Picture of the UWA campus on laptop screen

Completing My Virtual Exchange Term

Now that I’ve completed my exams at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and received back my results, I have officially completed my virtual exchange term! It seems that just yesterday I started my term so I really can’t believe that it’s officially over.

'Thank you' poster from UWA to all virtual exchange students
'Thank you' poster sent to us from the UWA Global Learning Office

Reflecting on my entire virtual exchange experience, I can happily say that it was an experience to remember. The whole reason that I accepted this arrangement was because I wanted to have a unique experience and see how an exchange would be like during this pandemic. I’ve never heard of U of T students doing virtual exchanges before so I was excited to see how it would be and share my experiences throughout the term. I got a sense of how it would feel to be a regular UWA student studying online, and during Covid-19 times, I would say that is a great way to experience a change.

One key thought that I will be taking away from my virtual exchange experience is that I thoroughly enjoyed studying at an Australian university. The curriculum used there is great and I would definitely be open to the idea of returning there for higher education. I liked how the examples used in my classes referred everything to the Australian context, which expanded my knowledge. For example, as someone who’s recently incorporated a business and is heavily interested in entrepreneurship, the Small Business Management course that I took at UWA gave me an idea of the entrepreneurial environment in Australia and how it compared with North America.

I also have a great excuse now to go on a vacation to Australia, as I have studied there and really want to go see how the country is for myself. It is now a part of my bucket list to travel all the way to Western Australia and visit the UWA campus in Perth. I can just imagine it being such an exciting experience and I cannot wait!

Google search list of flights from Toronto to Western Australia
Searching flights from Toronto to Western Australia!

Overall, my virtual exchange has been nothing short of fantastic, and I am so happy for doing it. I had a great time taking different courses, making new friends online, learning more about the Australian environment and taking a little break from my regular U of T schedule! I think that a virtual exchange is a great alternative to doing an actual exchange during this pandemic and I would highly suggest it to anyone interested. With that, I want to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed being a student blogger this semester and I am now signing off on my UWA virtual exchange series on the Life @ U of T blog!

I hope everyone has a successful exam period. Happy Holidays!

Picture of the UWA campus with letters below it reading 'Good Bye'

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