After months of research, planning, and waiting, the moment has finally arrived, you’ve received your exchange offer! Whether you’re feeling excitement, relief, or even a bit of disappointment, it’s completely normal to have mixed emotions.
Maybe you got your first choice, and you’re thrilled. Or maybe you didn’t, and you’re wondering whether your experience will still live up to your expectations. Either way, this is a big milestone in your exchange journey!
Take a deep breath, here’s what you need to remember, no matter which school you were matched with.
#1 – This School Made Your List!
Even if this wasn’t your first-choice school, remember that you picked it for a reason.
Before applying, you probably spent hours researching different schools, reading exchange reports, and weighing the pros and cons. Out of hundreds of partner universities worldwide, this school made it to your shortlist. And even if you didn’t spend all that time doing research, this school was definitely well researched by a previous student who was once in your shoes.
Now is a great time to revisit your original reasoning:
✅ What stood out about this university when you were researching?
✅ Was it the location, courses, culture, affordability, or student life?
✅ How does it compare to your home university?
✅ Check the ECAS reviews and see what others loved about their exchange experience here!
This school might not have been your top pick, but there’s a reason it ended up on your application, and rediscovering those reasons can help shift your perspective.
#2 – Homebase vs. Travel: Your Exchange is More Than Just the University
One of the biggest mindset shifts to remember:
Your exchange university is your home base—but your experience extends far beyond the classroom.
At Queen’s, I usually leave Kingston once per semester to visit home. On exchange, my schedule was the complete opposite, I would spend 2-3 days a week (at most) in the South of France and the rest of my time traveling across Europe. During school breaks and for the month of April, I was in France even less.
Even if you were set on studying in a specific country, you’re not limited to just that place. Here’s why:
- Weekend trips are normal: Many exchange students travel every weekend and some schools have flexible attendance allowing for travel during the week.
- Flights & trains are cheap: In Europe, budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet make it easy to explore.
- Study weeks = travel opportunities: Some schools have long breaks perfect for bigger trips. During my reading week I went to Portugal (Lisbon, Porto, Madeira), Spain (Seville, Lanzarote), and Morocco!
If you’re disappointed about your location, zoom out and look at the big picture. Your university is just a launchpad for experiencing a whole new part of the world and doesn’t have to be where you spend all of your time unless you want it to be.
#3 – Your Experience is What You Make It
One of the biggest lessons from studying abroad? Your mindset shapes your experience.
Deep down you probably know that you are going to have a phenomenal time on exchange regardless of which school you got. Sure your experience may be a bit different than how you envisioned it to be, but it will still be a highlight.
Check ECAS reviews and connect with others who have had an amazing time at the school you’re going to so you can build up the appropriate excitement. Even if the school you were assigned wasn’t your top choice, it easily could have been someone else’s.
Instead of worrying about what could have been, focus on what’s ahead, and make the most of every moment.
After reading my three concrete steps to reflecting on your exchange offer, I hope you shifted your perspective. In the case that you haven’t, there’s a few tactical options you could take. Firstly, the school often offers a re-selection for fall schools. Since there is a lack of popularity of going in the fall, Queen’s will typically allow students to maintain their winter offer while re-ranking fall schools and then deciding between a fall and winter offer. Secondly, delay your exchange until the following year. You can opt to delay your exchange until 4th year and spend the full year in Kingston. Although most students go in 3rd year, if you can handle the FOMO, 3rd year is a great time to be in Kingston focusing on boosting your GPA and recruiting. Finally, leverage the ILOP; this isn’t a well advertised option but you can opt out of your school and pursue a non-Queen’s exchange partner. Although you aren’t technically considered a Queen’s student during this period, it means that you typically pay less tuition and have more selection with non partner schools. I have two friends who pursued this strategy and had an awesome time in Barcelona!
No matter where you end up, exchange will be transformative and incredible! Best of luck and look out for future blog posts detailing my best advice & tips learnt along the way.