First thing to say is that Canada is massive. Any distance between things you would actually want to see is likely to be the equivalent of going from London to Newcastle – and that’s just within Ontario. Therefore, I would advise against getting the bus between big cities as it just takes too long, and you end up spending half your time away sitting next to fat men on stuffy coaches.
In Ontario, Go Trains would be the ‘go to’ solution (although they are stupidly slow in North America) but travelling inter-province would require VIA Rail. However, whilst the rail-route between Vancouver and Halifax (the whole breadth of Canada) has a global reputation for beautiful scenery and a full Canadian experience, it does take 14 days and costs more than an entire student loan instalment. Whilst it may not be the most environmentally friendly, the only realistic option for longer trips is plane travel.
Planes can be expensive in North America (you won’t find the equivalent of a £20 flight from Manchester to Lisbon), so I’d recommend downloading the ‘Hopper’ app. It lets you track your specific flight and predicts prices so you can get the best deal possible.
(The Hopper App Logo)
You have probably also heard about North American road trips gaining something of cult status in the US, and it’s no different in Canada. Some of the best times I’ve had is whacking on some tunes and driving for hours in the Canadian wilderness. It may be more expensive than other transport, but it gives much more freedom to explore exactly how you want. It also makes COVID-related entry requirements into the US much easier.
By Ros Harwood (Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada)
Having just finished classes at Queen’s forever, I cannot believe that second semester and the year has finished. I have one week of exams and then I am completely finished and will be off on my travels to the west coast of Canada and the States. This semester has been as busy and fun as the last one.
Mont-Tremblant
This semester I have made two weekend visits to Mont Tremblant, Quebec – best described as a skiing ‘hill’, but the best skiing in Eastern Canada. It is a kind of place where families have chalets and come up for the weekend from the cities. It was kind of a novelty going skiing for the weekend. Mont-Tremblant itself is a beautiful village with a lake (which in winter freezes over) and right next to the ski slopes. The resort itself is pretty small and competent skiers could cover the whole area in a weekend but it is a nice break from university life and the city.
Queen’s Model United Nations 2015
I took part in the Model UN conference representing the UK for the Economic and Social Council for the weekend. I had never done something like this before, but it was a great weekend with an opening and closing ceremony, interesting speakers of different democratic backgrounds, social events, breakfasts and lunches like a real conference and a lot of serious and slightly less serious debates on passing resolutions on world issues. I am so glad I took part, it was a great weekend.
Montreal & Ottawa
I took a weekend to visit Montreal as there was an dance music festival on as well as taking a tour of the city and climbing Mont Royal. We tried great restaurants and a cat café, as well as exploring Old Montreal and McGill University. On the Sunday, we travelled to Ottawa for the day to skate the Rideau Canal, completely frozen and attracting people from all over to skate on the canal or simply use it as a walk to the shops. It was also Winterlude Festival where there were ice sculptures and a visit to the Parliament buildings.
Chicago & Detroit – Spring Break
Due to financial constraints, we did not follow the typical North American Spring Break to somewhere hot with beaches in the Caribbean, but we did manage a week’s break visiting Chicago and Detroit (possibly the opposite end of the spectrum). It was absolutely freezing and known as the Windy City, that did not help the freezing temperatures. We visited the ‘Bean’ in Millenium Park, went up the Willis Tower, experienced some jazz, some retail therapy on the Magnificient Mile and visited the frozen Lake Michigan. A one night stop over in Detroit was enough to fit in exploring the city’s older buildings and an NBA game Chicago Bulls vs Detroit Pistons.
St Patrick’s Day
One of my classes in human geography has actually taught me that there is a big population of Irish people or people with Irish roots living in Canada and particularly in Kingston, as the first capital of Canada. Therefore it was no surprise to me when Paddy’s Day came around that there was a big day of celebrations ahead. In the morning, there were pancake parties where questionable green-coloured pancakes were made and everyone was dressed in green outfits. The rest of the day involved street parties and house parties with the main street in the University District filled with green and many students partying on roofs and the front lawns. A siesta was taken in the afternoon before a night out in the evening. It was a pretty busy day, but there was a definite buzz around and a lot of green.
