Details

• Canada
• BBE-18
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

Find out why you want to go to that specific university. Check their homepage and gather as much information as possible. Think about why you would benefit from going there. When booking flights, also book your return, otherwise, it gets really expensive. Don't overpack, I will buy so many things there.

2. Accommodation

I applied to live in the residences but I didn't get a place there. I met other exchange students in our Whatsapp group and we got an Airbnb together. It was in Fairfield/ Oak Bay, half an hour away from the university. I just took the bus every day to get there. It was a pretty safe neighborhood with mostly family homes and schools. The Airbnb was convenient because we already had everything and didn't have to buy anything.

3. Academic life at host university

There is basically everything on campus. We had a big fitness centre (CARSA), where we could get a gym membership from, with squash and basketball courts. There is also a stadium and other sports fields. On campus is also a small cinema and a lot of different restaurants. The residences are also on campus and there are a lot of outdoor areas where you can sit in the sun and etc. Everything was generally more relaxed compared to WU and the professors were super friendly and really tried to help the students.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport worked pretty well most of the time; sometimes, the periods between buses are a bit long. I felt quite safe most of my time in Victoria but there are some areas downtown that are a bit scary, especially when it gets dark. On campus, I always felt safe and there is also campus security that you can contact if you have any safety concerns. There are a lot of green spaces and benches on campus so if the weather is nice a lot is going on outside. There is also a pub on campus that hosts karaoke nights and pub quizzes, where a lot of people go to. There are also many different clubs that you can join as an exchange student. I joined the sailing and the surf club and I would definitely recommend joining a club since it is a good way to meet Canadians. The surf club organizes every semester a few surf trips to Tofino which are super fun and Tofino on it's own is beautiful. I would definitely recommend applying for one.

6. Testimonial

What made my exchange special was probably the people and the beautiful nature of British Columbia.