Freaking Out

I had my first official freak out last night about the trip. Not because I am afraid of going (that kind of freaking out will probably wait until a week before departure), but because I am not sure I will have enough time to get everything done. I already have some advice for anyone who may want to do this in the future: Get everything done early. There are a ton of things that go into studying abroad like this, and they all take time to do them.

1. Get a passport. - This is the one thing I didn't procrastinate with, and I am very lucky. It takes about 4-6 weeks to get done. It costs about $90, but lasts for like 10 years. Do it as soon as you are serious about going.

2. Apply to USAC. - USAC stands for University Studies Abroad Consortium, and is who sets up everything with the host country's schools. You have to write an essay, which I waited to do, and now I am paying the price. Get the essay done, the application process only takes a few days.

3. Apply to the host school. - USAC gives you applications for the host school. In my case, it's Deakin University. This is the application I am worried about. It has everything to do with housing and classes, and takes about 3 weeks to process. I'm hoping I hear word from Deakin in the next week.

4. Apply for a visa. - You can only apply for a visa after you get accepted to the host university. I have obviously not started this step, and that is very bad. It shouldn't take more than 2 weeks, possibly even 3-4 days, but I'm not sure. This is why applying early is a very good thing.

5. Get a plane ticket. - Expensive. Havn't done it yet. The VSR Travel website says it will only take 48 hours to process my flight itinerary and everything, so I think this one is plausible.

6. Get money in order. - I can't even begin to think how this is going to work. I will be applying for a credit card for me to use while I am there, but this one is still in the works.

7. Pack. - God help me, I have no idea what I'm going to bring or how much.

That's all I can think of right now, but I'll add more if anything else comes to mind.