packing. That post will probably only come nearer to my departure date.
So for those that don't know, I'll be flying off to Quebec City, Canada for exchange and the school which I'll be attending is Université Laval. I know, this is probably shocking to some of you so this leads me to point 1:

1. Choose Wisely

When I was applying for exchange, the only concern that I had was safety. I'm super kiasu if you know me so the countries that were on the top of my list were basically the "safer" countries. Something that I overlooked was the climate of the country. Canada has always been a place I wanted to visit. Especially because it's beautiful in the fall (just watch Goblin and you'll know what I mean. I'll add in a video below.).


Unfortunately, its not going to look like that when I'm there haha, it'll be covered in snow instead. Don't get me wrong, I think snow is beautiful, but the only downside being, I'm afraid of the cold. I enjoy being in air-conditioned rooms but I need to have my jacket/blanket with me or else I'll just end up shivering the entire time. Weak af, I know haha. Something else which I overlooked was the language barrier. I always thought that Canada was an English-speaking country. I didn't know that they spoke French as well. This bomb dropped on me when my senior told me that in Quebec, the people mostly speak in French and I may have communication issues outside of the university. Sigh. But then again... this is all a learning experience. I mean, how often will you get to stay in a snowy country for 4-5 months? Plus, I get to learn a new language! (Even though it's one of the hardest to learn in my opinion.)

2. Research

I can't stress this enough. Research, research, research. A lot of my friends laugh at me because of the sheer amount of research I do but, it doesn't hurt does it? Of course, if you're someone who lives in the moment and is able to adapt well, then sure, you can relax a little for this step but regardless, research is still important. Speaking for someone who has never travelled alone or lived alone, exchange is actually pretty scary. Of course, I'm excited that I'll be able to experience living alone, meeting new people and learning more about the culture there, but for the most part, I'm actually pretty worried. So me being me, I do as much preparation I can before my trip to prepare myself for the worst haha. So here are some important things you may want to take note of before your exchange:

a. Visa

Some countries require you to apply for a Visa whereas some don't. So do some research and find out if you need a Visa. For my case, since I'll be studying in Canada for less than 6 months, I'm not required to have a Visa. However, I'm still required to apply for an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorisation). My friend on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. To apply for her Visa, she has to fly to Thailand. So remember, plan early!

b. Place of Residence

I can't stress how important this is. Some universities provide hostels but it's really up to you what's your budget and what kind of place you'd like to stay. If you choose to live off campus, something to you'll want to take note of is the location of your residence. Try to choose one that is nearer to your school or has transport nearby so that you won't have to spend so much time commuting from one place to another. Weather plays a huge part in selecting your place of residence as well. For me, I've heard from seniors as well as read blogs online that Quebec has some pretty crazy snow storms. Hence, I decided to live on campus because there's a tunnel connecting the school and the residence so if there's a snow storm, I wouldn't have to worry about travelling to and fro.

c. Weather

As you've read in the previous point, weather plays an important role in basically every part of your exchange life. So please do some research on what kind of weather you'll expect over there.

*Update:
If you're going to a winter country, warm clothes aren't the only things you need. Regardless of whether you have oily skin, trust me, bring more moisturisers and face masks! 

d. Insurance

Different schools have different regulations regarding insurance. Some schools require that you purchase from them, some schools don't really care what kind of insurance you have, some only require that you purchase a certain kind of insurance, so before you leave, make sure you purchase the right one!

e. Courses

One of the most important things you should find out before you select the schools you want to go for exchange at. Honestly speaking, I thought that being a management university, I would be able to map a lot of courses back to my school but I was wrong hahah! I barely mapped enough, so if you don't want to end up like me, remember to do sufficient research beforehand!!

f. Your School

This was actually one of the first few things I went to google on when my school accepted me for Université Laval. I know, we were supposed to have read more about the school beforehand but well, mistakes were made. Either way, its good to find out more about your school and what they offer over there (besides the courses that were mentioned in the previous point). For me, one of the first few things I went to find out was if they offered dance as a co-curricular activity. But dang, I was out of luck.

g. People 

This may be a bit iffy but try to find out how people there live or what their culture is like. This can range from simple things like whether they practice tipping, to things like whether they mug a lot. Find out if your exchange school has a buddy system. If so, I highly recommend you sign up for it because it'll make your life so much easier when you're there. And through them, you can meet many more locals there as well! (:

There are other things that I researched on but those were the main few that I felt were more important.

*Update:
There were some stuff I missed out here because I only realised them after reaching Québec so they'll be up in Part II (:

3. Plan & Prepare

So we're finally at the last step. After all the research you've done, it's finally time to start taking action. So if let's say you're like me, going for exchange during winter, let's just say, Taobao is your new best friend, or in my case, ezbuy. There are tons of winter wear available there for really really cheap prices! Of course, there are the sucky ones as well but with china products, it's always a risk you'll have to take. For me, I plan to throw away most of the items I bought from ezbuy over there just because they're so cheap and I don't think they'll survive all the way till my next winter trip... (mainly because I don't think I'll have enough luggage space as well.) Start planning your flight itinerary! Although this may sound really simple but it actually takes quite a bit of time. You'll have to first find out when your school starts and ends. Following that, you have decide if you want to travel before and after your school term. Some other things to consider are also what kind of tickets to buy and where to buy them from. If you're from SMU, STA Travels has pretty good rates for exchange students and since they're located right on campus, it's super convenient! (I didn't buy from them though, but that's a whole other story altogether.) Once you've confirmed the rough dates you want, you can go ahead and apply for your Visa (or whatever documents you may need) if you need to. Remember, don't apply too early or too late. Some documents (like Canada's eTA), only lasts 6 months, so I can't apply too early or else I don't have enough buffer time to get outta there haha!

 Part II of my exchange pre-departure blog will probably only be up after my exams so stay tuned till then!