Control kills flavour and so does fear: Exchanging in Canada right before graduation

An epiphany hit Trang during her exchange in Canada, where a finance student found herself working backstage at fashion weeks, making friends through small talk, and starting a blog that would eventually shape her career. What began as a spontaneous escape from a carefully planned life turned into a journey of self-discovery, uncertainty, and unexpected purpose.

Growing up as a Sims player, I always create the perfect family: the sim who gets straight As, then goes on to max out their career, lives in a mansion on a 64x64 lot, with 1 single love interest. That was before Sims 4, where now there’s a new fear trait mechanism: FEAR OF UNFULFILLED DREAMS.

My sims no longer endured my controlling nature. I, too, can no longer live in a simulation I built for myself: get good grades, score an internship at a Big4 firm, climb the corporate ladder, marry, have 2 children and make a lot of money. I have subscribed to this idea of “golden child complex”.

Everything went downhill when I realised the major I chose - finance - wasn’t what I wanted in life. I loved my lecturers and teammates, but that was all I loved. I experienced an existential crisis 2 semesters before graduation, unsure of my life post-grad. Having exchanged to Singapore and Saigon, I decided the only logical thing a romcom character would do is to move to a(nother) new city!

I chose Toronto as my sister lives there and coincidentally, RMIT’s partnered with Toronto Metropolitan University. The Global Experience department was very supportive in answering all of my inquiries and helped me develop a study plan so that I would still graduate on time.

You might regard me as delusional and reckless. Someone sane would stay and look for an internship so they get a job upon graduation. Nonetheless, I packed my bags and left.

For the first time in my life, I embraced spontaneity and said yes to random things. When my sister asked if I wanted to help out with a fashion brand she worked at, mind you I had zero fashion-related experiences, but I went to Vancouver Fashion Week and Fashion Art Toronto nonetheless. I felt like Andy Sachs, carrying coffee orders and lugging kilograms of clothes across the city.

At Fashion Art Toronto.

One thing I really admired about Canadians is their love of small talk. I found it quite jarring when people can talk about the weather in the elevator, constantly say ‘sorry’, ‘thank you’ and ‘have a nice day’ and have the courage to just interact with strangers.

And that’s how I met most of my friends, through small talks at events, campus quads and coffee shops. They invited me to parties, showed hidden gems only locals are aware of, and took me to music shows that expanded my “discography”.

control-kills-flavors-3-trang-with-her-friend

My bestie Hanna from Poland.

You may think I’m a true gamer, from my hyper specific Sims analogy, but it was the only game I played. When it comes to any games that require you to push more than 2 buttons at once, I have 0 motor skills, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness goes out the window. I wouldn’t call myself a perfectionist, but whatever I do, I must achieve some good results. It was so freeing to just trust my instincts and go with the flow, without planning what buttons I must push and in what order I should press them.

This is all fun and games (pun intended), but I was still unsure about what I wanted to do career-wise. I traced back to my past experiences, hoping to find a clue on what I might’ve destined for, and I remembered about my time as Student Content Assistant at RMIT University Communications department. After my time there, I enjoyed talking to new people and writing stories about them so much I decided to start my own blog on Substack called ‘fourth time’s a charm’ to further hone my pen.

control-kills-flavors-4-trangs-personal-blog-screenshot

My blog!

I wrote and shared my silly little articles with my friends, and they seemed intrigued by what I did and what I had to say. I feel a deep sense of excitement whenever someone would text me about my musings, especially from people I rarely talk to, and discuss them with me.

After my apprenticeship in Toronto, I told my sister “I want to be a journalist, I want to write stories, I want to create discussions”.

The universe heard my desire, and lo and behold, it all paid off at the end. When I came back to Hanoi, I felt a new sense of purpose. I learnt new skills through RMIT’s Linkedin Learning, I asked the Careers department to help with my CV and Cover Letter, I put my all. I knew what I wanted and I got it.

Me (at the center) at graduation!

I recently graduated on April 9th, and I can now proudly say I’m a journalist, reporter, editor and writer. I’m glad I took that leap of faith, and I hope you have the courage to do so too.

Remember: Control kills flavour and so does fear. If the goal is to experience and explore, what is there to waste?

Some common questions you may have about exchange

1. Does the exchange count towards your GPA at RMIT?

No! In your transcript, the subjects will be marked as EPG, External Pass Grade, so you would only need to pass

2. What was the Visa process like?

I recommend you do it by yourself. If you go for 1 semester, you’ll have to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa. The most difficult part is proving your finances. Other than that, it’s pretty straightforward. I recommend preparing your documents beforehand, and as soon as you receive the acceptance letter, apply ASAP. Especially if you plan to exchange during the winter semester as it will fall around Christmas and New Year’s, which will take even more time to process.

3. When’s the best time to go to Toronto?

I suggest going during the fall semester as the weather is not too hot nor too cold. Canadian winters are brutal, and my southeast asian complexion did not take it well (i got eczema).

4. How did I find accommodation?

This is the part that I struggled with the most. Most places require a minimum duration of 1 year so you gotta pick your battles with this one. Housing will be around $1000 per month. My main priorities were somewhere close to campus (aka in downtown) and close to public transportations (streetcars or subways). I luckily found my roommates through Facebook!

If you’re still not sure, schedule a consultation with Global Experience to learn more about all the options for your next global quest.

Good luck!

Story: This article is written by Trang Luu, a Bachelor of Business graduate from RMIT Vietnam, and does not reflect the views of RMIT University. Trang's exchange experience took place in September 2025, thus some information may no longer be accurate.

23 April 2026

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Control kills flavour and so does fear: Exchanging in Canada right before graduation