EXPERIENCE REPORT Université Laval Québec City Canada

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Alexia Terry
5 years ago
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1 EXPERIENCE REPORT Université Laval Québec City Canada When I first heard I was selected for an exchange to Quebec, I was over the moon. I have had the most amazing exchange anyone can wish for, and here is why: The look of the university itself is nothing special, besides that it is big compared to Tilburg. Especially in the winter months this is a bummer (when it can get as low -25 degrees Celsius), because you have to walk quite a long distance in the cold (about minutes from the residence to the Business Faculty). But luckily, in case of bad or really cold weather, there is a tunnel system underground that connects every building on campus. On campus, there is a huge sports complex (the PEPS) in which you can play basically every sport you can think of; swimming (two Olympic swimming pools), ice skating, basketball, fitness, tennis, baseball, athletics and some more. Laval has a very good American Football team. We went to see them once in a while in the huge stadium on campus, which was very nice. Quebec City itself is a very nice, cozy, European-like city. It is not a big city, but it is definitely a tourist attraction to most Americans. When you walk through the city you get the feeling of an old French town which has everything you need, especially nice restaurants. Definitely in the winter it is a magical place, with meters of snow and all the Christmas decoration. By the way, Christmas here starts in October, not after Sinterklaas, which was quite the culture shock. Public transport here is very good, every 15 minutes there is a bus to the city. For a return trip to the city, you pay about 6 Canadian dollars (at the time of writing this, that s about 4 euros). Also in the winter with all the snow, buses will drive you anywhere. There is no subway or train system in the city, but that s not necessary since you can walk everywhere. A ten to fifteen-minute walk from the residences, you can find the biggest mall I have ever seen. All the shops are indoors, so no chance of freezing in the winter. Here you can find supermarkets, clothing shops, hairdressers, electronics shops etcetera; basically everything you will need you can buy here. So a tip: do not overpack your suitcase with unnecessary stuff when you come to Laval University, you can buy everything that you miss in Quebec. I brought 1 big suitcase and 1 small one and that was more than enough. Nothing here is really expensive. Groceries are actually cheaper than in the Netherlands when I was there, but I was lucky with the favorable exchange rate. In restaurants you pay about the same amount as in the Netherlands. There is a huge study association for the business faculty here, Globe FSA. I really recommend going on all of the trips that they organized, because this is way cheaper than planning it yourself. With them, I went to New York City, Toronto and Cuba, which were the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Nature in Canada is amazing, so you should definitely go hiking in one of the national parks in the surrounding areas. Do this in the summer, unless you would like to freeze to death. There are lots of waterfalls you can visit, which I definitely recommend.

I also really recommend planning a skiing trip with some friends if you are into skiing. About 45 minutes from here there is a skiing resort with about 70 slopes (Mont Sainte-Anne).

2 I also really recommend planning a skiing trip with some friends if you are into skiing. About 45 minutes from here there is a skiing resort with about 70 slopes (Mont Sainte-Anne). So if you would like to do this, do not forget to pack your skiing outfit! Everything at the university is very well arranged. The International Office here is comparable to the one in Tilburg, so very nice and clear. I had no trouble with getting pre-departure information. I got it all in time. Which is also nice is that you do not need an expensive visa to get into Canada (when you are from the Netherlands). The only thing you need is an ESTA, which costs about 14 Canadian dollars I believe. Globe FSA has a great buddy system. If you like, your buddy will teach you all of the tips and tricks for Canadian student life. If you re lucky, he/she can even pick you up from the airport. You should arrive a week early so that you can participate in the introduction week. Be aware, this is definitely not the same as TOP week. You can participate in a welcome drink, tour of the university, tour of the City and an afternoon of ice skating. You can already reserve a room in the residence for the semester, so you do not need to worry about finding housing when you get here, which I really liked. You can also find an apartment yourself. They do not have student houses here, so finding something for yourself is a lot more expensive. Housing is even offered to you. You only need to apply for a room (do this in time though!!) and pay the first month of rent and you will be sure of having a bed when you come here. I stayed in a residence building called Alphonse Marie-Parent, which I think is the best one with the most internationals. It also has the most general rooms to chill in and the largest (and most fun) kitchen. There is also a residence for just women, but none of the Dutch people here stayed in that one, since that is totally unnecessary. There is a very safe environment in the residences. My room was very nice. It was old, but with lots of closet space and its own sink. It was small, but clean when I arrived. Everything in the residences is very well maintained.

My schedule for the semester was like this: I arrived on 22 August in Montreal, where I spent my first five days. After that, I traveled further to Quebec City.

