Canada North America Student exchange Study Tips for surviving uni Travel

Montreal – the number one student city!

Sneha M., Bachelor of Business and Laws (Honours)
HEC Montreal, Canada (Semester 2, 2017)

When I realised I was going on exchange I was a whole lot excited and a little bit nervous! I had never lived overseas before for starters and my best dish consisted of toast. My partner institution was HEC (Hautes Ecoles Commerciales) in Montreal, Canada. While my classes were in English, French was the main language spoken in Montreal. Equipped with about 3 duolingo lessons I packed my one suitcase and off I went! Luckily however, nearly everyone in Montreal speaks English, in fact, they want to practice English so much you may not always get to try out your French!

My experience did not start off on the best note. My flight from Brisbane was delayed by four hours, which meant I missed both of my connecting flights. When I arrived in LAX for a stopover my phone stopped working and my next flight was delayed. On my final leg from Toronto to Montreal, the passenger behind me was severely sick and had to get medical treatment before we could fly out! I ended up arriving in Montreal with no one to pick me up at 4am, a day later than expected. This also meant I spent the first and only day before orientation week getting my phone fixed, getting some warm clothes (as it was -14 degrees) and grocery shopping.

The next day orientation week began and it was jam packed full of activities including going to an outdoor spa in the snow, laser tag, snow tubing, pub crawls, hikes, ice skating, parties and much more. Needless to say it was really fun but so exhausting I caught the flu. I think experiencing challenges so early in my exchange made me take initiative and get organised really quickly which made the rest of the trip so much easier.

I was really lucky my roommates were also attending HEC. This made the whole experience better because we had similar schedules and could travel together. I definitely recommend going to Montreal if you want to travel. It’s only a short bus ride to New York and Boston and a few hours further to Washington DC. I also got the chance to visit the Rocky Mountains on the West Coast of Canada and Iceland during spring break which were both simply breathtaking .

Montreal was voted number one student city in the world for good reasons! It has plenty to do and a great atmosphere. While on exchange I went to Igloofest a music festival with intricately carved ice bars, bonfires and great music. It started snowing halfway through the night, which just meant everyone had to dance harder.

 

It can sometimes be difficult in winter where some days it was -19. It’s really important to layer, because underground and inside it can get really warm with central heating. Montreal has an extensive underground metro system as well as shopping centres and an underground mini city! Good shoes are also a must as you can be trekking through deep snow to get to uni! Canadians are tough and uni is hardly ever cancelled unless there is a major snowstorm.

A word of caution though, HEC has a very good reputation, but that also means the courses are quite difficult. Instead of using electives, I was able to complete compulsory finance subjects. The format is quite different with no online lectures and three hour classes that combine work as lectures and tutorials together. Take advantage of the consultations and make sure to study throughout the semester as most exams are worth 60%! One elective class I took however was Social Innovation in the International Area. This subject requires us to work with a Social Innovation group or project in Montreal to meet specific aims. It was amazing to see the social enterprises people from across the globe are involved in.

The friends, skills and memories I have gained from Montreal and my time at HEC was invaluable. I am so grateful and humbled by exchange experience. I can’t wait to visit again!

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