Visas: Part II

Everything is starting to feel real now - I finally have my Visa! If you would like to hear (well, read really!) about the process of obtaining a visa, read on.

I happened to be in Perth, so I booked my interview at the US Consulate in Perth. I got a 9am appointment, and you are informed to arrive no more than 15 minutes before your appointment. At 8:45am sharp, I arrived at the Consulate, and navigated to the correct floor. It lead to a small room, containing a metal detector, an x-ray machine and a small waiting room.

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Visas, Visas, Visas

Visas are never fun. Seriously. While I will be studying in Canada for one semester and am lucky enough not to need any sort of Visa to study there for that period, I will be needing a visa so that I may enter and exit the USA during my trip.

Through the process of research and talking to others, I realised that I was going to need a B1/B2 Visa, otherwise known as a 'Combined Visa for Business or Pleasure'. There are plenty of 'quizzes' you can take to figure out whether or not you will be needing a visa, however if you are unsure, get in contact with an Embassy near you.

<disclaimer> Please do not take any of the information below as gospel - I most certainly am not an immigration specialist. This post was just to give you a bit of background on what I personally have to go through to go on Exchange. </disclaimer>

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What Do You Want From This Blog?

Hello again! I apologise in advance for any typos or weird tangents; I'm in the middle of my exam period at the moment, and I think the sleep deprivations is starting to take its toll!

This is just a quick post to attempt to find out what you are looking to get out of this blog. I'd love to be able to tailor the content to what you would prefer to read.

At the moment I'm working on a blog post about the Visa I need (as an Australian) to be able to travel in and out of the USA during my semester in Canada - I hope to have the first part of that up soon, and the second part will be completed after my Visa Interview.

But back to the question at hand, what sort of information would you prefer? Are you considering doing an exchange and want to know what the organisation process is? Would you prefer to hear about my experience when I (finally!) make it to Canada?

Let me know in the comments below or send me an email at asemesterincanada@gmail.com. I'd love to chat about your plans or past experiences.

Hope to hear from you soon! Best of luck if you're currently doing exams at the moment too.

B x

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Why I Chose Dalhousie University

As you probably know by now, I will be studying at Dalhousie University in Canada. It was a decision that I spent hours making, but so far, I'm very happy with it (seems a bit premature, doesn't it?).

Believe it or not, I was originally headed to the UK. I spent a year there on a Gap Year after I finished school, and I was desperate to go back and spend some more time there. If anyone wants any information of doing a Gap Year, I'd be more than happy to do some posts on it - it is a fantastic opportunity that I would highly recommend.

In a series of unfortunate events (if you can forgive the Lemony Snicket reference), it turned out that my plans of returning to the UK would not be possible. At extremely short notice, I had to go back and choose another University that I wanted like to attend. I fell in love with Dalhousie from the first Google Search. Feel free to go and do a quick Google Image Search - I'll wait...

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Choosing My Timetable

Well, I've finally done it! I chose the subjects I'll be studying in Canada.

For me, this was relatively painless, as I am fortunate enough to have "elective" units - basically, I can study anything and it will count towards my IT degree.

I've been studying solely IT for a year and a half now, so it seemed like a good time to branch out. And when I say branch out, I really mean it; I won't be doing any IT subjects. This is not at all because I didn't want to, more that the subjects that I would've chosen to study weren't available in the Fall Semester. Oh well, I'll definitely be getting some variety into my life!

 I have to study 5 subjects in Canada to receive credit points for my degree (four Australian subjects). Without any further ado, the subjects I'll be studying in the Fall Semester:

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