University: Thompson Rivers University

City: Kamloops

Country: Canada

Continent: North America

Field of study: business administration

Study type: semester abroad

The university offers students three dormitories on campus. I lived in the Upper College Heights dorm and highly recommend it. You live in your own room and share a bathroom (plus one toilet room) and a well-equipped kitchen with three other students. I stayed with three Canadians which was a wonderful experience. Living together in the dormitory was otherwise very international, exciting, fun and pleasant. Check mcat-test-centers.com to see University of Bristol.

The city of Kamloops has approximately 90,000 residents. Nightlife is definitely there, even if there aren’t an infinite number of places to go out. However, this has the advantage that you keep running into each other and can quickly make many contacts. In my opinion, the great strength is the surroundings and location of the city. The desert-like but beautiful hilly landscape offers the best opportunities for biking, jogging, skiing (this was very important to me and I would argue that there are few better places in the world to do it than British Columbia), fishing and much more. Many Canadian top travel destinations (e.g. the national parks of Banff, Jasper and Wells Gray, the metropolis of Vancouver, Vancouver Island.

Studying at TRU was very well organized and the friendly staff provided excellent help with course selection, enrollment and the like. The campus is huge, well-kept and equipped with everything you need (numerous modern workplaces, sports facilities, swimming pool, theater, etc.). At least you can see where the tuition fees are used;-). The lecturers were consistently friendly and motivated. In my opinion, the lectures themselves were below German standards. Nevertheless, you are kept busy, as many tasks and small projects have to be completed (in these projects, however, you can get to know the most interesting fellow students). Fellow students come from all corners of the world (Canadians are often outnumbered in a lecture) and there is a distinctly international atmosphere. This internationality is much more pronounced compared to my home studies and I found it very exciting and pleasant. The semester literally flies by. Nevertheless, there is still time to make many interesting contacts and take unforgettable trips.

In terms of costs, the semester abroad was not a very cheap undertaking. Of course, this is mainly due to the tuition fees (if you have to pay them, a university partnership, foreign student loan or scholarships can save you from this). Furthermore, textbooks must be purchased for almost all lectures (copyright is taken seriously in Canada and copying is hardly possible). These aren’t exactly cheap (I paid around €300 for four books), but can be sold again fairly easily at the end of the semester. However, the prices for the halls of residence are reasonable. After a short orientation you can also eat well at German prices. Alcohol and nightlife are much more expensive than in Germany (but somehow the money was always there : -).

For me, the semester abroad in Kamloops was an unforgettable and exciting experience. I really enjoyed it from the first to the last day. In my opinion, the TRU and Kamloops are an excellent choice if you are interested in outdoor activities of any kind and prefer the fantastic nature of Canada to life in a real big city.

Good luck with your projects!