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 Course Evaluation
Please visit the Exchange Course Evaluation page for instructions on submitting your exchange course evaluation request.
Complete your Exchange Report
Write and submit a 1000-1500 word electronic report (in word doc or PDF) to your Study Abroad Officer by region, including a minimum of four images (in the same document) from your exchange, within four weeks of the completion of your exchange. You can begin writing this during your exchange.
Please include details for each of the below categories:
Exchange Preparation:
- Financial (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
- Accommodation and living: options for accommodation (on- or off-campus, third party) difficulty or ease finding accommodation, living arrangements
- Preparation tips for future students
During Exchange
- Orientation and first weeks: format of orientation, information shared, highlights from orientation
- Learning and adaptation: academic details (lecture format, schedules, grading, class size
- Accomplishments and challenges: new opportunities, 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
- Most valuable aspects of this experience (what you've learned and the challenges you faced)
- Advice/tips for other students
Photos and/or videos
Please include a minimum of four photos in your exchange report. You may consider inlcuding photos of some of the following:
- University campus, classrooms, accommodation, and dining (on- or off-campus)
- 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.
- Videos of your study abraod experience, such as "a day in the life of" (optonal)
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.
Your exchange report will be published on Exchange Student Experiences as a resource for prospective outbound exchange students, and therefore, we recommend not to include your personal information (e.g., name, SFU student ID, contact information, etc.) in the report.
Submission:
- Europe, Middle East, Africa: studyabroad@sfu.ca
- Asia, South Pacific, Americas: saofficer@sfu.ca
If you do not wish to publish your report, please indicate that you wish to keep your report submission private.
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 (original file size preferred, or 600kb or above each for quality) 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.