Exchange Report

To prepare accordingly, it is important to do a thorough research of offered exchange programs and partner universities via WU website or in-person presentations by ÖH WU. Students planning their stay abroad should learn about their chosen country´s culture and consider factors like possible language barrier or financial requirements. Apart from that, my advice is to be as honest as possible while writing the motivational letter and prepare adequate responses to questions that will be likely asked during the interviews such as: Why do you want to stay in a particular country, why did you choose that particular university, or what will this experience bring you in the future.

I lived in ALMA student housing which is a renovated apartment building in the center of Ottawa just 10 minute walk from campus. I can highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a private unit with bathroom and kitchen and for its central location, lot of amenities and great staff. However, there are many homeless shelters around the main street so it´s important to always stay cautious while walking since this is a big issue in Ottawa. Some of my friends also stayed in Sandy Hill which is a nice student are near campus. Most international students lived in the on-campus Marchand residence. If you are willing to sacrifice some comfort (small rooms and shared bathrooms) is a great choice since there is a weekly meal plan included and you can become a part of the on-campus community and make some Canadian friends too.

The campus is bigger than at WU consisting of several faculties and departments. It's easy to navigate though and great to socialize since there was always something going on and we had the opportunity to join various student clubs and initiatives. The courses consisted of much more smaller assignments than at WU such as reflections and mini-assignments that consisted of 5% or less. There was also a lot of group work which I personally really liked because we could get to know each other quicker and there was great atmosphere in the smaller courses. Other factors vary based on the individual professor but all in all there is a lot of reading required to learn for the midterms and final exam since there are not always available presentations to learn from. I would say that the University of Ottawa had a more open approach to stimulate creativity and practical knowledge through many written assignments where we were also allowed to work with AI to a certain degree. The courses weren't particularly difficult but students have to stay on top of their assignments and invest time in them in order to succeed.

Ottawa is a pretty quiet and small city therefore it's the people you meet there that make your stay there memorable. There are nice irish pubs and clubs to dance for example The Show, Father and Sons, Hearts and Crowns on the Bank Street or Byward Market. You can join many sports club founded my students such running, climbing or swimming club or even join an official university team. Apart from that you can go see the Ottawa Senators, the GeeGees baseball team, and definitely don't miss out on Panda game. Another nice area is Lansdowne with many shops and parks around as well as the Parliament Hill, Major's Hill park. I haven't used public transport at all since the city center is very small and if I had to travel somewhere further away I ordered an Uber which is very cheap in Canada. You should definitely be cautious mostly around the Rideau Street and Byward Market hence, unfortunately, there are a lot of homeless and addicted people and while I never had a particularly bad experience, one friend of mine got robbed or had his house broken into. Nevertheless, if you're cautious and live in a student dorm, you will be safe.

Even though Ottawa was maybe not the most interesting and vibrant city, I met some amazing people there who I call friends now and hope I'll visit some of them in Canada soon. People there were very helpful and friendly and I always enjoyed spending time on campus. I also really enjoyed all of our trips to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and more. Ottawa has a great location and you don't have to travel far to reach famous city in Canada or the US. I encourage everyone to go for an exchange to learn, experience, develop and enjoy whilst having to rely fully on yourself. The best thing about studying abroad is that you can make it whatever you want; you can shape it however you want and live freely away from all expectations.