3 My schedule for the semester was like this: I arrived on 22 August in Montreal, where I spent my first five days. After that, I traveled further to Quebec City. Introduction week started the 28 th of August. First week of class was the first week of September (same as in Tilburg). Pretty soon after we started class, I went to New York for a weekend. At the end of October, you will have midterms. You will have the week after off. I spent this week in Cuba. Between this week and the final exams, I also went to Toronto and on a skiing trip. You will have class until the beginning of December, and after you will immediately have exams, which last for about 1 to 2 weeks. There are no re-sits. This means that you will have about 1,5 months to travel if you like. I went to Mexico after my exchange was over. Lots of fun events are organized during the semester. For example, an October Fest (the French version though ). Every Thursday night, it is student night, which you will probably spend in the university pub or in the city. The weekends are also very nice for going out, having dinner in the city, or just going for a drink. There are enough places where you can do this. Unfortunately, if you come here as a student from Economics and Management you cannot apply for a grant from Tilburg University. I financed everything with personal money and the loan you can get from DUO. This is very much doable, because nothing here is really expensive. Especially housing in the residences; I paid 355 Canadian dollars a month, which is about 250 euros, so very cheap accommodation. All in all, my monthly expenses were approximately between euros (mostly spent on housing, food, hairdresser, books; the basic stuff). And with that come the trips (to New York, Toronto, Cuba etc.) you definitely want to participate in. I never had a real culture shock. The North-American lifestyle is similar to the one of Europeans. The only difference is that everything in Canada and the US is big, very big. Large buildings, massive cars everywhere (I have yet to see a Renault Twingo), and huge shops and supermarkets. I really liked the people here; everyone is relaxed; you never see anyone hurry, which is very different from in the Netherlands. The only people I did not like were the cashiers at supermarkets, because they are very, very slow in their pace. The working culture in North-America is therefore definitely different from the one in the Netherlands, where everyone always has stuff to do and where nobody has patience to wait for anything. Something I did find very surprising is that everyone owns a car, even students. There are bikes and bike lanes, but nobody seems to use them. You can also rent a bike at the university in the summer, which you should definitely do to explore the city. Not everything can be so amazing as I just described. The only thing that I just found depressing is that hardly anyone speaks English, even at the university. You will be able to

4 manage, even if you do not speak any French, don t worry. People can speak some English, but they are just not willing to do so. They will even look at you in a strange way when you speak English to them. In the touristy areas, people will try to speak English to you. But in the local shops and restaurants, it is not appreciated to speak English. Sometimes, it is even considered rude to do so. I went to Canada with the image that I was going to North- America, so everybody could speak some English at least. Turns out that that was just a dream. For example, in Tilburg you will probably get all of your s in English as a second language. Right here, even the important messages are sent only in French. Google Translate is therefore not an unnecessary tool to download on your phone when you come here. I even wondered why they offered English classes when nobody knew how to speak English, it was very frustrating at some times. I do not want to scare you, because the university, the city and the country are amazing. But countless times, people told me that I should learn French when I study here, even after I explained to them that I would only be staying for one semester. I guess they are just very proud of their French heritage, which I can only admire. There are a lot of faculties on this university; from business, to archeology, to medicine. Therefore, it is a really diverse campus with lots of different people who you will definitely get to meet. Undergraduate and graduate students are mixed here, which means that it is possible that you will be in a class with graduate students if you are undergraduate, and the other way around. No reason to be scared though, the level of difficulty of every class if very low compared to Tilburg. There is a lot of group work, but this is all easy and actually interesting when you put some effort into it. These are all the courses I did and what I thought of them: Course Prerequisites Exam ECTS Comments Doing Business in the United States (GIE- 4105) BA/MA International Marketing (MRK-3102) - BA No. - Written exam in class. - Lots of really easy tests. - Group project. Marketing Management (1 st year) or Decision Making in Marketing (2 nd year). - Written exam in class. - Online, athome midterm exam - Group project. 6 A course which I would definitely recommend. It was my favorite course. The group project was great and the teacher definitely knew what she was talking about. 6 This was the most difficult course, but still very interesting and doable. Again, the group project was very

5 Management (MNG-1002) BA Principles of Responsible Management (MNG-2116) - BA Venture Capital (GSF-4038) - BA No. - Written exam in class. - Online, athome midterm exam. - Group video project. No. - Written exam in class. - Online, athome midterm exam. - Group project No. - Online, athome final exam - Online midterm exam. - Lots of presentations - Lots of group projects. interesting to do. 6 By far, the easiest course I have ever done. I would recommend this because the teacher is great at teaching and because it is easy. 6 Despite it being a very easy course, I would not recommend this one. The teacher is not nice and hard to understand and I do not think it will add anything to your curriculum. 6 This course takes a lot of effort, but everything you have to do is very easy compared to Tilburg. The teacher is amazing and awful at the same time. He is funny, but I feel like he does not know what he is talking about. Every teacher speaks English very well. You will probably even have some American teachers. You can also take some classes in French, which I did not do. As mentioned before,

the academic level is very low compared to Tilburg here at Laval University. But still, you will have to do some effort, especially regarding the group work.

Classes are therefore much more interactive and you will get to know your teacher better. A small, but important tip when coming to North-America: make sure you bring a credit card.

6 the academic level is very low compared to Tilburg here at Laval University. But still, you will have to do some effort, especially regarding the group work. Every course is a good mix of practical and theoretic learning. What I found most surprising is that classes are very small; about people per class, instead of in Tilburg. Classes are therefore much more interactive and you will get to know your teacher better. A small, but important tip when coming to North-America: make sure you bring a credit card. Preferably VISA or MasterCard. You will probably not be able to make pin payments with your regular (European) bank card. Another tip which might be useful; if you are planning on traveling after your exchange, make sure you already received the right vaccinations in the Netherlands. Then you do not have to worry about that in a foreign country. For Canada you do not need vaccinations, but I also went to Cuba and Mexico, for which I did need them. My trip to New York. A tip: attend a Yankee ball game in the Yankee stadium. Go hiking in Quebec, there are a few national parks which are beautiful.

7 CUBA: a must-see when coming to North-America. The island is easy to reach from Quebec or Montreal airport. Niagara Falls, one of the most impressing things I have ever seen.

8 And last but not least, don t forget: it. is. cold. in. Quebec City:

Organization Studies Fall semester Academic year HEC Montréal Canada

josephinegillis@hotmail.com Organization Studies Fall semester Academic year 2016-2017 HEC Montréal Canada I General information about the city and school Montréal is situated in Quebec, the French part