Melbourne Global Mobility For Outgoing Students

You are required to attend a Pre-departure Session prior to your exchange. You must attend in person (proxies not permitted).

• Date: students commencing an exchange in semester 1 2010, are required to attend a session on EITHER of the following dates:
  
  Wednesday 4 November 2009
  
  OR
  
  Tuesday 1 December 2009.
• Format: brief talks as well as informal workshops
• Topics: travel, insurance, medical matters, culture shock, re-enrolling

(Students wishing to go on exchange in semester 2 2010 are required to attend a mandatory Pre-departure Session in person in June 2010).

Distributed at the Pre-departure Session, this booklet contains valuable information on an overseas stay, including travel document checklists and useful contacts, and will also be available from Melbourne Global Mobility after the session.

Culture shock is a very real experience and it is important to be prepared. It is not limited to exchanges in countries with obviously different customs and languages. Often students travelling to countries that, from a distance, seem quite similar to Australia are the ones who are least prepared for the shock of the new. To read more about it and for useful strategies to prepare and cope with culture shock view the culture shock webpage.

There are numerous providers that have developed insurance policies especially for students, and Melbourne Global Mobility cannot recommend a particular policy. Students must research the different insurance options and select a policy to best suit their needs. Please also read the following Insurance Council of Australia website, which contains useful advice for travellers: travel insurance - tips on travelling (50kb pdf)

Be aware that some host institutions require that you purchase their insurance and you will not be enrolled until you provide proof of having done so. In these cases, it is important that you obtain health and travel insurance to cover the period between leaving home and commencing of your study overseas.

In some cases you may be able to seek a waiver for purchasing the host institution insurance. To do so you will need proof of comparable insurance before you will be enrolled, and, in at least one case, from an insurance provider with an office in the US.

The University of Melbourne has an insurance policy that is available for students travelling on University approved business. Application forms are available from Melbourne Global Mobility. For more information consult the insurance for your Exchange webpage.

When you are setting off on your own for an extended period of time, it is important to take a few basic precautions to ensure your health. At the Pre-departure Session, a guest speaker will remind you of the basic requirements and answer simple questions. For useful tips see the medical matters webpage.

Note: Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with eight countries. To find out which ones and what that means see the reciprocal health care agreements with other countries webpage.

You will need to think about a how you are going to get access to your money while you are overseas. For some suggestions and numbers to call if you lose or have your credit cards stolen go to the money matters webpage.

At the Pre-departure Session, returned students will speak with you further about the accommodation options at your host institution. For more information please consult the accommodation webpage.

Note: You may be able to contact returned or current exchange students, to discuss accommodation options, well in advance of the Pre-departure Session by contacting Melbourne Global Mobility.

It is worth 'shopping around' for the best deal on airline tickets and by making reservations early you can usually secure cheaper tickets. You can never be absolutely certain, however, of a place at a particular partner institution until you have received notification of your acceptance; some institutions leave this quite late.

To try and enable you to arrange your travel early with this level of uncertainty, STA Travel have agreed to special arrangements for exchange students at Melbourne. For more information see the STA Travel webpage.

Melbourne Global Mobility cannot advise you on suitable airlines and ticket availability.

Students are advised to contact the appropriate consular offices of their host country once they have been nominated to a partner institution to discover whether a student visa will be required prior to departure. See the helpful links and addresses page, for appropriate consular links.

For more information see the visas webpage.