Details

• Canada
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

The application process can be overwhelming at first, my honest advice is to read as many exchange reports as possible. You should realize that your experience is not going to be 100% like for others, but it gives useful insights. Choose the universities wisely! Read of them before you apply and look for possible courses to recognize in the Excel sheet. Try to have at least 24 ECTS transferred, as usually you take easier courses during the time abroad. If you have questions ask the IO office, it's better than to just stress on your own.

2. Accommodation

Accommodation was provided by the university on campus, so the struggle wasn't really there. I chose International House, I had a private room and bathroom and shared kitchen. But I would recommend Nipsiy House. It's modern and most of the friendships are built easier there, because they host activities. I-House is older and it's extremely hot in summer, I had to buy a fan and I had some troubles with the window. I would tho definitely recommend I-House over HUB. It's close to everything, but for me it was very convenient to be close to the law cafe (my favorite study place and cheapest coffee on campus) The campus and location is relatively safe, we didn't experience any incidents.

3. Academic life at host university

I fell in love with the campus as soon as I set foot in it. The welcome days were a bit disappointing in the sense that we were paired with first years for the show around, so the networking didn't happen then. But the activities and greeting were like in american movies: directions given by drawings with chalk on the street, welcome banners everywhere, happy joyful people greeting everybody, activities like painting, badminton, volleyball etc. UofA has a lot of clubs: from frats and sororities to outdoor clubs, sports clubs and academic ones. The buildings are very good interconnected, so when temperatures drop below -15 you don't have to walk that much outside. The best part was by far the VVC complex. It has everything: ice skating rink ( where you can drop in for ice skating and hockey if you have your own skates), bouldering wall, pilates classes, dance lessons, volleyball, basketball, gym etc. The grades are build from : midterms, finals, assignments, quizzes. I wouldn't say it's easier or harder than WU, but you do have a lot more things to do (in comparison to for example just 1 exam at LVs).

5. Every day life in the host country

There are busses and metros in Edmonton, although I suggest taking the bus because it's safer. The Arc card fee is included in the university fees and the system works quite well. but if you want to go outside of Edmonton you do need to rent a car. There are a lot of homeless people, but they're not aggressive. If you mind your own business they will too. However, I don't suggest waling alone at night. I think Edmonton isn't the best city itself, but it gives a lot of opportunities to travel around in the rockies, to other canadian cities or even to America. Some friends and I found for reading week cheap flights to Hawaii and it was the best decision we could make. Also remember to look up to the sky at night, sometimes you ce see aurora borealis even from campus. When it comes to sports, hockey is a big thing. And the games are amazing, I highly suggest attending all university games and at least one Oilers game ( there is discount for student tickets). You can also go skate , boulder, dance, play volleyball, basketball or to the gym in the VVC for free.

6. Testimonial

What made the exchange particularly special for me were the activities we took part in and the energy shared among all the exchange students. Everyone was so open to new experiences; it truly opened my eyes to how easy it is to decide to do something and actually follow through. We were all focused on getting to know the world beyond academic performance, which I found very refreshing and healthy. Experiencing new holidays and traditions, such as Thanksgiving and line dancing, was far more insightful for understanding Canadian culture than simply reading about them.