Better than Europe Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Although the university of Montreal is a large research university, I felt as though I received plenty of personal attention. Most of my professors were excellent. Even in larger lectures, participation was encouraged. Evaluations were consistent and fair, and the professors were available and interested in my progress when I made an effort to seek them out.

On-site administration of your program

The University of Montreal was bureaucratic but not particularly difficult to deal with. All communications were in French, however, so a student with minimal language skills might have trouble. The Killam Fellowship was excellent, extremely well-organized and supportive.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived off-campus in an apartment I rented from Get Your Place, a service which provides short-term furnished apartments for exchange students in Montreal. I highly recommend living off-campus: Montreal is a VERY affordable city compared to the rest of North America and public transportation is good. However, the Get Your Place service was a rip off. I was overcharged, the apartments were in need of repairs, and the people in charge of the service were unhelpful. If possible I would recommend arriving early and arranging your own housing using websites like Craigslist or Kijiji.com.

I cooked myself and ate out, Montreal is an incredible food city! Poutine, Portuguese and Turkish food, late-night corner stores, s huge variety of grocery stores and restaurants.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Very, but I had to seek it out. The Killam Fellowship fall orientation in Ottawa was very helpful as it helped me meet some native Montrealers. Otherwise I joined clubs, sought out local activities, and generally put myself or there a lot.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The campus health services were great. I was able to get service in English, the nurses and doctors were helpful and quick.

Montreal is a very safe city. Much more so than Seattle or Boston, cities where I have previously lived. Other than basic common sense, there is very little to worry about.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

My rent was higher than it should have been because of the Get Your a place service, but generally speaking Montreal is an easy city to budget in. There are lots of free entertainment options and food + drink can be found cheap if you're budgeting!

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

All my courses were in French as was all administration. In Montreal you have to pick whether you seek out English or French: you can easily live in one language or the other.

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• Apartment

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• International Students

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• Local Students
• International Students

• Living in Montreal
• Québécois French
• My roommates

• Ease of finding cheap housing
• The Winter

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