Post-Exchange
We hope you had a fabulous time during your exchange and we look forward to hearing about your experience. Now that you are back there are a few things to do if you have not already done so...
Apply for Exchange Credit
Please visit the Exchange Credit page for instructions on submitting your exchange credit applications.
Complete your Exchange Report
You are expected to complete and submit your Exchange report within four weeks of completing your Exchange. Your report will be submitted to SFU’s Our Learning Community (OLC) website. Please view the SFU OLC’s Experience Guidelines before submitting. To submit please log into the OLC with an SFU CAS account.
When submitting, select the following:
Program: Study Abroad Select: Exchange/Field School/Exchange at SFU. You can indicate your Faculty, Program, with the tags, Study Abroad (837), Exchange (1516).
Your report should be between 1000–1500 words. Include a minimum of four images from your exchange. It should be submitted within four weeks of the completion of your exchange. You can begin writing this during your exchange. Please include details of the below categories when uploading your report to the OLC:
- Partner university, country, your major/faculty, dates/term(s) of exchange.
Options for Submitting Your Exchange Report:
- State your name (first name only or full name) and submit the form on the OLC
- State an alias name (e.g. initials) and submit the form on the OLC
- Submit the report via email to studyabroad@sfu.ca and the report will not be publicly posted or shared.
All required fields, ie fields listed on this page must be completed in at least 100 words. Please feel free to include any information you feel will be helpful for other students.
Preparation for exchange
- Financial Preparation (budgeting, funding options)
- Packing (travel essentials, how long it took to pack, items to carry along)
- Travel and Transportation (arrival to destination, flight arrangements, delays, primary mode of transportation within the city) Please note that visa application procedures are often subject to change and may be unique to individual students based on several factors. We advise that you keep information on visas/application procedures general and refer students to current up to date information as can be found on official websites for the respective country/region's Embassy/Consulate or High Commission.
- Accomodation and Living (options for accomodation - on-campus, off-campus, third party, difficulty or ease finding accomodation, living arrangements)
- Preparation Tips for Future Students
During Exchange
- Orientation and first weeks (format of orientation, information shared, highlights from oreintation)
- Learning and Adaptation (academic details: lecture format, schedules, grading, class size)
- Accomplishments and Challenges (new opportunites, personal growth, proud moments, overcoming challenges)
- Social and extra-curricular activities. Please be mindful that your exchange report will be posted publicly online. While it is great to recommend nightlife destinations, be reminded that when on exchange you are an ambassador of SFU and your exchange report should reflect that.
Reflection After Exchange
- Reflection
- Most Valuable Aspects of this Experience (what you've learned and the challenges you faced)
- Advice/tips for other students
Photos and Videos
Please include a minimum of four photos in your exchange report. You may want to consider including photos of some of the following:
- The university campus, classrooms, accommodation, and dining (on campus or off campus)
- The closest city or town centre
- Fun or unique activities that you can participate in on campus or nearby.
- A photo of you (or you with friends/roommates). Please ensure you ask permission from others if you intend to include photos of them in your exchange report and be mindful this will be posted on a public platform.
- Video of your study abroad experience, such as “a day in the life of” (optional)
To keep your posting anonymous, please include just your initials under the Author Biography section and do not include photos of yourself or friends.
How can I fulfill my post-exchange promotional expectations
- Humans of SFU Study Abroad: Share your experience and photos with the SFU community through the Humans of SFU Study Abroad series! The series is posted to our social media accounts. To participate, send 3 photos or a video (30 seconds or less) and a short paragraph about your Exchange experience (roughly 100 words) to intlcmns@sfu.ca. For example, you can talk about your transition to your new university/home, academic/cultural similarities and differences, new food/dining experiences, cost of living, etc. There are endless themes to explore.
- There are various opportunities to assist International Services for Students with events and activities following your exchange (including Orientation for new exchange students to SFU, Pre-Departure Orientation for SFU exchange students etc.). We will notify past participants as these opportunities become available but should you be interested in a specific event, please contact studyabroad@sfu.ca.
- Faculty/department activities or other campus opportunities. If you see other ways to fulfill your post-exchange promotional expectations not on this list, please check in with us at studyabroad@sfu.ca to confirm if we can consider it an activity that will fulfill one of your requirements.