A Smooth Sea...

"...Never made a Skilled Sailor" - FDR

I'll admit, college is hard. There's a lot of paperwork, money goes all over the place, you have to schedule, plan, constantly re-change plans-the list goes on.

But let's just add the genius idea to study in another country, shall we? Well, that just adds a few more steps. I promise though, it's not bad! You'll (We'll) live and get through this together!

So here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for...

Step One: Post-Acceptance
*insert dramatic exploding background here*

You've just received an e-mail that says, "Hey, congrats! We want you! Here's money, here's who we are, you have 1 month to decide!" (Maybe not in so many words) So you think it over, compare offers and decide, Yes! This is it! My dream school! Canada, here I come!

There's two things you need to definitely do well before you arrive:

1. Work on the Student Visa:

Fun and fancy, the color and
design make up for the fact
it does not smell like maple syrup

 This is an obvious must for anyone studying abroad, but in Canada, you especially have to be aware of certain limiters and additional paperwork you may need for the country you are from. In the USA for example, you usually do not have to worry about much else other than the required documents. Click here to go to the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship homepage.

Create an account with GCKey. Follow their prompts, answer their questions truthfully and once you are finished, they will provide you with the documents you will need to upload. These include:
   
     - Required documents supplied by the CIC website
     - Proof of Acceptance (ie. your acceptance letter)
     - Proof of Identity (your passport as well as any pages with
       stamps)
     - Proof of Financial Support (examples I used were my bank statements from the last 3 months,
       my 529 account balance, and the funding I received from my school)
     - Letter of Explanation/intent/purpose (There's a ton of good examples online if you need help
       outlining it)
     - You may need other documents, so pay attention to what your specific country requires

It is very very VERY important you do this as soon as you find out you will be attending school abroad. Reviewing your application may take awhile, so best get it in as early as possible.

2. Apply for Housing RIGHT AWAY:

So quick story time, I wanted to live on campus. It would be easier, I wouldn't have to take the bus everywhere, and it would just be one less thing to think about. I couldn't sign on to apply, so I waited, tried again, waited some more, and then finally emailed housing. They kindly told me that for some reason I wasn't activated and quickly did that for me.

However, it was too late.

Because housing operates (at least at Western) on a lottery system (ie. first come first serve). I was at the very bottom of the list and therefore, got to experience the joy of finding off-campus housing.

Luckily, Western has off-campus housing assistants who, if you're international, will go to a listing from their website and provide a ton of info as well as photos, videos, etc. This was fantastic for me and I managed to find a relatively affordable place that was furnished and close to grocery stores and the bus-stop. Crisis averted, but could it have been easier? Yes, yes it could have.

That's it for now! If you want to hear more about studying in Canada and some fun stories about my time here, hit that subscribe button at the top of the page!

As always,

Festina Lente my friends

--Jess--