OCASP form sent. Rejected. Re-sent. APPROVED!!!

Well, still no news on the accommodation front. Seriously though, it's a bit down to the wire considering that it's October 30th, and I'm supposed to hear back from IH by the end of the month....I'm keeping all possible digits crossed that I get accepted. Not only is it my first choice so I'm eager to stay there, but being accepted at IH will make my life WAY easier as I don't have to worry about going through another application process for my second choice.

However, as the title of this post suggests, I heard back from the OCASP coordinators and my off-campus safety form has been approved. This, I'm sure, seems like a fairly little feat, but for those who have had to go through the process, this is HUGE. Queen's has this safety policy where all of its outgoing exchange students are required to fill out this tedious, tricky and unmanageable online "safety and assessment of risks" form. Everything, and I mean everything, has to be documented, analyzed and taken into account. For example, I had to go through every possible risk associated with travel and study in Australia, say why it was a risk and how I would manage the risk. Here's an idea:

Issue: In Australia, they drive on the left-hand side of the road.
How is this a risk?: I could be hit by a car and killed.
How do I manage this risk?: I will ensure that I look both ways before crossing the street.

Mundane. Tedious. Boring. Long. All the above. And the best part? I got to do it more than once since my first form was kindly rejected on the basis that I had a) forgotten to include contact information at the university (which I don't have yet!), b) I had to assess risks associated with travel outside Brisbane, c) I needed to include information on health risks etc etc. The rejection criteria list was quite long, but it did provide a useful outline for me to go back and fix the necessary items before it was re-submitted and then approved! Considering the horror stories I've heard (like students submitting forms and getting rejected over 4 times!) I feel that my situation wasn't too bad. At the very least, it's another check mark off my pre-depature to-do list!!

I'm still waiting on my confirmation of enrollment from UQ, which will allow me to register for courses as well as provide proof for me to apply for a student visa. I'm going to give the university another week before I contact them to make sure all is okay (seeing as I faxed my acceptance back to them last week!)

I'm signing out to go enjoy my first weekend off after the midterm hectic-ness, but I'll be back with a new post once accommodation decisions are made and enrollment forms come through!

Thanks for reading,

Danielle

It's OFFICIAL!!!

Judging from the title of this post, I imagine most of you know what it's about......

I RECEIVED MY ACCEPTANCE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND!!!!

Which means that yes, my exchange is now official on both ends! I won't be spending a semester traveling around Aussie (which was my backup plan in case I didn't get in) but instead I will be burying myself in studies down under. Alas. Not really!!!! I'm so happy that everything went through okay, and now that I've finally received this offer, it feels SUPER real.

On another note, the International House, my first choice for accommodation, received my application package entirely. Good ol' Canada Post regular air mail! I was told I will hear back about their decision later on in the month, or by early November at the latest.

This is just a short post as I have to run to class, but once I pick up my acceptance package from the International Office today, I'll write back to let you know what more hoops I'll be jumping through before my departure FOR REAL in January!!

Koalas and Kangas - HERE I COME!!!!

xoxo Danielle

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, I've finally finished up my 5 hours of classes on the Friday before Thanksgiving and I thought it would be appropriate to have a little update Thanksgiving post. I've made some headway on the exchange front, namely the accommodation side of things which I think warrants a post....

Where to start? I think I left off saying that I had yet to apply to any residences at UQ, but I was in the process of completing applications. These past few weeks have been SUPER stressful, since I found out on Sept. 29th that online applications for my first choice in residences, International House, were due ON THE 30TH. How insane is that? I literally spent the ENTIRE night on the 29th working on this online application, which was not your usual, "name, address, age" etc etc. No, it was crazy, long essay questions, asking me all about my cultural experiences, my community involvement, academics, athletics....you name it - it was on there.

Then, once this was submitted, I had to do a bunch of additional supporting documents like activity forms and more essay questions, mail AND fax them, plus send original transcripts and 4 photos of myself. I was a bit confused about the whole photos of me thing, I mean seriously, does it come down to a beauty contest? At any rate, this past week I've visited Canada Post and UPS stores more than I wanted to.

On those lines, guess how much postage is to Australia? General air mail, at least for an envelope my size was only $4.00. However, since I was on a bit of a time restraint (supporting documents HAD to be in by October 14th) I asked about express post. Price this time? $112.00. WHAT THE?!?!?! Seriously? An increase in the price by $108? And only to save me 4 days of travel time.

What did I do? What any university student would - I stuck with regular postage. Downsides?

1. It is not guaranteed that my envelope will make it on time
2. It's not even guaranteed to make it at all. Meaning, until it is recieved by the UQ end, there is no way for Canada Post to track it or locate it. Yikes. Here's to hoping that Canada Post is more organized behind the scenes!

But honestly, was I going to spend over $100 on mailing an application for an accommodation that isn't even guaranteed? Didn't think so.

That's about all the stressful updates thus far. I've just started to look into flights and timing, since I have yet to hear back from the UQ about my offer anyways. (Wouldn't that be brilliant? Me, not getting into the University, and this whole exchange thing not happening....) I'm hoping that by the time midterms are done (3 weeks from now) that I will a) have booked flights, b) know my accommodation status and c) be a little less stressed about the whole process. At least, it's proving to be quite the exciting adventure, which always makes for great stories!

Thanks for following, and until next time,

Danielle