1. Get involved on campus from day one
Most universities run an introduction week for new students, and if you're an exchange student, don't skip it. In her case, the exchange coordinators actually organised a separate set of trips and activities just for exchange students before the general introduction week even started. That meant she'd already bonded with a group of people before meeting the rest of the students – a head start that shaped her entire social circle for the semester.
Beyond the social benefits, campus involvement pays off in more literal ways too. Universities tend to give away a surprising amount of free stuff at these events. She won a coffee dripper at a bingo night and a full gift basket at a trivia event just for showing up. Her advice: say yes to the slightly random campus events. You never know what you'll walk away with, socially or otherwise.
2. Don't choose between studying and traveling – do both
There's a stereotype about exchange students: they party and travel constantly but barely show up to class. She pushed back on that framing entirely. Over her whole exchange, she missed exactly one class. Her tip isn't to pick one over the other, but rather – it's to structure your schedule so you don't have to.
If your university lets you build your own timetable, try to keep at least one day free (she mentioned a friend who arranged his so Thursdays and Fridays were open, giving him a head start on weekend trips). She herself had classes every day but still traveled regularly, often leaving as soon as her last class ended on Friday.
She also pointed out something worth remembering: the exchange environment itself nudges you toward traveling more than you might at home. Everything is new, your time is limited, and that combination creates a kind of urgency – you know you won't get this chance again, so you take it. Travel doesn't have to mean big international trips either; plenty of her outings were simple day trips to nearby cities, depending on what transport was available and who she was traveling with.
3. Use where you are – don't force a new hobby just because you're ‘supposed to’
You'll often hear that exchange is the perfect time to pick up a new hobby. She agrees, but with a caveat: it's less about forcing yourself into something new for the sake of it, and more about taking advantage of what your specific location actually offers. If your destination has infrastructure or opportunities your home country doesn't – she used rock climbing as an example – that's worth exploring.
Her honest take: this shouldn't be treated as a top-tier, must-do tip. It's more of a good default for downtime. If you don't have a trip planned, your friends are busy, and you've got no classes, that's the moment to try something new rather than default to what you'd do at home anyway. Joining a student society or club is an easy, low-effort way into this.
4. Expect an emotional curve: a high, a dip, and another high
During orientation, she was told about a pattern that a lot of exchange students experience: a high right when you arrive, a gradual dip as routine and academic pressure set in, and another high near the end as you realize your time is running out. She said she never really hit an actual low point herself, but the initial high was very real – and knowing the shape of the curve in advance made the harder moments, if they came, feel less alarming.
The first weeks in particular tend to be a lot, in a good way. A new, unfamiliar city feels enormous, you're already imagining what your routine will look like a month in, and you're meeting people faster than you normally would. It's exciting almost to the point of being overwhelming. (For what it's worth, her first few days were also complicated by an airline losing her luggage for several days – a reminder that not everything about the first week is glamorous, and that's normal too.)
5. Lean into exchange-student friendships, but don't let local friendships stay surface-level
One of the more honest observations she made: it's usually easier to bond quickly with other exchange students than with locals. You're all in the same position actively looking to connect, which speeds things up naturally, and you might end up being friends with people you least expect. Friendships with locals, by contrast, often stay more surface-level for longer than expected – something I noticed wasn't unique to Canada, but came up when I compared notes with a friend who went on exchange in Australia too.
Her one regret from the whole experience: she made good friends with locals through class, but rarely turned those relationships into anything outside of it. If you want deeper local friendships, her advice is to be the one who proposes the hangout – it's easy to let those relationships stay confined to the classroom by default.
6. Make a bucket list before you go – and keep adding to it
This one wasn't on the original list of tips, but it came up naturally, and it's worth including. Before leaving, she made a bucket list of things she wanted to do or experience during her exchange. She kept adding to it the entire time she was there, as new opportunities and ideas came up. Crossing things off – physically, if you print it out – turned out to be genuinely motivating.
Some entries were more ambitious than others (one memorable one: "get a party raided by the police," which she did in fact cross off). The list doesn't need to be serious. The point is having something concrete that pushes you to keep saying yes to new experiences, right up until the end.
Exchange periods reward people who show up: to campus events, to weekend trips, to new opportunities their destination happens to offer, and to the people around them. You won't get everything right, and that's fine. But between getting involved early, balancing travel with your actual coursework, and being intentional about the friendships you build, you'll walk away with a lot more than a stamped passport.