The story of maple syrup
One afternoon this semester, the International Centre offered a visit to a local conservation area where there was an exhibition set up involving a wagon ride and a demonstration of how maple syrup has been made through history to the modern day. Of course, at the end there was an opportunity for pancakes and maple syrup.
Queen’s Dance Club Recital – Just Dance 2015 & Dance Battle
At Queen’s I joined the Dance Club as it has always been one of my hobbies, and I am so glad I did. It is a huge club, completely student run, and they offer lots of classes of different levels and styles. I took ballet, lyrical and contemporary classes, which made for a nice Sunday of dancing each week.
At the end of this semester, we had our final recital, four performances and a week of rehearsing and performing made for a hectic week of dancing, but I enjoyed it a lot, and the sense of community that I have discovered at Queen’s was even stronger in the Dance Club. I was very sad for it all to end as I have met some great people and had some great teachers. It all ended with great performances of our recital dances.
A week later, the dance community also put on a dance battle, and this was one of the most fun evenings I have had. It was literally like Step Up‘s dance off with many different dance clubs on campus battling it out with professional judges flown in from LA and the like. The atmosphere was insane and there was a lot of talent out there.
I am slowly coming to terms with the end of semester and the end of my time here at Queen’s, it is a very bitter sweet feeling – I am excited for travelling and eventually going home since I haven’t been there since August last year, but my year abroad could not have been better. Queen’s will always have a special place in my heart (cliched but true).
By Ros Harwood (Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada)
Having done a semester and a bit at Queen’s now, academic differences have become clear to me between the Canadian and UK university systems. However, by all means, it is nothing to worry about, especially once you are used to it and the basics are still in place that you would find at any university; readings, tests, assignments, tutorials etc.
1. The first difference that became pretty apparent early on was the differences in the assessments here. The assessment is cumalative throughout the semester and the final mark for a course will be based on the various components, such as online quizzes, small reading reflections and attendance and participation marks as well as presentations. Nothing that you won’t have done at Manchester, but it is nice in a way because it spreads out the assessment and it reduces the pressure of the final exam, if there is one (some courses are just all coursework based). Exams tend to count for about 30 to 40% of the mark instead of 60 to 70% that I have experienced in Manchester. A common component is a term paper as part of assessment that is normally around fifteen to twenty pages long and will be kind of a mini research project where you choose a topic within a course and it gives you more freedom in what you want to write about and discuss.
2. Mid-terms are common in Canada, not every course has them but you can expect for most classes that you will take it around week 5 to 7 of the term. From my experience, they are not daunting at all, just like a more formal class test with normally multiple choice or short answer questions. I had one business one that was open book and online so I could just do it at home with my textbook and notes right there to help me. Again, a mid-term takes off the pressure of the final exam for the course.
3. One nice difference is that the exam period is attached to the end of term as Canadian semesters start a couple of weeks earlier than Manchester at the beginning of September and therefore, even though there is a 2 to 3 week exam period at the end of the term so there are only a few days between the end of classes and exams beginning, you can have a Christmas break where you don’t have to be revising, which is more enjoyable I would say, and then come back in January for the next semester.
4. The multi-component nature of the courses and the assessment at Queen’s means that there is often independent study to be done, such as reading (which was really important for some mid-terms and exams in first semester as they asked specific questions on readings), but the campus has a variety of places to work, whether you want the really quiet library or more casual atmosphere in cafes. This is important because to keep up with the continuous assessment style you need to keep on top of your readings and homework set in the classes.
