weitere Erfahrungsberichte für Kanada
Land:
Kanada
Universität:
Vancouver Island University (VIU)
Semester und Studiengang:
5. Semester Bachelor International Management
Aufenthalt:
wintersemester 2016
Über die Universität:
The campus of the Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo is rather big with several shops, a bookstore, Subway, cafe, cafeteria, pub, library and even a hairdresser that is very cheap. The university is located on a hill so that you might have to do a lot of steps in order to get to your classroom or to the library. Most of VIU professors are very friendly and it’s easy to build up kind of a friendship with them. There are several types of courses you can take in fields like Accounting, Human Resources, Marketing and Tourism. Furthermore, several languages are offered, too. In order to get 30 ETCS you have to attend 5 courses.
The International Education department offers trips for international students throughout the whole semester to a lot of different and exciting places on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver. I really recommend to attend some of these events as it’s a cheap way to experience the area and you get to know a lot of international people. There are also several clubs a VIU that you can join as well as a gym (it’s free for students) and a lot of sports classes (fees!).
Be prepared to a lot of work during the semester. At the beginning of the course you will receive an accurate course outline and details on the assessment procedure. You will have to do essays, quizzes and group works that are assessed and become part of the final grade. An advantage of that is that your final exam is less important and only contributes a certain percentage to the final grade. Some courses don’t even have a final exam. And some lecturers would grade your attendance and commitment as well. Even though there’s a lot of work during the semester, I was still able to make trips on the weekends to explore the surroundings.
Canadian English is almost without any accent, thus it’s easy to understand Canadians. Most of the courses require text books, which are very expensive (about $200).
Betreuung vor Ort:
I had to apply at the International Student Office (www.international-student-office.org). The staff there is very friendly and tell you exactly what you need for your application. They are always there to help you out if you have any questions.
There are several accommodation options: student residence, homestay or renting your own place. I’ve decided to live with a host family. It was the best choice I could take since I was really lucky to live near the university. If you want to take part in the homestay programme, you have to fill out a form and state your food preferences and other facts about you. The homestay office tries to match the students´ preferences and needs with the host family’s.
VIU´s staff is very friendly (like almost all Canadians) and are always there to help you out. Course selection takes place online long before the semester starts and it´s on a first come, first serve basis. However, if you are on a waiting list of a certain course, you may be lucky and get into the course if you attend the first class. If you´re not sure whether you will like the course you have chosen, register for more courses than you actually want to take, you can still drop them two weeks after the semester started.
Tipps:
I would recommend living in a host family, because there are a lot of German exchange students at VIU. Usually people who stay at the student residence only communicate with Germans and neglect enhancing their English.
If you have any questions left, just ask me. I´m sure the International Office can forward you.
Vancouver Island and Vancouver are just beautiful!