Shelby Johnston
Exchange destination: Bangor University (Bangor, Wales, UK)
Duration: 1 semester (Winter)
Program: HK - Movement Science
High school: Ridgetown District High School
One word to describe your exchange?
Phenomenal
What is the best thing that happened on exchange?
Wearing my UWindsor coat to class, a professor recognized that I was a University of Windsor, HK, student of Dr. Khan (HK Dean). He spoke very highly of our program and stated that any student from Windsor, is a dedicated, well educated and high caliber student. This experience made me proud to wear my UWindsor gear and tell everyone where I was from.
What is the worst thing that happened on exchange?
After a long flight filled with anxious thoughts, sad goodbyes, and limited sleep, I had to catch multiple trains from London airport to my new home in Bangor, Wales. I started to panic about missing my train and debating about how crazy I was to travel to another country by myself. However, I took a couple deep breaths and ended up paying for a taxi to take me right to the train station even though it was only one minute away. All and all, I am glad I decided to travel to my exchange home by myself as it allowed to me become an independent traveler, and appreciate all the hard work it took to become an exchange student.
What is something that you know now, that you wish you knew before exchange?
Before leaving, I told my boss that I booked a flight home right after my final exam. However, I wish I would have known how much I would love exchange and planned a final trip before returning home to work.
Who was the hardest person to leave that you met while on exchange?
Ashley, an American exchange student was the hardest to leave. I met her on my first day in Bangor, and from that day on I spent every day with her, on campus or traveling to different countries. We got closer than I could have imagined in a short period of time, and we promised to talk often.
If you were to recommend exchange to your best friend, what would you say?
Exchange is the best decision you could ever make. This is the time in our lives to be selfish; to travel, to find ourselves, to meet new people, to try new things and to live in another country without any second thoughts. Exchange is a great opportunity to travel without getting behind on life goals or educational aspirations.
How are you including exchange on your resume?
Under educational background, and I’ve include the skills I learned such as cross-cultural communication, financial management, problem solving, time-management, a sense of adventure and open-mindedness.
A sample of the classes taken and credits received:
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Psychology of Sport Performance = 95-333
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Health Physiology = 95-490
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Stress, Health and Anxiety = 2nd year Psychology class
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Plus others