First toughts and how did I prepare to go exchange?

Why did I chose to go exhange?

When I started study International business in 2018, the first decision that I made was that I'm going on exchange, because I want to gain experiences and challenge myself and of course make new friends.
Many of my own friends have been in exchange so I asked them plenty questions and potential tips about why they decide to go to exhange?

Why did I chose Malaysia?

First place where I wanted to go was Thailand or some other Asian country. I just wanted outside from Europe. I asked our exchange coordinator that do we have partner university in Thailand? She told me that we dont have, but in Asia we have three countries where we have partner universities and they were in China, South-Korea and Malaysia. The last one got my attention. 

I have heard a lot positive feedback about the Malaysia and the universities they have over there.
You can of course apply to exchange wherever country you want, but in that case you need to contact and find right school yourself and make a lot of extra work compared to the work amount that you have to do when you apply to a partner university.

How I got this all started?

First thing what I needed to do was to make appointment to our exhange coordinator where I tell when and where I want to go exchange.
When you go outside of Europe like I choose Malaysia, you need to know early, because you need to inform the school that you are applying there and you need to send compulsary documents back to school what they ask you to send them. Do this part as quick you can do it because it takes time them to answer back and when they answer back you need to start applying student visa which takes a lot of time.
I sent all compulsary files to school in 15 of October and I got answer in end of November that I got accepted In USM Universiti of Penang. Now I can start apply visa and I did it in same day and I finished it around 1 a.m in the night, because as faster you send the visa and all attached documents to immigration as faster they send it back.
You can track your visa application online in ESGM website where they will inform you, if they have any problems with documents or when your application is ready. When your application shows 80% it means it is ready. I needed now to apply Single entry visa in Malaysian embassy in Helsinki and after that school will take care rest of the visa.

Did I have any problems?

Yes. I got a few problems with visa application but it was quite easy to contact Malaysia immigration center and they were very helpful with problems what I got.

I need also tell that I dont suggest to go exchange outside of the europe if you dont have savings for yourself. Because you dont get Erasmus + money and you got only Hamk financial support wich is 200€ per month. If you are finnish citizen you get goverment support money also but that money go straight for rent and living in malaysia. You need to pay also flight tickets, medicines and advance payments to USM university. So that is the point where you need your savings because those things pay much more that european exhange period. 

You can apply ofc support money from different foundations like my friends did from Tampere university, but I am studying in Hamk so there is not much foundations who support financially to go abroad. 

So if you are going to apply exchange to outside lf the europe, I suggest that you work hard and save money for there!

Now what?

I need to be in Penang Malaysia in 8.2 so I will leave 28.6 and have my own little holiday in Thailand before arriving to my final destination. I am heading Bangkok and Phuket but after that it is school time and I hope everything will go as we have planned.
I hope that you will enjoy reading my blog and I will try post here as much I can! 

I'm going on an Adventure! 

Oskari