Jeanne Radat, HEC Montreal (Canada)
I am a student at HEC Montreal in Quebec, Canada, and currently in my 3rd year out of four (I did a preparatory year) of a BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) and I am specializing in International Affairs and Marketing.
As I am French, I made the choice to go study in Montreal, so I can give you many reasons why I love Canada! First of all, Canadians are super welcoming and open-minded and you quickly get used to their sincere kindness, greeting you everywhere with a smile and a friendly “Hi, how are you?” in supermarkets and shops. A huge part of the Canadian lifestyle includes the famous Canadian winter! No worries, with a good parka and winter boots, it became my favourite season! I also love autumn with all the gorgeous colourful leaves, Thanksgiving and Halloween.
Montreal is unique as it is the second largest French-speaking country after Paris. But you should be absolutely fine with your English and a few basic words of French that you’ll learn very fast, and most Quebecers understand English well or are bilingual in Montreal.
Concerning food, restaurants are more expensive than in Singapore but the fresh fruits and veggies available in markets (some of them are open 24/7) are way more affordable! You should try the famous Poutine (French fries, with cheese and a gravy-like sauce), and any maple-syrup-related food.
Public transportation is well-developed in Montreal and a monthly pass cost around $50CAD.
The accommodation is very affordable. You probably can find apartments that cost between $300 CAD to $700CAD per month, depending on what you are looking for. Also, looking for roommates is the best way to go in Montreal. Accommodation is very easy to find as well.
The must-visit attractions depend on the season. These are some activities you should definitely try when you are in Canada: dog-sledding; ice-skating on a skating rink in the forest; sightseeing and hiking to see the autumn colours; going to apple-picking; go eat at a sugar-shack; skiing, and so on.
There are a lot of these kinds of activities organised for exchange student by a student association called HEChange. This association specialize in organising welcome week, trips, excursions, parties and a gala exclusively for exchange students! You’ll get to discover the country with its multicultural culture, food and people.
HEC Montreal is a business school offering a lot of great modules in English, French and Spanish. The teachers are great and very approachable. The school premises are very modern too (even more than Biz 1!). With 15 specializations available, there is always a chance to get a module that you like. I also love the social life, it feels like a big family, and we have a lot of associations and activities.