My Exchange at McGill University
In July 2024, I set off from New Zealand to Canada on a semester study exchange through 360 International. I had never visited Canada before, and the most common question I was asked during my experience was “what made you choose Canada?”. Canada has always been a country I would like to visit. So with one suitcase in tow, I embarked on my journey to Montreal, Canada.
Arriving in Montreal was very overwhelming. I arrived at my accommodation in a new city with no familiar faces, and had to immediately settle into a new way of life for the next few months. However, spending the next day looking around the area and gaining my bearings, I quickly became accustomed to my new life in Montreal. My accommodation was a three bedroom, off campus McGill University apartment. I was fortunate enough to share the space with two other friendly students, and enjoyed the off-campus location as it provided an escape from the business of Montreal City.
In terms of course work, I enjoyed the subjects which I studied at McGill University. The theory was taught and assessed in a similar way to Auckland University, which made grasping the new university system fairly easy. I found my course lecturers friendly, approachable, and happy to help with any questions I had, which was a big help throughout the semester. The biggest difference and challenge which I experienced with the course content was the lack of tutorials and practical course experience compared to Auckland University which I have found to be highly centred around theory application. While this was a challenging adjustment, I found the engaging with teaching staff and peers for support to be important in gaining support throughout the semester.
As a city, I thoroughly enjoyed living in Montreal. I found the people friendly and approachable, the food delicious (great for foodies like myself), and the city to have a vibrant and exciting atmosphere. Montreal was especially unique due to its bilingual French and English culture. I was able to learn a little French whilst there, however was fortunate to live in a city where speaking English was also acceptable, and therefore the language difference didn’t affect my experience at all.
Outside of University, the most exciting aspect of living abroad were the travel opportunities. Between studying, I was able to visit amazing sights in Canada, such as Vancouver, Whistler, Banff, Sun Peaks, Toronto, Niagara Falls and Quebec City. I was spoilt for choice of amazing places to visit in Canada, and met some amazing, lifelong friends on these trips.
This experience hasn’t been all easy, however, and like all experiences, comes with its challenges. The biggest of these was the feeling of overwhelmingness and sometimes loneliness when living in a big city in a foreign country. From this, however, I have taken away the importance of meaningful friendships, surrounding yourself with supportive people, and staying in contact with close friends and family from back home while away.
Overall, my message to anyone considering enrolling on a semester exchange would be to take the risk and do it! It will be a daunting experience at first and will come with some challenges throughout. However, the learning opportunities, the friendships I have made on this journey, and the experience of living, studying and traveling abroad as a whole have been amazing, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
McGill University had a great student culture with so many student experiences to get involved with. The huge range of student clubs meant there was a group for all interests and activities. Faculties arranged engaging seminars from a wide variety of guest speakers, meaning there was always an interesting topic being presented. Finally, the halls of residence frequently arranged events such as dinner and craft nights which were a great way to meet others in the hall. Overall, there was no shortage of student culture at McGill.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
The Bus Club at McGill University was a particularly cool club unique to McGills student culture. The club arranged cheap day and overnight trips to different parts of Canada and the United States throughout the semester which made it easy to travel in between studying, and was a great way to meet like-minded people. Be quick though, as this was popular and most trips sold out in seconds!
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
- Put yourself out there and get involved with as many activities as you can at first. They provide a great way to meet like-minded students. Even small things such as going to the gym in the basement of my hall at the beginning of the semester, as this is where I met most of my university friends.
- Make connections with staff. I found the lecturers really approachable and helpful, and made an effort to get to know them during the semester. This helped immensely with the academic side of the exchange, and also has future benefits, such as for future study opportunities or references.
- Don’t be affraid to ask for help. As mentioned, all experiences like this aren’t all smooth sailing and will come with their own challenges. When these occur, however, the best way to overcome them is with support. Wether from a friend, family member, or support service, be sure to maintain your well-being and surround yourself with a solid support network, as facing challenges with others is so much easier than alone.
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?
Budgeting while on exchange was difficult. Firstly, it took a while to stop converting everything into NZD. Secondly, I found that I was always changing between the “budgeting” mindset and the “I’m only here once” mindset. I found the best way to overcome this for me was allocating a certain portion of my weekly budget to a fun activity, which could be a meal out or activity. This way, I could track my leisure expenditure, and also make sure I was maintaining a good balance between leisure activities and studying.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
Personally, the most significant takeaway from my exchange were the amazing people I met and relationships I formed. I never thought that I would make such good, lifelong friends from this experience. From this, I have really realised the importance of surrounding yourself with positive, like-minded people, as these people have been the greatest takeaway from this experience.
Is there any advice you could share about accommodation options at your host university and/or in the local area?
I lived in an off-campus accommodation for graduate and exchange students which I applied for through the university. I would recommend trying to source accommodation provided by the university, as it is a great way to meet other students. I would also recommend applying as early as possible for this to maximise your selection chances if spaces are limited. For McGill, while spaces were limited, all other exchange students I met while studying had been accepted into the university accommodation. I found dealing with the housing admin and support team easy, helpful and efficient.
Do you have any advice on what mobile phone apps and/or phone plans that were useful in your host country?
For financial matters, I opened a Wise account. This was very easy to use with little fees when making transfers from my NZ account.
I used the Chrono app to manage my metro account, which was easy to top up and check metro status’s. The cheapest way to use the metro for students is the unlimited monthly pass which was reduced to $60 for students.
The easiest way I found to operate my phone was the AirAlo sim app. I only purchased data which was affordable, easy to top up when needed, and still allowed me to text and FaceTime with iMessage.