Yasmin (Sem 2, 2023)

My Exchange at McGill University

I looked into the 360 International Exchange program before enrolling at UoA; having the option to study abroad was one of the reasons I chose UoA. Studying business at the McGill Desautels Business School in Montreal was an awesome opportunity to explore a new country and experience a different style of teaching/learning. My first impression of Montreal and Canada in general was ‘what a gorgeous summer city’; little did I know that Montreal in autumn and winter would be equally beautiful and so different to anything I’d ever experienced in New Zealand. I loved how diverse the city was, with pockets of nature and parks, city life, and riverfront, although I did miss the sea. I was lucky enough to receive the same on campus shared housing as the other UoA exchange students – I ended up switching housing as my room was in the basement but the process was smooth and the McGill staff were really accommodating. The housing itself was old but well maintained and I was pretty much on campus which helped with my attendance at classes. McGill is also a five minute walk from Downtown Montreal and other areas of interest so there was always something to do.

At the start, McGill hosted a series of events for international students and orientation events for incoming freshman. I didn’t participate because I was a fifth year but it would have been a good way to meet new students had I been younger. In terms of the teaching, I’d say that the standard of work and effort needed to achieve a high grade at McGill is significantly higher than that at UoA. This is because there is more content, the lectures are not recorded, attendance/participation often contribute to your grade and content is not reviewed throughout the course. It is also competitive entry to Desautels and other faculties so in general the students tend to be more driven than in New Zealand. There’s a large mixture of professors, some are extremely engaged with their class and put in the effort to learn names while others are more typical. I’d say McGill is also quite progressive and has plenty of sustainability based courses in all majors. At McGill I volunteered at a not for profit kitchen but spent the majority of my weekends exploring Montreal and travelling around Canada and parts of the United States. I didn’t expect to travel as much as I did but it turns out Montreal is a great home base to explore. I’d highly recommend choosing McGill to study abroad at because the standard of learning and living is high. Montreal is also such a walkable city and there are many other major cities relatively close by for extended weekend trips with friends!

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

I enjoyed taking courses outside of the typical curriculum at UoA and meeting locals, Canadians, and international students due to the multicultural nature of the McGill student body. A lot of the courses heavily encouraged student participation and discussion during lectures, so while I did not enjoy having to participate, I liked listening to other students’ perspectives and opinions. I also enjoyed the diverse forms of assessment the professors assigned and how the younger professors especially were so driven and passionate about their area of work.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

I’d highly recommend attending live sports games, whether they’re university level games or national level. Especially, ice hockey (NHL), American football (NFL), and baseball. Even if you’re not a huge sports fan, the level of energy and excitement is insane and so fun to be a part of – the music choice in between plays is also top notch. One of my favourite memories is attending a Toronto Bluejays baseball game, eating a foot long hotdog and singing along to the music in between batters. The stadium was absolutely packed on a Sunday afternoon! The ice hockey is also a must see, especially in Montreal. Although I can’t say I know exactly what’s going on the level of skill is truly amazing and humbling when you try to ice skate at one of the many skate rinks in the winter. Other must-do’s in Montreal and Canada are to eat the famous poutine (essentially fries, gravy, and cheese curds!) and beavertails (a flat and thin donut-like pastry with different toppings), both delicious but not an everyday meal.

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

1. Create your course schedule wisely! Desautels had a lot of flexibility in schedule. Some of my friends only had university classes twice a week which left a lot of free days to travel.

2. Select a couple of must-see places you’d like to travel to during your exchange before you go so that you know what to pack. I’d highly recommend getting out in nature and doing some walks, even if they’re just day trips from Montreal (the leaves are amazing in Fall!).

3. Go during semester 2. Montreal is beautiful in winter but a whole different experience in summer and fall. Study in semester 2 abroad so that you get to experience all three seasons.

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

Honestly, I didn’t budget for my exchange but I knew I’d be spending my student loan plus whatever money I had earnt from interning over the previous six months (half part-time and half full time) so I had an idea of how much I would be comfortable spending. I had also created a rough budget for my exchange which was around $15,000 not including course fees (as these would be paid prior to the exchange). I probably overspent this amount due to travel but didn’t eat out or buy groceries nearly as much as I thought I would. My main tip would be to set boundaries around where you want to be spending your money (i.e. your priorities) while on exchange. For me, this ended up being travel so I was more willing to set aside money for trips rather than shopping.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

I think being from New Zealand, we can become isolated easily. Going on exchange and meeting so many people from all over the world opened my eyes to how big the world is and how diverse our experiences are, even if we come from similar backgrounds. It’s easy to forget that you’re just one person, and all these other people are also living their lives at the same time. It made me realise how lucky I am to be able to travel and study in the first place – I don’t think I’ve ever felt more grateful to be alive than I did while on exchange and travelling with friends. So all in all, my most significant takeaway was a greater appreciation for friendship and for being alive and in this world despite all the terrible things happening at the moment.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

The Canadian and US national parks are absolutely worth visiting if you can. I’ll definitely be going back to North America just to explore the parks.

Final Comments

Say yes to all the opportunities!