Baptiste's Exchange to University of Victoria | Canada
My name is Baptiste and I studied abroad at The University of Victoria in Canada. At Murdoch University I am studying a Bachelor of Science double majoring in Marine Science and Conservation & Wildlife Biology.
The key factors for myself choosing to study at the University of Victoria were:
Canada has great environmental
policies and is very advanced in the field of Conservation, while UVic has good
and similar programs as to what I’m studying (Conservation and Wildlife
Biology/Marine Science). The website was relatively easy to navigate when I was
looking for potential units to take there, and they had a very wide range of
options to choose from. I’d heard UVic had a good reputation, and my friend had
checked out the university and really recommended it to me, not only for the
education, but also for the great campus culture, and it having a few clubs I
was interested in joining. A big bonus was that it was in North America, so I
could tick that off my list.
A little about The University of Victoria, classes, the teaching system and contact hours...
I
took four classes (the recommendation from Murdoch was 4 or 5). I took Oral
French (first year unit), Calculus 2 (first year unit), Past Present and Future
Ecology (third year unit), and Conservation and Ecology of Whales (third year
unit). The layout of the units is quite similar to Murdoch, you choose your
units and classes for the semester, and go in on those days only, unlike the
universities you go in every day all day. All third year units had 3 hours
worth of lectures each week, with the two third year units not having a
practical components such as a lab or tutorial, as this is not a requirement at
UVic for the units. Instead the lectures were more interactive and less formal
than a standard Murdoch lecture, which is where they include the engagement
element. None of the classes had online lectures, and the two first year units
didn't use PowerPoint to teach. Each Unit had at least one midterm, often two,
on top of their assignments and final exams/presentation. Admittedly I specifically
chose easy units and tried to avoid those with final exams (except Calculus
which was both hard and had a final exam worth 50%). Degrees are 4 years long
in Canada, however the extra year is added on so you can complete your honours
or an internship semester by the end of the fourth year, so their degrees sound longer but
they have similar workloads but are just forced to do working experience in
their degrees or graduate with an honours. (Side note, I would not recommend 5
units per semester at all, because this is actually the equivalent of
overloading with 5 units at Murdoch).
A little about the city I lived in, Victoria ...
Victoria is a small city on the
Southeastern tip of Vancouver Island. It is relatively easy to get around by
buses, as UVic is a major bus station. I lived “far” from the university, and a
bus trip would take between 30 to 45 minutes right from my doorstep to the
university. Most students lived within walking distance from the university.
The locals are all very nice and open, I was able to make friends easily even
in Walmart. UVic is a destination university so majority of the students come
from overseas or another city of Canada, so re quite easy to make friends with.
Around the University and on campus there are many nice beaches, nature
reserves to discover within walking distance. You can also checkout the wharf
near downtown for ice cream, fish and chips and a floating neighbourhood. There
is plenty to discover on the island as well, but its easier to get around if
you have a car.
The best parts of my exchange were
with the friends I made from the International Student Society (ISS), the Quidditch team and friends I had in Vancouver. I made some great friends who
were also on exchange from attending events organised by the ISS, I later went
on a big Rockies trip with them over a long weekend where we got to visit the
famous blue lakes, glaciers, mountains and towns of Canada. We also celebrated
Halloween together, and visited the Vancouver Christmas Markets. I visited
Vancouver about once a fortnight, which is an hour and a half ferry ride from
Victoria, where I made some great local friends, who took me to Squamish, on
some great hikes and adventures around Vancouver, and even Seattle.
Some challenges I faced and how I dealt with them...
One of the biggest things I
struggled with was trying to choose which of the many units to do that were
both easy, and relevant to my degree. I also had a hard time trying to find accommodation, as there was no room on campus since priority goes to first year
students, and those staying for at least a year. Most places I contacted didn’t
reply, or didn’t want someone staying for 5 months only. After putting a post
up on the recommended website linked with many universities around Canada, I
finally found someone who was happy to take me in as a roommate, although a bit
of a distance from UVic. I didn’t get homesick or culture shock, because I was
too busy enjoying my time there in the present to worry about home.
A little about my student accommodation...
I lived off campus in an apartment
in Esquimalt, with a roommate I found online through the website recommended by
UVic. The accommodation was quite cheap, $550 per month. Although it was an old
apartment complex, and a little run down, it was still good for a roof over my
head. As on campus is quite competitive, few exchange students who are there
for one semester get a spot, but apparently spots open up after a few weeks. So
if you really want to live on campus and don't get a position, try asking again
after 3 weeks of semesters, or go on exchange for a full year, and apply ASAP.
Off campus is a bit hard to find something, but I’m sure you can find something
if you look hard enough.
A little about how I funded my Exchange experience...
The majority of my funds for
exchange was saved up before I had been officially accepted. I had set my goal
to go on exchange two years in advance, so I worked full time during summers to save up around $12,000. Once I was accepted I applied for the OS Help Loan,
which was about $6,500, and I also received the Scholarship from Murdoch
University for $2,500. My tax return was a little short of covering my return
flights to and from North America, as well as my 10 internal flights within
Canada, America, and Mexico. I had saved up around $20,000 for my time on
exchange in Canada, as well as travelling before and after in the States,
Canada, and Mexico. I was also smart on spendings when abroad, couch surfing at
friends houses or joining tours across North America to cut down costs. I ended
up coming home with around $7,000.
Some places I visited included...
My advice to you would be...
Before the exchange in summer, I
visited San Francisco, Nashville, then joined a tour from Dallas through
Louisiana, to Florida, up to Atlanta then New York. While I was on exchange, I
made it to Vancouver many times over the weekend (I didn’t have class on
Fridays so would often go Thursday evenings), as well as Seattle once. The
university also recommended a student friendly travel company I too a trip with
to the Rocky mountains. After the exchange I visited Edmonton, stayed in
Toronto for Christmas and a meditation Seminar, then flew to Mexico and did a
25 day road trip tour around 13 cities of Central Mexico. On my way home, I
stopped off in Phoenix Arizona and LA before flying to New Zealand for 10 days
and back home.
The best advice I can give, is to
save up your electives, or flexible units before going on exchange, so you
don't have to worry too much about the credit transfers for core units during
your degree. But it is also good to map out your degree before going to figure
out which units have prerequisites and try and get those out the way before/ on
exchange so you're not stuck at uni for too long after exchange because of one
unit that wouldn't fit in to your degree. When on exchange, try choose less
units and the easiest ones, so you can have maximum fun while abroad and not
have to worry too much about what you’re studying (unless you really want to do
a really cool unit you wouldn't be able to find at Murdoch, or there is a
really brilliant professor). Also try start planning for your exchange sooner
rather than later, it's easier to fit it in your degree earlier on.
Not everything always turns out
how you hope it would, but that all part of the adventure. And take advantage
of the long gaps before and/or after semesters in the Northern hemisphere to go travelling.
- Baptiste studied abroad at The University of Victoria in Canada
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