5. The teaching style in Canada is not so different that you will find yourself in a completely different environment, but I found that they are a lot stricter on caps for numbers of students in classes and often limit to smaller classes, such as one of my classes on GIS this semester which has around 20 students in it. This means that the professors will expect more class interaction and will set small group activities and discussion within the lectures that they will expect people to contribute to and give answers in class. Some courses will also have tutorials or lab sessions (for my science based courses) and these are mainly run by TAs (teaching assistants) who are generally PhD or postgrad students, sometimes final year undergrads, who will be responsible for marking most of the assessments as well, and this is where attendance and participation marks can be gained. All the professors and TAs are very keen for people to use their office hours for questions and are often interested to chat with international students as well.
6. Course choices can be a little daunting idea as I have found that pre-requisites for some second and third year courses (which exchange students are recommended to take for their third year abroad as Canada’s undergrad degrees are 4 years long) are pretty strict, which obviously you are not going to have because you are from another university. However, do not let it worry you! In the registration for your exchange university they will give you detailed instructions to find them; Queen’s for example sent me a form on which I could write the courses I wanted to take and they are listed on the website. Once you are at your exchange university, if you are struggling to find courses, do two things: visit the International Programmes Office; they are very helpful and friendly (at Queen’s for definite) and they will either help you find them or recommend you visit your subject department office. If you show your face and show your interest, you are much more likely to get onto a course that may be full or you are finding harder to take due to the wrong pre-requisite courses or requirements.
Best piece of advice:
If your course at Manchester allows you to, try some new modules out. I study Geography but have taken a Psychology course and a Business course this year and it has broadened the learning experience. Although it is a pass/fail year, it is a ‘study abroad’ and so you should take advantage of the academic experiences you could get at the exchange university as well as the travelling and meeting new people which you will do lots of.
The latest appearance of the Manchester beanie, in Parc Mont-Royal in Montreal, Quebec, a hill that gives you a 180 degree view of the city and was very snowy! Second semester is flying by and after the reading week coming up next week (a trip to Chicago!), I will have six weeks left of classes at Queen’s, a very sad thought. The university alone has had made a big impact on the year abroad, and only a year ago I had just been accepted and knew very little about it! So for those of you who have just found out if you will study abroad: get excited, it will be a memorable semester/year.
By Lisa Scott (Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada)
It is hard to reflect on my study abroad year without spending the next few hours wishing I was still there. The whole experience was amazing!
I have used the positive experience I gained from studying abroad to encourage others to do the same, by volunteering at study abroad fairs and meetings through the Global Ambassadors programme. Studying abroad also encouraged me to socialise with students from other cultures, therefore, once I returned to Manchester I participated in the Global Friends programme throughout semester one and worked at the international students’ Orientation in September which enabled me to interact with students from all over the world.
Studying abroad gave me a real passion to gain more international experience. I am looking at graduate opportunities abroad which will hopefully take me to another part of the world which is something I wouldn’t have thought about without studying abroad.
The photo collage below shows all my favourite snaps from studying abroad!
By Ros Harwood, (Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada)
Semester 1 and exams are all finished! Such a relief, but also a scary thought that I am halfway through my exchange year. It is going so fast!
Seems a good time to reflect on my academic experiences here at Queen’s. On my first impression, I did not think that the academic side was that different to Manchester’s, but as time went on, I realised that actually the academic life was very different, but not necessarily for the worst.
Lectures in general are the same, slightly dependent on the actual course I was taking. I get the impression that lectures are just used to cover the very basics of the content that is assigned to that week and extra reading is used to consolidate the content. This meant that full attention from other students was sometimes lacking, as they were instead online shopping or something. Also, this shocked me the first time; at the end of the ‘class’, as they call it, the lecturer or ‘prof’, as they call it, will reach the final slide and immediately everyone starts packing up and leaving while the prof is still talking. Personally, I thought that was a bit rude and would not have been acceptable in my lectures in the U.K. In seminars and tutorials, people put in a lot more effort as every class I am taking has attendance and participation marks as a percentage of the final mark. I also found seminars sparked some very interesting and intense discussions, which made them very inspiring.
