Whether you are considering doing a university exchange in Canada, or you recently got accepted into one (congrats!), here is a compilation of some things we believe you should know before coming.
As exchange students ourselves, coming from Europe, we were a bit surprised by some of the differences in culture and day-to-day life here in Canada!
SETTLING IN
1. Accommodation One of the first things to tackle on your to do list to prepare your exchange to Canada should be looking for an accommodation. This process is quite difficult, especially to find a 4-month lease. The best advice we can give is to join Facebook groups where your find sublets (it is legal and very common in Canada) or sign a lease for 8 months and transfer the lease to another exchange student coming for the next semester.
2. Phone plan Before traveling to Canada, we advise you to take a look at your current phone plan. Some will work overseas and extend their services, but some may not allow calls in Canada. Not to worry, you can get a SIM card from one of the companies in Canada, like Rogers, that do student contracts, costing up to 60 CAD/month.
3. Weather Canadian weather might be a big shock for you. Early in the Fall semester, temperatures can still be high and summer-like, you might even be able to swim in lakes! But the switch to cold weather happens in just the span of a few days, with rain, wind and gloomy weather. Don’t forget to bring your warm clothes to prepare best and be able to enjoy the cooler months.
4. Eating Habits You might find yourself confused and surprised by the eating habits of Canadians, mainly when it comes to dinner. While Europeans usually have dinner late, here it is the norm to eat this meal at around 6pm (if not earlier!). It is a bit of an adjustment, but you will get used to it, especially if you live with Canadian roommates during your exchange.
MONEY
5. Tipping In Europe, tipping has slowly disappeared and is no longer a common practice. However, just like in the USA, Canadians tip daily. Every time a service is provided – restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hairdressers… - it is expected that customers will tip. If you pay by card, you will be able to choose on the terminal what tip you wish to give in %, or by tipping manually an amount. Of course, it is not mandatory, and you always have the option to not tip, but be aware that some waiters might not be the nicest if you don’t!
6. Tax One thing to keep in mind while in Canada is that prices announced (menus in restaurants, groceries, shopping…) do not include taxes. This tax depends on the province, for example in Ontario it is 13%. As students this can be an expense you didn’t account for in your budget, but that you should keep in mind.
7. Bank Account Not only are credit cards not accepted in all stores in Canada, but banks from your home country may add fees to each transaction you make because you are out of your country. Opening a Canadian bank account can be a solution. The process is simplified for students, some offer free contracts (ScotiaBank), and your exchange university might provide help for it. This Canadian bank account can become handy for paying your rent as many landlords require it.
ACADEMICS
8. Academic Life One of the biggest changes we faced since the beginning of our exchange in Canada (Kingston, Ontario) is the academics. You should expect much more personal studying throughout the semester than in Europe. The libraries are packed every day of the week (not just during final exams season!), because of the readings and assignments we have to do for each class.
PARTYING
9. Student Party Life If you end up doing your exchange at Queen’s University in Ontario, you’ll most likely be surprised by what partying looks like here. Kingston being a renowned student town, many parties are house parties or street parties, and clubs close at around 2am!
10. Drinking & Smoking In Canada alcohol is not found in supermarkets. To purchase it you have to go to specialized stores – LCBOs, beer stores, wine shops – and you have to be 18 or 19 depending on the provinces (they will automatically check IDs). Weed is legal in Canada, however there are many prohibitions related to smoking so you should always make sure if there are signs outside.
We hope you learned something new from this article, and that thanks to our insights you can feel a bit more prepared for your future exchange in Canada!
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