Going on an exchange semester abroad at university

In these YouTube Videos I have summarized the mentioned information. The video is available in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and French. There is also a small video on my exchange semester abroad.

A semester abroad is a great opportunity for you to learn about your major from a different perspective. Every country has its own way of teaching and its own perspective. Especially if the country you want to go to has a little more knowledge about your major, you should definitely consider a semester abroad (for example one of my majors at universities was Southeast Asian Studies, so the University in Myanmar has more knowledge about this than the University in Germany). At the same time, you will have the time of your life as you immerse yourself in a new culture, maybe even learn a new language, but above all, you will have new experiences and meet new people. And remember, you won't be a student your entire life.

To answer this question I recommend you clarify your intention for the stay abroad. If you want to have really good university knowledge, the university you choose may even be more important than the country. If you are interested in intercultural encounters and experiences, then you could go to a country, where you can have a lot of fun although the quality of the teaching may be a little worse.

I chose Myanmar because as already mentioned one of my majors was in Southeast Asian studies. Apart from that Myanmar is a very unknown country. There are very few exchange students in Myanmar and generally very few foreigners. I like to go to these kinds of countries because they are not as "Westernized" as most other countries.

This depends on how long you can stay. I always recommend staying as long as possible. If you can stay one year it would be great. If only one semester is possible then it's also good. You can maybe even extend your stay if you want.

Studying abroad can be very expensive. You have to spend on housing, food, insurance, flights, and visas. That’s why I recommend you search for scholarships in your country to cover your expenses. For people who study in Germany, I can recommend the PROMOS stipendium, which is distributed by the university and pays you 300€ a month.

I can really only recommend anyone to go on an exchange semester during their studies! Even if you don’t learn as much at a foreign university as back home, you will anyway learn a lot in your life! I also recommend you read how I spent my semester in Myanmar.