Assessment and workload are quite different to the U.K. The courses here are all split up in terms of assessment. Weekly quizzes, readings and extra online lessons had to be completed each week and all formed a percentage of assessment. The assessment styles are varied from coursework to group presentations and projects. For my business course, I completed an online business simulation in a group. The assessment is completed gradually throughout the term, and therefore this puts less pressure on the percentage that the final exam counts for. This might make you think that workload is a lot higher than it is in Manchester, and this is true, but there is a general consensus that the content we are learning is much easier than would have been studied at a second or third year level in Manchester. As long as you keep on top of the work and make sure the weekly assignments and prep is part of your weekly routine, it works out fine.
One big difference is that every degree course and module is that a midterm examination is often a significant part of the assessment. The midterms were not always done sitting in the classroom like a test; I had one that was an online, open-book midterm. Some midterms did not actually happen in the midterm, sometimes in Week 10 or 11. The finals exam period falls straight after term ends, instead of after the Christmas break, and they also were a variety of styles, some written, some ‘take home exams’ where the question is released and you are given a due date. The variety in assessments can make it much more interesting to complete. I have found my modules very interesting, and if your course allows you to, I would definitely recommend to any student going on exchange to take a variety of courses that are not necessarily within your discipline. Geography gave me a lot of flexibility, so as well as taking some Geography/Environmental Science courses, I took Psychology and Business introductory courses which have inspired to explore different career options.
I have had such a good time already in my first semester and would definitely recommend an exchange to anyone who is considering it. It is not all about the studying, it gives you the opportunity to meet so many people from around the world, travel to places you never have, and I have particularly enjoyed it here in Canada as it is a beautiful country, but also being on the East Coast of Canada gives you access to East Coast of the USA. As all the clichés say, it is definitely a life-changing experience and a valuable opportunity, I have already made so many memories. A definite recommendation is to make sure you are going somewhere that you are interested in visiting as well as the academic study, and that you have the finances to be able to visit!
Having New York round the corner is very exciting (well twelve hours is close in North America terms). I went on the first weekend of the semester, travelling overnight on the Megabus, when luckily my housemate from Manchester was visiting at the same time.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend in October we had four days, so we went to explore Boston, Harvard University and made a trip to Niagara Falls on the way home. I have always wanted to visit it so I am glad I finally have! We had a Thanksgiving meal watching the lights on the Falls at dusk (the photo doesn’t really do it justice).
Homecoming weekend was also a highlight, it is a massive tradition at Queen’s and was full of parades, a American football game and street parties. Lots of alumni came back from last year’s alumni to people who graduated in 1950s! The whole place was bleeding that tricolour (red, blue and yellow colours of the University)!
In November, we headed up north to Quebec City, where it was a lot colder and at night it was -7 degrees!! It is very French in comparison to Ontario, and was very cute and Christmassy with lights and ice skating and our first snow in Canada! Definitely worth a visit.
The last couple of weeks have brought a lot more snow, and it has been very exciting but also only a taster of what is to come in the winter months. At the moment I am enjoying the snow, but maybe won’t be when it is -20 degrees! Snow means skiing though I guess, and I will be spending the Christmas/New Year break with a few days in Toronto before flying out to Banff, Alberta for ten days skiing with my family coming over from England.
By Ros Harwood (Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada).
It is 2 weeks since I arrived in Kingston for my exchange and it has been very hectic with a lot going on, a lot to do and sort out but I am already loving it. The first week I spent sorting out a lot of basic needs such as a phone, bank account, supplies for my room and the house, my student card, meeting other international students, buying a bed! Unfortunately Canadian students do not have the luxury of having furnished rooms in student houses without paying ridiculously high rent, so they all provide it for themselves. For an exchange student like me, it is therefore often the case that you arrive at your new house after a lot of travelling and some jetlag to an empty room with a hard wooden floor… not the most welcoming when all you want to do is sleep. However I was lucky to have made some family friend connections before I left the UK and as a result had a local friend lend me an air mattress and bedding to get me through the first few nights. Even luckier was that I found a bed for sale very soon after.
