Exchange Ambassador - Nicola R.

Exchange Ambassador - Nicola R.

Destination: University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Duration: 1 semester (Winter 2020)

Program: Honours Biology

Highschool: Tecumseh Vista

What is one word that you would use to describe your exchange experience? Vibrant.

 

What was the best thing that happened to you while on exchange?

Meeting lifelong friends.

 

What languages do you speak?

English and French

 

What was the coolest place that you travelled to while on exchange?

I visited the west coast of France in a town called La Rochelle. It was beautiful and amazing to experience another European country, especially one where I could speak the language. It was such a crazy thing to experience, speaking French in school my whole life, I finally was able to apply it.

 

What is something that you know now that you wish you knew before you left for exchange?

I had a lot of impressions before going on exchange that I wouldn’t be successful, whether it would be with finding friends to travel with or doing well in my studies, but I was surprised with how easily I adapted.

 

Who was the hardest person to leave that you met while on exchange? How did you manage?

My friend Sam from Australia. Returning to countries with very different time zones I knew it would be hard to see each other again, which was sad because we had become very close.

 

If you were to recommend exchange to your best friend, what would you say?

Its life-changing and is a growing experience that everyone should go through in their life.

 

How have you included exchange on your resume?

Exchange has been included on my resume to demonstrate my adaptability and collaboration skills, as I learned how to live in a new country and live and interact with people from a variety of backgrounds. It allowed me to gain an open mind perspective, as well as grow in my independence.

 

Is there anything else that you would like to share?

Going on exchange was one of the best things I could have done for my overall mental health and happiness. There are parts that can be hard with being away from home and experiencing a world pandemic (COVID) during my exchange was probably the most stressful thing in my whole life, but it was part of what made my experience amazing and unique and if I could do it again I would.

 

A sample of the classes taken:

  • Ecosystems & Enviro, Change (UWindsor = BIOL 2101)
  • Biology of Disease (UWindsor = 3rd year Biology credit)
  • Forensic psychology (UWindsor = 3rd year Psychology or 3rd year Forensics credit)