University: Saint Mary’s University

City: Halifax

Country: Canada

Continent: North America

Field of study: business administration

Study type: semester abroad

Period: 09/2017 to 12/2017

Application process

Thanks to MicroEdu, the entire application process is fairly straightforward. The difficult thing is deciding on a university. In the end, I chose Saint Marys University in Halifax. The tuition fees were among the lowest there and you didn’t have to worry about proving your language skills. To apply, all you have to do is fill out the forms provided by MicroEdu. Your contact at MicroEdu will then take care of the entire application process. So all you have to do is wait for your approval and take care of entering the country, whereby you will be supported by your contact person and given a kind of checklist. Check jibin123.com to see vocational training in India.

Getting there

If you are only staying for one semester, you only have to apply for the entry permit (ETA) online. Don’t worry if you haven’t booked a return flight yet, I hadn’t booked one either and immigration was still easy. To be on the safe side, have a bank statement with you and an approximate time for the return flight, which you can then state. Otherwise, I can recommend not booking a return flight but waiting. Because if you get the exam dates during the semester, it is easier to plan from where you want to fly back. Who knows what will turn out to be a travel destination over time.

Living situation

If you have the time, be sure to find accommodation from home. You can also find something if you search on site, but it is much more stressful and you should rather use the time to travel. If you decide to move into one of the dormitories on campus, you have everything you need on campus. I myself, as well as almost all of our group, lived off campus. I stayed in a university-independent dormitory in the middle of downtown, which is set up especially for internationals.

From there you can get everywhere easily, as almost all bus lines run from there and it is not long to walk if you have to walk to the university again because the bus doesn’t come. You can’t always rely on the bus departure times. It’s also not far to go home after a long evening in the pub/nightlife district.

Courses and campus life

Saint Marys has a typical North American campus with a huge football field, a Tim Hortens, burger joint and much more. The library is great for studying or meeting in the lobby to plan your next trip.

I attended four courses in total and you can do that, but if you have the opportunity to take fewer courses, then you should do it. Because you have to write midterms, take weekly tests or hand in assignments during the semester. And the fewer courses you have, the more time you have for excursions! You should also note that the level of difficulty varies noticeably between the third and fourth year and that you should have very good previous knowledge for the finance courses from the fourth year. In the Welcome Week you have good opportunities to make friends and get to know other internationals.

Excursions and trips

Try to use the time before the semester starts, during the semester and especially after the semester to travel around the country. In Nova Scotia there are great destinations such as Bay of Fundy or Cape Breton, which are ideal for a long weekend away. A breathtaking natural experience awaits you on the east coast, which in my opinion is totally underestimated. The lighthouse route with the kejimkujik national park or a trip to Prince Edward Island is definitely worthwhile.

I can also recommend you to use the Fall Break and go on a journey. Some of my friends used the time to fly to the USA or to the west coast of Canada, for example, or to travel to Canadian metropolises such as Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa on the east coast. I myself used the time with some others to explore the area around Halifax. Because there are also beautiful destinations that are wonderfully suited for various day trips, such as Cape Split or Duncan’s Cove.

After the semester, I went to Montreal and Quebec City with a friend for Christmas and it is highly recommended! -25 degrees, lots of snow and a unique Christmas atmosphere await you. There are also various small Christmas markets in Quebec City that are worth visiting. Of course, the cities are also worth seeing at any other time of the year and are definitely recommended for a city trip. We then traveled on to New York City, which was a great experience at Christmas time.

Conclusion

I am very happy that I chose Halifax back then. It was the best decision I’ve made so far. The city has its very own charm and makes it very easy to quickly feel at home. Of course, the open, helpful and extremely friendly mentality of the Canadians also helps to quickly feel at home.

Halifax is very manageable, but there is still a lot to do. There are two large malls and there are also various shops downtown. It’s a great city to study in because you don’t have to travel long distances and no matter what day of the week, there’s always something going on somewhere. A visit to the ‘Mooseheads’, the city’s own ice hockey team, is definitely a must. The waterfront invites you to linger and with its many restaurants to eat. The Farmers Market is also well worth a visit, as is Point Pleasant Park near the harbor and SMU. There it can be endured well when the weather is nice and you can go for nice walks.

Halifax makes it hard to get bored and not feel at home. I can say with certainty that I had a unique, unforgettable time there, which was also due to the fact that I met such incredibly great people there. We were a relatively large group and mostly Germans. We met through MicroEdu at the beginning of the semester and had one of the best times together. This has resulted in many great friendships throughout Germany, which make it easier to see each other again.