The other downfall with that first week was losing my luggage en route to Kingston from Toronto. The plane I took only had capacity for 18 people and since it was a full flight and considering the small boxroom size of the hold luggage compartment, as well as missing my originally planned flight due to immigration hold ups, it was not a surprise that my two bags did not make it on the same flight. Fortunately, through a helpful housemate, her boyfriend’s car and the discovery of H&M existing in Canada, the issue was quickly resolved. However, I do not want to let my problems put anyone off Queen’s or a year abroad, I can already tell you it is a special experience!
My new house
Labour Day holiday on Lake Ontario
The second week was ‘Frosh Week’ or, in Manchester’s language, Freshers’ Week. Possibly one of the craziest, most hectic weeks of my life. Whilst also adjusting to the different atmosphere and traditions of Queen’s as well as a new campus, having activities from 9am to midnight planned every day was incredibly tiring. It was also a completely different experience to what I have experienced in Manchester. Every faculty has a different Frosh Week and so did the international and exchange students! Wednesday 3rd September, NEWTs week (New, Exchange and Worldly Transfer students) starts. 400 new but upper year students pile into a hall in orange t-shirts, not knowing what to expect. We were welcomed by our Frosh leaders, called geckos (we were the baby newts), in a NEWTs week dance and then we were taken to learn that dance ourselves along with traditional Frosh Week and general Queen’s chants. The university and community spirit that exists is already easy to see without having attended any university sports games or events. Campus is heaving with big groups of people all in different colour t-shirts for the different Frosh Weeks. It is worth pointing out the upper year engineers who take it upon themselves to paint their entire body purple and style their hair using bottles and cardboard as well as different colours.
Over the week, other activites included freshers’ fairs, BBQs, the NEWTs Olympics, a carnival including sticking yourself to a velcro wall, a mystery road trip to Toronto Zoo, a live concert, academic orientation talks, sorting out courses for the year and meeting lots of other international and exchange students! The paint party had to be the highlight where all the ‘NEWTs’ dress up in orange jumpsuits (massive ‘Orange is the New Black’ theme) and thrown blue, red and yellow paint at each other – known as tricolour – which are the university colours here at Queen’s. Despite wearing a jumpsuit, paint still managed to cover your skin and a minimum of 45 minutes in the shower of scrubbing and hair washing was required in order to get ready for the traditional ‘tamming’ ceremony, a tradition where each new student receives a Scottish beret type hat with an orange pom pom on top and a town crier helps swear the oath of Queen’s and the Queens’ bands and dancers perform. It is almost like an initiation into the Queen’s community. Following this we had a formal dinner and dance at Fort Henry, an old castle location linked to the Military College with beautiful views over Lake Ontario and Kingston.
a few discoveries/observations I have come across in these first two weeks:
– Queen’s University has a lot of links with Scotland and therefore, such as the Scottish dancing and the Queen’s bands, it is possible to find a little bit of UK culture here, as well as discovering there is a branch of the University in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
– Lectures, or ‘classes’ as Canadians call it, can continue till 9.30pm in the evening and can be 3 hours long.
– Due to the differing sizes between Manchester and Kingston, the concept of distance differs massively. Here a 20 minute bus journey to the nearest shopping mall is considered a long way – when I informed my Canadian housemates that this is the same length as the journey I took into uni each day in Manchester, they were very shocked.
– Canadian poutine…..in description it is basically chips, cheese and gravy. But it is so much more than that. You can get toppings of pulled pork, bacon, fajita (guacemole/sour cream/salsa) and much more; it just tastes fabulous! Great for late night munchies.
– You wouldn’t have thought it but Canada has amazing summer sunsets!
Classes start this week and I have luckily bagged myself a 4-day weekend. Geography at Manchester has given me a lot of flexibility and therefore I am excited to try out some new modules in Psychology and Business as well as Geography. I am already loving Queen’s as much as its domestic students do and the kindness of the Canadian people has helped me settle in and feel like I have been here for months. It is also a fantastic location for travelling in Canada and America, so I am kicking that off this weekend by going to New York to see my housemate from Manchester. It is going to be a great year!
