You're a uOttawa Student that Wants to Do an Exchange

This post will only really be relevant to students in Canada who attend the University of Ottawa. Though, that is not to stay that other students will not find this helpful!

The University of Ottawa has one of the best international offices in Canada. The University of Ottawa boasts the highest number of international, incoming, and outgoing students in the country. With partners in almost every country in the world, University of Ottawa students have the truly unique opportunity of doing either one semester, or the full academic year abroad.

As someone who has travelled a fair bit, and who is only a couple months away from departing for my exchange, I would recommend an exchange to each and every student.

As good as the University of Ottawa's International Office may be, and as "encouraging" as they may seem, not exactly everyone is eligible, or even can go on exchange. Though not always, the International Office can be a little misleading, and confusing, and it can deter you from even researching and applying for that dream international exchange. I know, it is not the best news to hear, but I would rather save you the trouble of running around in circles trying to find answers, and getting frustrated over eligibility.

Below, I will list criteria and other obstacles that may prevent you from going on an exchange.

For your reference, I am currently in my third year of my Honours Bachelor of Arts with Specialization in French-English-Spanish Translation with a Minor in Arabic Language and Culture. I am going on an international exchange to Universitat Pompeu Fabra, in Barcelona, Spain, for the full 2016-2017 academic year.

Please note: the topics I will discuss below are not "100% you cannot go on exchange. " Not at all. I am simply listing things that you will need to consider and work around in order to determine your eligibility. Everything below fully depends on your program of study, and the host institutions that you will choose. It is possible, in most cases, to work around these barriers. These are simply warnings and suggestions that I had to learn the hard way.

1. Grades

For a "general agreement" and more general and broad programs, you will need a minimum of a 5.0 CGPA, or a C, in order to be eligible for an exchange. However, more specialized programs will have different CGPA requirements. For example, my department, Translation, required a minumum CGPA of a 6.0 CGPA, or a B in order to be able to participate in an international exchange. Be sure to check with your academic unit to make sure that your grades are high enough! The higher your CGPA, the more scholarship money you will be able to receive from the University of Ottawa, and the better your application will look to partner universities abroad.

Tip: Study hard in first year! Most students apply for an exchange in their second year of studies, meaning that they will most likely be close to the average they got in their first year. Get that CGPA up in first year, so you won't need to worry about beefing it up in second year!

2. Your Program

As I mentioned above, different programs can not only change the minimum required CGPA you need for your exchange, but it can also determine other aspects of the exchange. For example, your program of study can determine whether you can go only for a single semester, or for the entire academic year. It can also determine the type of agreement for the international exchange. There are three types of agreements: a general agreement, a restricted agreement, and a Marco-Polo agreement.

A general agreement is exactly what is sounds like: you can take a mix of required courses and electives, or if you have enough elective credits remaining, you can do just elective credits abroad. It is a general agreement, so you can really do whatever you would like aborad, in terms of academics. Most students who go on an international exchange do a general agreement.

A restricted agreement is for more specialized and specific programs of study. I do not know all of the programs which require this type of agreement, but I do know that my program, Translation, requires a restricted agreement. This agreement means that I can only take required translation courses abroad, and very few, if any electives.

A Marco-Polo agreement is even more strict than a restricted agreement. This agreement is mostly for graduate students who are doing their Master's of PhD abroad, however, it is not impossible for an undergraduate student to have this type of agreement. Under this agreement, you have absolutely no choice in the courses you take abroad, as your academic unit at the University of Ottawa will choose your courses aborad for you. (This is actually much, much easier, as you will not have to go through all the trouble of finding all the course codes, course descriptions, course hours, lab hours, and credit values all on your own. )

Now that you understand the types of agreements, I will further explain why your program can alter your eligibility. Some programs are very specific, specialized, and course-heavy. This means that other international host universities may not have the courses that are specific enough and close enough to be considered equivalent to the University of Ottawa - courses such as pharmaceuticals, Translation, engineering, etc. that are very country-specific. Some universities abroad may not have as many course hours as the University of Ottawa, which may also cause issues with equivalencies, as well as the risk of having to take the course again at the University of Ottawa, delaying your graudation date.

Elective credits, or lackthereof is another thing that may hinder your eligibility for an exchange. You need a certain amound of elective credits to go on an exchange, just in case there are not enough equivalent courses to your major or specialization, you still need to fill the course hours. Quite a few programs, like biomedical sciences, engineering, and translation do not get many electives. This can cause problems, because if you do not have electives, you cannot do a full-time course load abroad, which is a requirement for an exchange.

Note: this is not to say that it is impossible to do an exchange with no electives. I have no electives, but I am still going. It fully depends on the host institution abroad and your program. Do not get discouraged! Do your research, and make a mock timetable! There are ways to make it work! These are simply warnings.

