University: Saint Mary’s University

City: Halifax

Country: Canada

Continent: North America

Field of study: business administration

Study type: semester abroad

Preparation:

Since it was clear to me from the start during my studies that you had to do a semester abroad, I took care of that early on. I definitely wanted to go to North America, which is why I immediately considered Canada. I first became aware of Saint Mary’s University through my university, as it is a partner university of my university. However, I organized the further preparations completely via MicroEdu, which is really extremely helpful. A few weeks after I applied, I was accepted. In any case, I had enough time because I applied a year in advance, which is not absolutely necessary, but is less stressful. Check iamaccepted.com to see study opportunities in Spain.

I lived on the Saint Mary’s University campus. Unfortunately, I only found out two weeks before arrival that I was getting a single room in the Loyola Residence, which I didn’t really think was great, since I applied for a room at the earliest and I wanted to live alone. The room itself wasn’t very nice, but once you’ve settled in a bit, the world looks completely different and you get used to everything very quickly. It has to be said that the small room also has its advantages, since I lived in the same building where my courses were, at least for the most part. Living in the Loyola Residence also includes buying a meal plan, which ultimately has its advantages and disadvantages. As you can read in most reports here, the variety of the food offer is very quickly manageable. I therefore chose the “cheapest” option, which means that I had 10 meals a week, which was completely enough for me. So I usually went to the canteen twice at the weekend and once a week. For breakfast you can use Tim Hortons on campus. What is also very well regulated on campus is that you have WiFi almost everywhere, which was absolutely great, at least for me. We also recommend going to the Gorsebrook Lounge (the SMU pub on campus) every Wednesday evening! So I usually went to the canteen twice at the weekend and once a week. For breakfast you can use Tim Hortons on campus. What is also very well regulated on campus is that you have WiFi almost everywhere, which was absolutely great, at least for me. We also recommend going to the Gorsebrook Lounge (the SMU pub on campus) every Wednesday evening! So I usually went to the canteen twice at the weekend and once a week. For breakfast you can use Tim Hortons on campus. What is also very well regulated on campus is that you have WiFi almost everywhere, which was absolutely great, at least for me. We also recommend going to the Gorsebrook Lounge (the SMU pub on campus) every Wednesday evening!

Getting there:

I came to Canada via America because I had previously visited relatives in the USA. I arrived a few days before the orientation week and stayed in the hotel for the first four days, which has its advantages, so that you can see the city and get used to your new surroundings, since the beginning is not always that easy is how you imagine it. The orientation week was very helpful, because a lot was explained and shown to you. In the best case, you take as much as possible with you at the beginning in order to get to know people more quickly, etc.

Studies:

I really enjoyed my studies at Saint Mary’s, although I had quite a bit to do, because my home university required me to choose four courses and the grades were fully credited. If you can choose, I would recommend three courses, because you are still busy with three courses. I chose Human Resource, International Marketing, Consumer Behavior and Training and Development. All courses were very interesting, but that always depends very much on the professor. Apart from that, however, all the professors are very helpful and if you make the necessary effort yourself, you will also make it to an “A”.

Sports:

The sports facilities at Saint Mary’s are very good. You can sign up for anything, which I didn’t do because I’ve played soccer all my life and just wanted to enjoy a soccer-free time. But I used to go to the Saint Mary’s gym about four times a week. The university’s gym is really recommendable and is probably the best in the city. You can also register in the studio for various courses such as spinning free of charge, which was really a lot of fun and also exhausting. So the sports facilities are very good overall.

City:

I had imagined Halifax very differently at first, but afterwards I miss the city a lot because it simply has so many different things to offer. Of course, as already mentioned in many reports, there are the said discotheques and bars. I especially liked Harbourfront, Farmers Market (Saturdays) and Point Pleasant Park. Another tip, try Cabin Coffee, a lovely Canadian coffee shop that I really enjoyed. I would have liked to see Halifax in the summer, but you shouldn’t be afraid to go in the winter because you get used to the temperatures very quickly and there are often sunny days.

Travel:

There is a lot to explore in Nova Scotia. Unlike other students, I traveled less during the semester as I added a five-week vacation to Canada and the US at the end of my stay abroad. Cape Breton is highly recommended, whether in winter or summer, as nature is particularly impressive in this area. In addition, Peggy’s Cove and Lunenburg are recommended, but I haven’t been there myself. Some of the internationals traveled around a lot during the semester, so I did it afterwards, which I could look forward to for the whole semester. I can particularly recommend Toronto and Boston if you’re “over there”. Regarding the visa, I can only say that I had a B2 (visitor) visa issued, since I entered the USA in December and only left the USA again at the end of May. It’s a bit difficult to tell if you need a visa or not when traveling in and out of the US, as Americans don’t really count entering Canada as leaving the US. However, I was the only one with a visa, since I ended up staying in the USA the longest. You just have to think about your own situation. since I ended up staying in the USA the longest. You just have to think about your own situation. since I ended up staying in the USA the longest. You just have to think about your own situation.

Conclusion:

The time in Canada and the USA was definitely the best time I’ve had so far. Even if the beginning, which means something like the first 10 days or so, is always very difficult, you get used to everything very quickly and after a few days the world always looks completely different. You should absolutely not let yourself be driven crazy in advance, no matter what you read where, because afterwards everything is not so wild! I can only recommend Saint Mary’s and a semester abroad in Halifax to everyone. It brings you a lot personally and is guaranteed to be the best time ever – whether in summer or winter!