🍓 Breaking free from packaging art, truly presenting the bewildered me.
Average grades can still lead to a brave journey of exchange. This is my experience and insights to share.
Documents Required for Application
The list of documents to apply for an exchange program looks really daunting 🤯
- Resume
- Study Abroad Exchange Plan
- Academic Transcript
- Academic Ranking Certificate
- Department Recommendation Form
Two small reminders:
- Recommendation Form: Remember to schedule a time with your advisor for a signature! Make sure to book early, professors really love to attend conferences abroad ✈️.
- Exchange Plan and Resume: How to polish them so they don’t look too ordinary? This is where I really struggled with whether to apply…
Why Do I Want to Apply for an Exchange?
I opened the document and stared at the blank page for a long time, my mind was still blank 😵.
Why do I want to apply for an exchange? … Uh, I don’t know?
I guess I’ll just write “I don’t know”! (And I really wrote that 😆)
Result: The review score was super low XD.
But looking back, I realized I couldn’t convince myself, so it was naturally hard to convince the reviewers.
🌱 Resume | Actions in Confusion
Many people think that “those without clear goals” are hard to accept.
But I chose to write about my confusion.
Because it is precisely the confusion that makes me need to explore more ✨.
Someone even told me: “You actually wrote that?!”
I thought to myself: Yeah, because I have no clue at all 😌
📝 “I am searching for direction in life. Although this experience is challenging, it has also made me realize — simply living is a kind of courage.”
🌱 Study Abroad Exchange Plan
Although I felt the wording was poor after finishing, it seemed too perfunctory to just throw it to GPT for polishing 🤖, so…
I modified it while chatting, and thankfully I completed it on time.
The complete motivation is as follows, written on the second page of the resume. Since there is a limit of two A4 pages, I didn’t need to come up with too many reasons.
I believe everyone is more curious about the grades, but there might be significant changes every year, so it’s really just for reference. Scores are as follows:
| Resume | Study Abroad Exchange Plan | Academic Performance | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.33 | 3.33 | 2.99 | 3.19 |
| A-,B+,B | A-,B+,B |
Group ranking percentage: 91.1 %
This means my ranking is around 92 out of 100 people, so if I want to get into a qualifying school, I need about 91 people ahead of me not to choose me for a chance.
It’s indeed a very desperate score (?), but I think just doing my best is enough～ I wrote this to let everyone know that there is hope for school exchanges, and I’m not encouraging everyone to follow my example and let their grades fly:))
Difficult Moments
First announcement: Not accepted by a single school.
Mood: Not surprised but a bit frustrated 😔.
How I dealt with it: I just put it out of my mind until the school sent me a letter reminding me to “fill out the second choice!” and then I remembered I had applied for the exchange program.
During this time, I accompanied my sister to retake the entrance exam and applied to a university in China, also wanting to try living in a different place. I’ll share more about that later, hoping I have the money to go…
🎉 Final Outcome
I initially thought studying abroad in Japan would be nice since Japanese is much friendlier than English. My Japanese proficiency is also more competitive than my English proficiency (?), although my overall scores are still the same 😢.
Unexpectedly… I got into the University of Hawaii 🌺🌊!
I thought since I had never been there, I would just fill it out randomly, and I actually got in. I’m still very happy, but there’s more surprise than anything, and I’m also considering whether I have the money to go.
💡 Lessons Learned
-
Rather than pretending to have a “clear direction,” it’s better to honestly say “I’m still looking for answers.”
Maybe sincerity can sometimes touch people more than packaged rhetoric? Or am I just self-moved? -
Even if the scores are not high, there are still opportunities, life always has unexpected surprises!
In short, don’t give up 💪
👉 Next Step: What Can Be Done After Receiving Admission Recommendations?
In the next post, I will share the preparations during this time. Basically, the person in charge is very friendly and familiar with the process, which is quite reassuring, and there’s not much to do～
🧭 Further Reading
⬅️ Previous Post: Process of Applying for Exchange Programs
➡️ Next Post: What to Pay Attention to When Handling a Series of Procedures?