University: Brock University
City: St Catherines
Country: Canada
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
- Application Process
Since my home university has no interesting offer for English -language semesters abroad, I turned to MicroEdu. It was not easy for me to choose the right university, as MicroEdu has a wide range of universities in English-speaking countries in its program. I chose Brock University because it has relatively low tuition fees and is a good starting point for traveling in Canada. Check anycountyprivateschools.com to see study opportunities in Portugal.
I would like to say a big thank you to MicroEdu for the great planning and support. They support me in choosing the university, my course choice, the application documents and all other questions that came up before my departure. Not only was MicroEdu’s work flawless, Brock University’s International Office responded to messages quickly and took your questions/problems seriously and always tried to find the best solution.
After I had completed my application documents in January and these had been forwarded to Brock, I received my acceptance in March and was able to start further planning (such as booking the flight)
- Brock University
Brock University is a well-kept and large university with a wide range of sports activities. The gym, special fitness courses and the swimming pool are free for Brock students. In addition to this offer, you can also form teams for many sports and compete against other teams during the semester. Brock University is very well equipped. There is a large library where desks with PCs are freely available or you can reserve an entire room for group work. In addition to books, you can also borrow laptops, charging cables or calculators.
Like most exchange students, I took 3 courses at Brock University. My favorite subject was Corporate Finance I. The subject consisted mainly of calculations and very little theory was tested. In addition, the effort for this subject was clear, only two tests were written in addition to the exams and that’s it. I also took Operation Management. The course was interesting and we regularly did group work. Which was then also very relaxed and relaxed. My third course was Organizational Behaviour, which I cannot recommend. For me, this course involved a lot of learning and was extremely boring, as the content consisted more or less of gibberish for me. But that’s just my personal opinion, I’m generally not the type of person who likes to ramble on.
- Housing search
I arrived two weeks before the start of the university and spent the time in the hostel at Niagara Falls. I used the time there to contact landlords and arrange appointments to view the apartments. After the third apartment viewing I had already made my decision and after a week of looking for an apartment I moved into my new home. The apartment was a 5 minute bus ride from the Brock and there were several bus routes available as many buses stopped at my stop. So I had a great bus connection, which was also important to me, as I had heard often enough how bad the bus system in St. Catharines was. I lived in a basement apartment, which was fine for the 4 months, but I wouldn’t do it long term (I just started missing windows after a while). I only had one roommate and the apartment was big and clean. However, the landlords were very strict and we were not allowed to have visitors after 11 p.m. or had to register in advance if we invited many friends to our house.
- Free time
Even if St. Catharines is not a metropolis, there is still no boredom. The International Office sends out a weekly e-mail with program items for the near future. This way you will be informed about public events and festivals in the region or in your own town and can take part in them. The International Office also organizes numerous other events, such as a trip to Niagara-on-the-lake, a wine tour, a visit to Niagara Falls or a campfire. Because St. Catharines a good location for travelit was possible for us to go on many trips on the weekends. So I went to Algonquin Park for a weekend and lived there in a log cabin right on the lake. Other great weekend getaways include Toronto, Ottawa and the Blue Mountains. During the exam phase I took 4 days to see Montréal and Québec. Montréal didn’t particularly impress me, but Québec was very beautiful. There was snow everywhere, there was a small German Christmas market and beautiful Christmas lights. It only takes a day to visit Quebec, but it’s still worth it. I flew to Calgary for Reading Week to spend my time in Banff and Jasper National Parks. This week really was one of the best weeks of my semester abroad. Because that’s where you see Canada as you always imagined it from TV or magazines. The landscape with the green forests, the clear turquoise lakes and the mountains in the background was just amazing. I really recommend everyone to go to the Rocky Mountains! Oh yes, and not to forget: Before I landed in St. Catharines, I was vacationing with two friends on the west coast of Canada. We saw Vancouver, Vancouver Island and also Banff. But since we were only in Banff for two days and that was by far the best part of the holiday for me, as I said before, I went back to the national parks during Reading Week.
- Conclusion
I can only recommend everyone to do a semester abroad. You get to know so many new, lovely people and have unique experiences. Even if things aren’t always great, for example if you’re homesick or have to do a lot for the university, it’s still an experience you should have.
