For many Bermudians going to college means immersion in a foreign land and culture. However the social and educational opportunities need not be limited to just one campus, as many colleges offer exchange programmes through which students can easily spend a semester or more in colleges around the world.

While studying for a degree in Accounting at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, Stephen Bath took advantage of just such an opportunity to 'exchange' at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia.

Communicating via e-mail from the small village in Mexico where he is volunteering at an orphanage, Stephen took the time to share some of his experiences down under and shed some light on doing a student exchange:

When and why did you decide to go to Australia? And what were some of your other choices?

I had known that I had wanted to study abroad during the first week of university orientation where all the opportunities for exchange were shown to us. I decided to go for the second half my third year, and the first half of my fourth (final) year in order to be there for the full Australian school year. Having a specific major in Accounting my choices were somewhat limited, but still very wide terms of different schools I could attend. I narrowed my choice down to Australia and the University of Tec de Monterrey in Mazatlan, Mexico. Travel is a passion of mine so the opportunity to live for an extended period of time on the other side of the globe is what ended up selling me on Australia. (And the chance to surf every day may have influenced my decision making process a bit.)

Did you know you could do a 'student exchange' before you went off to British Columbia?

I was aware that universities have exchange programmes, but I wasn't sure the of the breadth and ease of the whole process. UBC for example has over 150 partner universities that you can study at while earning credits towards your degree.

How was the learning environment in Australia similar to British Columbia and what were the differences?

The learning environment in Australia was a difficult transition at first. One of the major differences is that most universities in Australia are commuter schools, where the students choose to live at home and attend the closest school, as opposed to moving out and living either on or near campus. This was different because you have fewer opportunities to see your classmates outside of the classroom.

Can you explain the academic process of your student exchange?

The exchange programme at UBC is very well organised and thorough. They have a list of pre-approved courses that, provided you pass, the credits will transfer as the equivalent course. transfer as the equivalent course. For any other course, you can receive elective credits, that won't apply to any specific class, but will count towards graduating. However the grades I received on exchange did not apply to my university GPA, but rather just as a pass or fail and the corresponding credits.

As for UNSW, their system was far less organised. All of my courses for the first semester had been selected and enrolled in before I left for Australia. During the second semester I had to wait for the course schedules to come out and therefore had to register for my classes through the UNSW exchange programme. That was frustrating, as it wasn't electronic. I had to search down all of my teachers and get them to sign admission forms before I could enrol. This process probably took three days of roaming around campus during my winter holidays, which was frustrating to say the least.

What sort of preparations did you have to make with regards to things like a student visa and finding accommodation?

There was a lot of preparation involved before heading off, in order to get a visa to Australia you have to provide chest x-rays to prove you don't have tuberculosis (at least I think it was for tuberculosis). Having a British Passport made it pretty easy to get my visa though. As for student housing, I opted not to live in the designated exchange student dorms and instead found an apartment when I got to Sydney.

Can you share some of the highlights of your year in Australia?

Life in Australia was packed for me. Three days in I bought a car with another Bermudian, Chris Conyers, who I travelled with around the country for six weeks. During the course of the year I also went cage diving with Great White sharks in South Australia, and went scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. I learnt how to surf, and attended sailing school. I also took a trip where I went to Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia and had a great time learning about South East Asian Culture.

Were you tempted to stay on after the year?

Honestly, while I really enjoyed my year out there I was definitely ready to come back to Bermuda by the end of it. It was a fantastic experience, and I definitely see myself returning to Australia in the future.

Mr. Bath is currently volunteering at an orphanage for abused, abandoned and orphaned children in a Tapachula, Mexico. These children have been given a chance at a second life thanks to Pam and Alan Skuse, an Australian couple who have run the orphanage since 2000. For more information you can visit their website www.lovelifehope.com.