Luka (Sem 2, 2023)

My Exchange at McGill University

Completing all the admin and paperwork for exchange is a long and arduous process. There are months of uncertainty where you are waiting for the next stage to be approved, anxious that it might not go your way. It does leave you unsure if this may all be worth it. It’s especially difficult once you first arrive and look around thinking this is your new home for the next four months on the other side of the world… what on earth have you signed yourself up for? 

Upon my arrival at the host university, the initial apprehension gave way to one of the best experiences in my life. Immediately I met a diverse group of outgoing people from around the world who I know will be friends for life. As exchange students everyone was looking for others to join them on different places around Canada or America they wanted to visit. Quickly every other weekend we would be going off on a new trip listening to road trip music in everyone’s home language. After a while it started to feel wrong to stay at home for the weekend. Because we travelled so extensively, we truly maximised the work hard, play hard lifestyle. Over the weekend it would be traveling with a minimal amount of sleep to ensure we could squeeze in as much as possible throughout the day and then studying as much as we could throughout the week when there wasn’t some social activity (which was difficult as it was almost every night). Maximise the “just pass” mentality and be strategic about where you put your time and effort. 

The way I met and really got to know most of my exchange friends was through my accommodation. I was fortunate enough to stay in 3653 Rue University (MORE Housing). It was a house of 28 exchange students with 5-7 per floor that we could move freely between. While the house itself isn’t particularly great it was an excellent setup since it felt like one big home and part of what made the exchange experience so great. I think I only did one club activity and from then on it was just 3653 (my accommodation) constantly doing stuff together. Its first in first served so email straight away about securing a spot.

Another big benefit of living in the MORE housing as an exchange student that I would recommend is the buffet-style dining hall. While the food is pretty good, the main benefit in my mind is it served as a time to talk to the people who weren’t on your floor and catchup with others who you wouldn’t normally cross paths with.

I think one thing to keep in mind when going on exchange which I didn’t realise is that you probably won’t talk to locals nearly as much as you will other exchange students. Exchange students are all there knowing nobody, looking to make friends who want to explore and look around Canada with a very different outlook than locals. Most of my exchange friends ended up being from Europe. 

Montreal was a beautiful city and McGill University has such a strong culture. I fully recommend doing exchange at McGill University or just any exchange for that matter. 

Q&A

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

Since the courses at McGill are of course different than the ones offered by the University of Auckland it was really interesting to see a different teaching approach and to explore a range of subjects that my peers back at Auckland may not be so lucky to try which I hope I may be able to employ in part four. 

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

If you go to McGill you have to sign up for Frosh! I would wholeheartedly recommend outdoors frosh as it is filled with like-minded exchange students and is a great way to meet people straight away. While the other faculty frosh activities are fun, keep in mind that they are filled with a lot of freshmen. 

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

If you are studying in Quebec, I would learn a little french beforehand. While it definitely is not necessary, I only used Duolingo for 6 months but helped me feel a little more like a local.

Start organising trips from the get go. Just go for it and start exploring the area. By the end you will still have places you wish you had more time to visit. 

Get into a university housing ideally. I think McGill tends to put all the exchange students together so you can meet some awesome people. 

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?

I just tried to stick to a reasonable price as much as possible, which meant student discounted car rentals filled up with five people or everyone sharing a bed at the accommodation. I don’t really have any tips or tricks. 

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

Exchange opened up the possibility of living abroad for me and showed that it’s not so much the place as the people. 

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

From Montreal I would recommend visiting both Boston and New York. We took the night bus to and from New York and its a great way to travel. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Boston. It is a really nice city with a lot of history and interesting architecture.

Final Comments

Do it! Exchange is an incredible experience that you will not regret. You will meet people from all around the world and have free accommodation wherever you travel.