3. A Minor

While many students at the University of Ottawa declare a minor in their second year of studies, which is a great idea that definitely sets apart you and your degree from others, it can definitely make your exchange a little more tricky to plan out. Once you declare a minor, you no longer have elective credits, or have very few elective credits, as your "elective credits" are now all going towards the successful completion of your minor. This can become hairy if your host institution does not offer courses pertaining to your minor, as you will not be able to do elective credits, or fulfill your minor. I know of several people who have had to actually drop their minor in order to be able to participate on an international exchange. I am barely making my minor work, as my host institution only has two courses required for my minor, and I will have to pay for them. With this being said, I will have to do a fifth year in order to complete my minor. If the chance of having to do a fifth year, or an extra semester does not bother you, then you should not worry. It may work out, it may not. Do your research and it will work out in the end!

4. Language Proficiency

Studying in South America is amazing! So is studying in Italy, or in Germany! France too! These are all great places to spend a year, no? I would say so. But, many of the University of Ottawa's partner institutions do require proof of language proficiency. The University of Ottawa has a phenomenal department of modern languages that offer languages like Arabic, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French. Italian, and many more - so you are at the right place if you want to learn a new language, and then immerse yourself and perfect your vocabulary, grammar, and accent by going on exchange. You need to have four credits, or the equivalent to go on an exchange where that language is spoken. That being said, you need to have completed any second year course in that language, so for example, the requirement to study in a Spanish speaking country is ESP2992. For an Arabic speaking country, it is ARB2912. You will require a total of four elective credits to complete the language requirement. As I mentioned above, if you do not have many or any elective credits, you may want to do the online placement examination if you already have knowledge in that language, so you can skip the beginner level courses and finish the intermediate courses. Or, of the former is not an option, you can opt to go to an English speaking country, like England, Ireland, or Australia.

Note: if you do have prior knowledge of one of the languages offered by the Department of Modern Languages of the University of Ottawa, I strongly recommend you take the online placement test. I took the online placement test for Spanish, and I got to skip three courses - ESP1991, ESP1992, and ESP2991. I went straight into ESP2992 in my first year of studies, therefore I met the language requirement in only my first year of studies. I saved a total of three elective credits.

5. Co-Op

The University of Ottawa also prides itself on having a great co-op office that gives students amazing opportunities to gain valuable work experience in their field, before they even graduate. Almost all programs at the University of Ottawa have a co-op option for students. Depending on the program of study, students can have anywhere from three to five co-op terms. Now, there is a catch with the University of Ottawa's co-op program. You either do all terms, on time, or you do none at all. Harsh, I know. But this is how it works. This can be very frustrating if you are enrolled in a co-op program, and you wish to do an exchange. You cannot do one or two, miss one, and make up the rest. Co-op is an all or nothing type of deal.

Most of the first terms for co-op start in the Spring after the Winter Session - so, erly May. School ending in late April and early May is really only a thing in North America. Most other coutnries around the world finish in June. This is why an exchange would be difficult to co-ordinate with co-op. You cannot enter a co-op work term a month late, or you lose your co-op entirely. Even if you did do a single semster abroad, it could create conflicts. Most semester-long exchanges take place in the Winter session, creating the problem I mentioned above. Starting a session in the Fall session could also be risky, as you may arrive late in the Winter session, or in the Winter co-op term for some programs.

Tip: It is best that you do your exchange in your third year of studies, that way if anything is miss abroad, you can make up for it in your fouth year and graduate on time. Doing an exchange in your fourth year of studies will delay your graduation, and potentially add an extra semester, or even year, just to complete all the requirements.

Being in Translation, I had to completely drop co-op in order to do an exchange, because it could not be coorindated with the oddly timed co-op terms. On the other hand, a close friend of mine in International Development had to drop her exchange in order to do all her co-op sessions.

Note: I am not saying it is impossible to coordinate co-op with an exchange, but it can be difficult. It can be done, in my experience, and with my friends' experiences, you have to choose one or the other. This decision is a tough one, for sure. Luckily, it is possible to complete co-op terms abroad, so you do totally have the opportunity to go abroad with co-op as well. If you have to make that difficult decision, I would recommend that you consider your program of study, and the field of work, as well as the demand of work in that field. If demand is not high, and you feel as if prior work experience would help, then I would definitely go for co-op.

Other than the things mentioned above, I think you are good to go! Remember, exchanges are a big thing that require lots of planning in advance. It is never too early to start your research for your exchange. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.

You can visit the University of Ottawa's International Office here for more information. Happy planning, and bon voyage!

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