Marianne Forsey, 2012-2013 at Universite de Geneve, Switzerland

Accommodation

One main piece of advice for organising accommodation in Geneva is… get it sorted early! Geneva is a relatively small city and home to many international companies and organisations, which means there is a large influx of international workers and students looking for accommodation.

University accommodation and private halls of residence: I highly recommend applying for halls as they usually provide you with the best deal on accommodation in terms of value for money, location and the added bonus of an instant circle of friends!

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University of San Diego, Parisa Ahmadian, 2014-2015

Top Ten Things

1) The Campus

Set atop a hill looking down on San Diego, it’s one of the most beautiful campuses in the US (don’t take my word for it – http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-most-beautiful-college-campuses/6). There is Spanish architecture running throughout the whole campus, and the university gardens and flowers are always perfect. Other than being aesthetically pleasing, the campus also has so many student facilities. The best one would probably be the outdoor pool and sunbeds around it, followed by the soccer, football, basketball and baseball fields where students go to watch games all the time – there’s a huge university spirit. The view of the bay and the ocean from the Garden of the Sea behind the IPJ building is spectacular, a great place to go to study if you’re bored of the library.

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Tom Flanagan, 2012-2013 University of Toronto St George Campus

Top 11 things

1. Toronto: Snow. Cold. Moose. Maple Syrup. Drake. Snow. These are all pretty much the things that come to mind when people say Toronto, and they’re all relatively accurate (apart from the Moose bit because apparently you won’t just find them wandering around the city). That said, there’s more reason to make your way over there than just plain Drake so take note.

2. Sport: Hockey, Basketball, Baseball, Football, whatever your sport, Toronto has you covered. Take a walk down to the Lake Shore and you’ll pass the Rogers Centre, home to the Toronto Blue Jays, the city’s premier baseball team. A little bit further down you’ll find the Air Canada Centre, which doubles as a sports and concert venue. For sports though, the Raptors (Basketball) and the Maple Leafs (Hockey) are a must. Seriously, you don’t even have to have a clue about the sport – it’s why they get the crowds to dance and play games during interludes. That is a thing apparently.

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Jessica Atkinson, 2014-2015, Université de Montréal

Accommodation

You will find looking for accommodation in Montreal quite different to your experience in London, and if like me you decide that another year spent in halls is not for you then looking for accommodation in Montreal is both easy and stressful all at the same time. I say this because there is a whole wealth of rooms on offer for you online, on sites such as Craigslist BUT only a fraction of landlords/advertisers will respond to your emails. Secondly the rooms are often not to the standard of London flats and in Montreal most tenants are welcome to re-decorate to their heart’s content BUT for year abroad students, who are only looking for a room for 9 months, this really isn’t something you are wanting to do so be ready for sometimes dirty and old fashioned flats. All this aside the great thing about Montreal accommodation is the cheap rental prices which will probably be half the price of your London rent!

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Harisa Ashraf, 2014-2015 at University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus

Top 10 things

1. Proximity to Niagara Falls

A real advantage of UTM’s location is that, as well as being close to downtown, it is also closer to Canada’s best known landmark, Niagara Falls. Its proximity to the falls means that there are frequent trips there organised by societies.

2. Free shuttle to Toronto

One of the most useful campus facilities at UTM is the free shuttle which links it to Downtown Toronto. The fact that there’s one every 20 minutes means that transportation to the city really isn’t a problem and students can enjoy the benefits of the city just as much as those located at the central St George campus.

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