By Lisa Scott (Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada).
After a Jam packed second semester at Queen’s University, I am writing this blog to procrastinate from the horrifying experience known as Packing. My year abroad has not only resulted in me buying more belongings than I can fit in my rucksack but it has also been an invaluable experience which I will never forget.
Being a student at Queen’s University is like being part of a wider community which thrives on good will and team spirit. Just earlier this week I was sat in the library doing some last minute revision for an exam, when the Principal of the University delivered fresh cookies to every student on campus. It is these small acts of kindness which improve my day and make me proud of attending such a prestigious University.
The cookie delivered by the principal of Queens University as a revision treat
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Queen’s University and studying abroad opens up countless opportunities. I have experienced the Canadian culture with students from all over the globe and as my time here comes to an end it will be hard to say goodbye to the friends I have made. I have six weeks of travelling ahead of me which compensates for the sadness of leaving Queen’s University after calling it my home for the past 8 months.
As a final note I would just like to say that studying at Queen’s University is more than just another year at University, it is a way of life which I would strongly recommend to anyone considering studying abroad.
A Canadian flag with messages from the friends I have made on exchange
By Lisa Scott (Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada).
As my first semester at Queens University had ended and my second semester would be starting in two weeks, I decided to make the most of my Christmas Vacation and visit the states. My first stop was Chicago where I eagerly awaited at the airport for my brother to arrive from London, England. It was lovely to see a member of my family after four months away from home and we certainly had lots to catch up on whilst we traveled to our hotel.
Chicago was a little warmer than Canada so it was nice to put the snow boots aside and wear some nicer clothes. We spent our first few days touring around the city and we visited the museum district, wandered along navy pier, ate a lot of chocolate in the Hershey’s shop, shopped until we dropped on magnificent mile, sang our hearts out at the candle lit carol service and took lots of photos next to the big bean that acts as a huge mirror. When Christmas day arrived and we were over 3000 miles away from home we decided to make it a Christmas to remember. We started our day ice skating in the snow, then we went out for a lovely Christmas dinner with cocktails followed by a trip up the tallest building in Chicago which had a very scary glass box to stand in and then we finished the day by relaxing in our hotels rooftop heated swimming pool and sauna.
On Boxing Day we left Chicago and flew to New York City. It has always been my dream to visit NYC and I loved every minute of being in the city. We celebrated the New Year at central park, where we watched the sky light up with amazing fireworks and danced in the open park until our legs were tired. We spent a lot of time being tourists and visited; the empire state building, Rockefeller center, Times Square, Brooklyn bridge, Statue of Liberty, New York public library, Central park, 9/11 memorial and watched Spider man the musical in Broadway. After seven days it was time for me to say goodbye to one of my favorite cities and head to Boston.
Luckily we managed to catch a flight just before a snow storm hit New York which lasted several days and cancelled most of the departing flights. We spent the last few days of our vacation in Boston, visiting Harvard, playing in the snow and tasting more of America’s amazing food.
Christmas Vacation away from home was a totally new experience for me and it was very strange not being surrounded by family and friends opening presents on Christmas day. However, I can definitely say I loved every minute of it and can’t wait to visit the states again on my next vacation.
By Lisa Scott (Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada).
Four days ago I completed my final exam of the fall semester at Queen’s University and now it is time for me to embrace on a four week vacation in North America, which I am extremely looking forward to. As the semester is over and a lot of my new friends are leaving (they were only on exchange for a semester). I decided now would be a perfect time for me to reflect on my favourite and most memorable moments of the semester.
