Details

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

1. Preparation

Begin your research for possible Universities early! Look at the application deadlines and the required documents and be very thourough with your motivational letter. Start by plpanning out financials, accomodation etc.

2. Accommodation

The housing search in Kingston can be extremely difficult - especially when only looking for short term rent. (4 months) I can recommend you to start searching early in various Facebook groups and dont be discouraged when you dont find something right away. (Some landlords specifically house international students- you might have more luck there) I lived in a house with 6 other people with 3 floors, 2 kitchens and 3 bathrooms. The house was near the university and the streets are in my opinion very safe. Be careful with possible "scammers" as they might want to push you to sign contracts without having seen the accomodation first. Always ask the landlords for a videocall and to show you around! Extra tip: maybe ask if the heating works fine as it will be very cold from November-December.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is very big and you might get lost at first. The "Smith" building was the one where all of the commerce classes were. The academic culture in Canada is a little more laid back and personal in comparison to WU. Group work is a little harder there, especially when teaming up with Canadian students as they might not take some courses too seriously (just my opinion). The teaching style is very personal. A lot of times, professors remember your names and even engage in a little bit of small talk. Classes consist of sometimes 30,50, or 70 people, which makes it easier to connect especially when there are lots of exchange students in your course. Sometimes your grades consist of group works, essays, final papers, final exams or even oral exams. You should research early which type of course you want to take.

5. Every day life in the host country

The public transport is free for students with their student-id. You tap onto the bus and dont have to pay anything extra.(Since Kingston is also a very walkable city, you might not even need the bus as much. I would describe Kingston as a safe city since its also considered a student city. The majority of people living there are students which explains the many night clubs and fun restaurants. The university also offer a gym where you can train for free or even join sports clubs. I went to the gym a lot and they even have a womens only area which i found great. When its still warm in August/September, you should definitely consider jumping into Lake Ontario or taking a boatstrip. Queens University also hosted some events for exchange students which included a boat tour, karaoke nights and you were also welcome to watch one of many football,hockey or basketball games.

6. Testimonial

I loved my semester abroad.Everything was new but i quickly got used to it. I had many great experiences such as living with wonderful roommates, taking exciting courses and even having the opportunity to travel a little bit.