University: Brock University

City: St Catherines

Country: Canada

Continent: North America

Field of study: business administration

Study type: semester abroad

Application process

Thanks to CoCo’s help, the application process was very easy and I was able to contact Katharina with all my questions at any time, and she always answered very quickly. I think it took me about 6-8 weeks from sending off the application to being accepted. I was very early and had my acceptance for the winter term in March. But this gave me a lot of time to get the cheapest possible flight and to take care of my course planning. Check act-test-centers.com to see top 5 schools of medicine in the USA.

It is therefore advisable to take care of everything early on and all in all the application is really very easy and unproblematic.

accommodation/living

I rented a house while still in Germany after I had the landlord show me the house in advance via Skype.

I lived with two other German students, one Japanese and two Canadians. Unfortunately, we didn’t have such a “cool and international” coexistence as previously thought… our Canadian roommates actually spent the whole day in their room. The house wasn’t quite as hygienic as it appeared on Skype. The experience that you don’t always end up in a dream living combination and you don’t end up in a sterile atmosphere was something that some people in Canada had to experience. But those are actually the only negative experiences I had during my stay.

I have lived in Thorold by the way and I recommend it to everyone. Before my trip, I read in many reviews that you should try to find an apartment downtown. I can’t confirm this and I think Thorold is a great area to live in, because only students live there and it’s only about 5 minutes to the university. The bus connections are also very good and (mostly) run regularly and punctually. Incidentally, taking a taxi in Canada is a bit cheaper than in Germany.

Otherwise the costs are higher than with us. Above all, some groceries and drugstore products are priced a lot higher than here. However, the course of the CAD makes up for it somewhat.

Choice of course and host university

Choosing the course was sometimes a bit difficult in advance because I didn’t get all the courses I wanted right away. It takes a few emails with the Brock employees at first, but they are always very nice and respond quickly and satisfactorily. It is advisable to look for several alternatives from the course catalogue, in order to then be able to introduce them all in Germany. In the end it worked for me without any problems and in an emergency you can still arrange a few things on site. The contact persons at the Brock are really careful to please everyone and are on hand with advice and action.

University life is very different (at least compared to my university in Nuremberg) from that in Germany. The courses are very clear and it is comparable to everyday school life in Germany. The lecturers are also easy to reach outside of class by e-mail or during their office hours, and they make every effort to ensure that all students can follow the class. I found studying in Canada to be very pleasant.

Typically North American, life mostly takes place at the university and the games of the sports teams (especially hockey and basketball) are attended by many other students and you should also join them as an exchange student.

St Catherines

Anyone who wants to study in a metropolis and cannot imagine doing without big city life is definitely wrong in St. Catharines! Because with its approx. 130,000 inhabitants (who are felt to be only students) it is rather a small, tranquil city that consists of many residential areas and “Downtown” with its pubs and small clubs is almost cute. No “hip” party scene, but rather village charm welcomes you when you leave there. But actually quite nice when you meet familiar faces from the university again at the weekend or in the evening and not everything is so anonymous. I found this cozy atmosphere to be very pleasant.

The Decew Waterfalls and Port Dalhousie provide a bit of a natural feeling and if you want to do a bit of shopping, just drive to the centrally located Pen Centre.

Travel

… probably the most important thing during a semester abroad !

And for that, the location of St. Catharines is unbeatable.

If you want to see something from Canada and the USA, you’ve come to the right place. You can’t visit Toronto often enough, because this city is just beautiful. The CN Tower, skyscraper in the financial district and the Rogers Center (baseball) in the center contrast with a beautiful beach overlooking Toronto Island and small residential areas. Toronto simply has something to offer for everyone. Only about 1.5 hours by bus from St. Catharines, it is a great weekend destination and for everyone who misses big city life, all wishes are fulfilled there: culture, party, shopping, etc.

Even closer than Toronto is Niagara Falls. Everyone just has to see it for themselves. We recommend the fireworks, which take place on weekends in the summer months and give the imposing falls a special charm. Aside from the falls themselves, there is much to see and do in the city of Niagara Falls. However, this city only wakes up after dark. In the light she looks a bit sleepy.

During Readingweek in October I was in Montréal, Quebéc, Tadoussac and Ottawa. Montréal and Quebec sometimes show a very European architecture and in my opinion you don’t feel 100% like you are in Canada anymore. However, this is not a negative rating. But my absolute tip for everyone who also spends their reading week in these cities is a trip to Tadoussac for whale watching. The trip was amazing. And especially the journey there. The Indian Summer showed its chocolate side and nature was breathtaking. We were lucky and actually saw whales (you need a bit of luck for that in October). This day could not have gone better.

Ottawa’s center is of course mainly characterized by the parliament, which is also freely accessible to visitors and the tour is highly recommended. This city is also worth a visit and is characterized by cultural diversity. Especially since Ottawa is divided into an English-speaking (Ontario) and a French-speaking (Quebéc) part.

In addition to a trip to the Buffalo shopping mall, I also looked at New York City during the semester. The bus ride there is definitely not the shortest at 12 hours, but it’s definitely worth it for NY.

Conclusion

A great semester abroad, great support from both MicroEdu and the Brock staff and all in all an experience that everyone who has the opportunity should have!