It does become a problem, but you can always pay to do subjects when you come back.
I came to the realization that I simply don't earn enough to save up to go on exchange.
You could still go fine in 3rd year.
...I thought you worked like 30 hours a week? I work ten hours a week at home? You can get loans...and the grant. I got 8500 from that alone.
What's the go for going on exchange? I only started looking at it now and it looks like I may have missed out on applying for 2nd semester next year, so 2nd year for me cos of this December deadline thing I keep seeing for applications. Although my grades may be too low... lol
So looks like I might have to wait to do it in 3rd year? Only problem is that I read it's best not to do major/compulsory units on exchange, so that may be a problem in 3rd year? Euggh.
The December deadline would prevent you from going? There's still about a month for you to get your shit together. It's not too hard to get the minimum amount of subjects approved before the deadline and then just accumulate extras later. If you do want to go next year: find an institution you really want to go to, get a few subjects from it approved via email (even if you're not 100% on taking them) so that you have a 'full credit load' and you're pretty much done. You can definitely get someone to write you an academic reference in time if you start one now.
However, there is the small problem of those stupid exchange information sessions that are compulsory now? I'd imagine they have one before the due date...let me check - sure enough, there's on on Wednesday 21st of November you could attend which might be after your exams and also happens to be before the application deadline for UC if you were considering that option.
You only need a 65% average to go on exchange. If you look at the partner institutions you'll see what cut-offs institutions had last time and how many estimated places they have. For some institutions they won't even reach that cut off (unfortunately not for places like Kings, Berkeley, Penn etc).
And then I must ask - where (in terms of countries) would you like to go? The availability of your subjects will vary depending on where you're applying - it's good to investigate whether everyone has equal opportunity to enter into subjects or if local students get preference if you are considering for third year. It's true that you shouldn't rely on being about to take subjects in your major unless you have a written guarantee for the host institution. If you do end up looking at third year (and you're still in first) then here are my suggestions to you:
- find out how many subjects you need to take for the major you're considering
- find out how many of those subjects (level 3) you can take without prerequisites from second year
- take some of your level three subjects in second year
- leave your second year electives until you go on exchange
There's nothing that says you have to take Level 3 subjects in your third year - if you could attempt some (not all of course) in second year then this is a way to make sure you don't have to take so many specific subjects when you're overseas. For instance, I didn't need Biochem for any of my possible majors when I get back but I do need it for the MD applications. I decided to take Biochem in first semester of next year (third year) and take a third year elective here instead - which is the opposite to what I'm suggesting to you, but it's a way to make sure you can take courses that you need to take at Melbourne at home and still go on exchange. Just save up your breadths and electives for overseas because they have much more flexibility.
Going on Exchange can be a severe commitment for your degree depending on what you do. Not so much in Arts, because their degree structure is generally more flexible and their prerequisites more lenient but for Sciences and Commerce things tend to be more strict. It's a good idea to try and plan your whole degree structure around going on exchange. If you absolutely have to take prerequisites overseas just investigate your options and narrow down your host institutions based on equivalences. But if you could go in second year with a month to plan...I'd really recommend it!
Hope I helped!
EDIT: one more thing I realised you should know about third year exchange: if you do decide to do one, make sure you plan it for Semester 1 of your final year and not Semester 2. The reason for this is that the academic calendars of Australian universities obviously do not align with those for universities in the Northern Hemisphere. They finish our 'Semester 2' in December, just before Christmas! And therefore they take forever to send through your final transcript to Melbourne. And then Melbourne takes forever to convert the scores on that transcript into a 'pass' on your study plan for the units listed for Exchange. And what that means is that if you do go on exchange in the final semester of your final year
you cannot graduate with your cohort in December of your final year. So, in your case, instead of graduating in December of 2014, you would be looking at graduating in the middle of 2015 (even though you have no more credit points to undertake). This is especially frustrating if you're looking at postgraduate courses which only have beginning of year entry and not midyear entry, or even honours.