Sam– University of Toronto
Semester 2, 2024
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
Why do exchange?
My name is Samuel Challies. I am an Engineering student and, a year and a half ago, I decided I wanted to do an exchange – I figured this would be the best way for me to travel while still being a student. I chose Toronto for their dense culture, friendly nature, and the beautiful (albeit sometimes extreme) weather. The experience was unforgettable. It’s not an easy thing to decide you want to drop everything, head on a 20-hour flight to the other side of the world and stay there for a semester but believe me when I say the experience was worth it.
Units
I decided to do elective units overseas to make life easier for myself, I would 100% recommend this to any outgoing exchange student. As an Engineering student, this freedom allowed me to study 2 philosophy courses and 1 media course overseas. Not only did I get experience of other subjects, but my application was super simple.
Arrival and settling in
I arrived on the first of September and the day after, where I had planned to buy my essentials, was Labour day in Canada. I definitely recommend researching the public holidays to prevent having to Uber Eats a towel like I did. Off-campus accommodation had its benefits, and its drawbacks.
Pros: it allowed me to live in the heart of Toronto, worked out cheaper than on campus living, and it gave me plenty of options.
Cons: little interaction with roommates as they were not students, long travel time to university.
I believe that off-campus living can be a viable option to those who don’t have access to or don’t want to pay excess for on campus living. Just ensure enough time and effort is given to considering where you want to live.
Photo of the Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square
Weather
When you think of Canada, you think of freezing cold. When I arrived in Toronto at the beginning of Fall (September), they were still getting up to mid-20 degrees (Celsius) temperatures. Packing to account for this weather was difficult because after about a month it dropped very quickly and, before I knew it, I was in the negatives. The coldest temperature I got was -18oC just before I left (end of December) – so packing thermals and other winter clothing was a life saver.
Snow – rare sight for an Aussie
University
The first thing I noticed when I stepped onto the campus was how busy it was. I came from the Engineering Faculty where almost every unit had recorded and livestreamed lectures and tutorials, UTM rarely does so. As a result, the foot traffic across the campus was much heavier than QUT. With that said, the facilities were amazing. Plenty of food places and great lecture halls and tutorial rooms. Travelling to Uni felt long but was simple with a direct free shuttle bus taking me from the city to the campus. Mississauga itself is beautiful and travelling through it is a refreshing look into the nature of suburban Canada. The content itself wasn’t any harder abroad, but the setup was very different for me, with marked attendance for many classes.
Photo with the UTM Sign
Find your group!
The Official Liverpool Supporters Club (OLSC) is a Toronto-based supporters’ group for the Premier League team Liverpool. Being a big fan, I joined on the first game shown while I was there. Every week, twice a week, I’d take a short train to the pub and watch the game with a large group of amazing people. This is where I met my closest friends while I was there, who I am still in contact with. This led me to more amazing experiences than I could’ve asked for. For 16 weeks, this club was the highlight of my week and really was a family away from home. While it’s true that uni is a great place to make connections – I urge anyone going abroad to find a club of any kind of their own.
Awesome folks at the supporter’s club
Best Experiences
Now for the fun part, here are some of my best experiences while I was there: The CN tower edge walk – there is no better way to view the beautiful city of Toronto than to hang off a building 356 meters in the sky. With the sunset in the background and the city below my feet, I couldn’t stop smiling.
356m High Edgewalk on the CN Tower Toronto
Niagara Falls – my university set up a trip soon after I arrived to visit Niagara Falls. I met some great people at my university on this trip and saw the most beautiful natural landmark I’ve ever seen. Going into the falls on the boat was the best part, imagine a waterfall giving you the most surreal shower ever.
Niagara Falls: The most breathtaking landmark I’ve ever seen
Ice Hockey, Basketball, Baseball – going to watch the Maple Leafs vs the Sabres, Raptors vs the Bulls, and the Bluejays vs the Mets in the NHL, NBA, and MLB was really cool. The sports culture is amazing, and the stadiums alone are worth visiting.
Ice Hockey at Scotiabank Arena
Final Recommendations
Now that we’ve talked about the best parts, I’ll mention some things I would do better if I went again. I underestimated the toll travelling between my downtown off-campus accommodation and the campus in Mississauga would have on me. My total travel time was about 2 hours (each way). To add insult to injury, I got informed that I could apply at the nearby St George (downtown) campus 3 days before I was set to leave! If I were to do it again, I’d ensure that I either a) booked accommodation closer to university or b) asked to apply at the St George campus early on. Your accommodation largely dictates your liveability, prioritise it and do not cut corners on the basis that you’ll ‘be out the house a lot’ (like I did).
Find out more on how you can apply: Student Exchange.
