Navigating the Canadian Housing Crisis.

By Aleksandra Wozniak, University of Calgary, Canada

Having received my Visa and been accepted to my host university, there was only one thing left to do before my departure to Calgary in Canada, finding housing. Having been put on a waitlist for residence, I had no choice but to find an alternative place to live.

I began my search by considering my options. I could live with a family, rent an apartment, or a room in a house. I decided that being close to the university was of top importance, and began my search by looking at surrounding roads.

I was lucky enough to find a student house, just 10 minutes from the university. The idea of living with classmates was particularly appealing and lifted some of the doubts I had about making friends. After a mere 2 days consideration, I signed the lease.

And then I got a residence offer, just a week before my departure.

This put me in a particularly hard situation. I was stuck between living on campus, an especially attractive option due to the prospect of meeting classmates easily and the ability to walk the indoor routes in the winter, rather than braving the cold, and a freshly signed contract for a house mere 10 minutes from the university. Even though the thought of fully immersing myself in my institution was appealing, I decided to stay with the house. There was a magnitude of reasons for this.

Firstly, the residence I was offered would be shared with one other person, whereas the house I already signed was with 5 other girls. This offered me a chance to form close relations with a larger group of people. I also was assigned to second-year halls, and considering that I was going into a Canadian postgraduate course, I thought a less ‘party heavy’ accommodation would be best.

However, my main reason for choosing the house was the price and the duration of the lease. The house ended up being cheaper, though not far off. My lease was also until July, rather than the residence, which noted that the move-out date was April 30th, the day after exams finish. The timeline seemed particularly harsh. I was reassured that I could stay there for longer, although I would have to apply for this and pay another couple of hundred pounds. Staying at the house seemed like a better idea.

Therefore, with a sad heart, I rejected the residence offer.

Upon moving in, I can’t say I regretted it. The girls were all amazing, and alongside various meals and movie nights together, we commonlu went out to see the Canadian landscape or get 7/11 slurpies at midnight. The best thing was definitely that we were all international students from all over the world! It was great seeing all the different cuisines and cultures and gave me a very different Canadian experience that I expected!

This just goes to prove that you don’t need to live in residence to have a good university experience. I guess its true that your experience is as good as you make it!