So here is my top ten (not in any particular order);
1 – Celebrating my 21st Birthday in one of Canada’s largest Cities – Toronto
2 – Visiting Niagara Falls – one of the natural wonders of the world
3 – Frosh week – A whole new meaning to the first week of university and a great way to make friends
4 – Halloween – Including some crazy fancy dress parties and a trip to a pumpkin field
5 – Wine tour and Sand dunes – Going on a wine tour and stopping for lunch to enjoy the beautiful sand dunes in the same area
6 – Visiting Montreal – My whole flat from residence decided to go on a group trip to Montreal
7 – Homecoming – This is a Queen’s tradition and occurred over two weekends and everyone dressed up in Queen’s clothing. It gives alumni the opportunity to return to campus and celebrate their success. The Alumni were really great to talk to and some of them even joined us when we were partying.
8 – The lead up to Christmas – Everyone in my flat starting wearing their Christmas jumpers, we went to visit Santa (turns out your never too old) and we had a big Christmas dinner
9 – Meeting people from all over the globe, e.g. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Malaysia, Germany, and Spain to name a few
10 – Jumping in Lake Ontario on glorious sunny days
I have had an excellent semester at Queen’s University and I am thoroughly excited to see what the winter semester will bring.
By Lisa Scott (Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada).
Thanksgiving weekend in Canada is an opportunity for people to gather with their families and celebrate their good fortune. Traditionally most of the students from Queens University will head back to their home town, visit family and eat a thanksgiving dinner which must involve turkey. As an exchange student at Queens University ready to encounter my first Thanksgiving weekend (England doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving), I opted for a long weekend away in Montreal.
I started the weekend along with thirteen of my friends by walking up Mount Royal to reach a viewing platform which over looked the entire of Montreal. The view was amazing and all the autumn leaves falling from the tree’s made it the perfect photo opportunity. Ready to explore some of the sights we had observed from the top of the mountain we visited the Olympic stadium which was used in the 1976 Summer Olympics. After a long day of being tourists we headed to one of the student districts of Montréal for a few drinks and to gather with some of the locals.
The following two days we carried on exploring the beautiful city by visiting all the quirky shops in Old Montreal, looking around Notre-Damn Basilica and eating famous Montréal food amongst over things. The weekend was perfect and even though this was my first Canadian Thanksgiving, I definitely hope it won’t be the last.
By Lisa Scott (Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada).
If somebody asked me what my fresher’s week in England involved, my answer would most likely include making friends, exploring a new city, and participating in all the nights out my residence leaders organised for the new students.
However, if you asked any student from Queens University what their FROSH week included the responses you would receive would vary immensely. The commerce students would explain how they had to run everywhere for the entire week, the Engineering students would explain how they had to die their hair purple and gel it up in weird shapes for the entire week (even the girls), and the arts students when asked ‘Frosh how are you feeling’ would chant you a song. If you’re confused, then watch the video below;
It became obvious to me within my first few hours of FROSH week that community spirit is a huge part of student life here at Queens University and every student is proud of the fact they have a place here. Regularly in England you can read news articles linking FRESHERs week to excess alcohol and trips to A&E for a noticeable percentage of students, however here at Queens University residence has a dry orientation week meaning no alcohol can be present in University accommodation. This was one of the first big differences which made me realise that a FROSH week and a FRESHERS week aren’t the same thing.
To start my FROSH week I had a residence orientation with all the other 500 students that I was sharing my residence with. The floor I live on has 27 rooms, and all of them are occupied by international students from all other the world. My residence orientation started by a welcome from the principle of the university, followed by a night of games ranging from Quidditch (yes they play quidditch here) to board games. The next few days of my res orientation were jam packed with activities involving treasure hunts, gaels football games and book discussions amongst other things.
After my residence orientation I had a NEWTS orientation which was for students from the castle, or students on exchange. NEWTs week was so much fun and extremely tiring. During the day time we had a paint fight, a mystery road trip, capture the flag game, tours of the town, traditions ceremony and general advice sessions from the Canadian students who generously gave up there time to help the new students out. The night activities involved karaoke, a formal dinner and a music concert which had an amazing atmosphere.
NEWTS week and residence orientation together made my FROSH week one of the most memorable weeks of my live, and is a great way to make friends whilst in a new country for the first time. And I know for sure if somebody asks me what I did in my FROSH week, I’ll be able to talk for hours.
