ANR: 584146 Name: Anja Zijlstra E-mail: a.zijlstra@uvt.nl Exchange semester: Fall, 2014 Academic year: third year Host University: University of Waterloo Country: Canada I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL Waterloo is a small city with around 100.000 residents. The Waterloo Region exists of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. The city centre of Waterloo is mostly referred to as Uptown whereas the centre of Kitchener is called Downtown. When you are used to beautiful Dutch canals and the old houses with a lot of history, you are in for something when you come to Waterloo. It looks like an industrial town with old buildings. Tilburg isn t that pretty either, so I didn t really mind. The university is located at the edge of the city. When you want to go to the city centre you have to take a bus that takes seven to ten minutes. The campus was big, there were so many buildings. I only knew some of them. I went to Sint Jerome s University (a part of Waterloo University). When I walked from my residence it was about fifteen minutes, I crossed the whole campus in that time. A great way to start your day! There were many places to go for diner. You could eat at the SLC (Student Life Centre) which is open 24/7. Pizza, pasta, Japanese food, soft shell tacos; there was something for everyone. There was also Taco Tuesday where you could eat three tacos at the Bombshelter pub for eight dollars, which was really good. Sometimes we would get a really big American breakfast at Mel s Diner. I lived at WCRI, which is close to University Plaza. There is one pub we would go for drinks, the name is Molly s. It is not really for dancing, just to have a few beers. When we wanted to go out there were several options. For instance Bombshelter Wednesday, the pub inside the SLC. The music was nice and the drinks were not that expensive. On Thursday there was this place called Brixton, it is really close to WCRI. On our last night we went to Phils, which was also really nice, as long as you didn t look up to the ceiling. The music was fun. As it goes for all the pubs, you have to be on time, otherwise you have to wait in line. This is no fun as it gets really cold at night. I did my sporting at the University Gym, there were all kinds of fitness equipment. You could also go for a swim at the University. You can go to all these sporting facilities for free. I don t think Waterloo is really known for interesting things to see. The park was really nice, especially when it became winter time. They put up all kind of lights. Also the Waterloo Region hosts the second biggest Oktoberfest of the world. It takes up to nine days and there is big parade of Thanksgiving. We went to see it and it was really nice! The biggest difference for me was that I could not bike everywhere. You always have to take the bus. I went to supermarket once a week or so, because it was a big hassle getting there and buying everything. In Tilburg I go to supermarket quite often and go everywhere on my bike.
The University of Waterloo has six faculties: Arts, Applied Health Sciences, Mathematics, Science, Engineering and Environment. Engineering being the largest faculty: UW is known for the high quality of engineering education. There are 30.000 undergraduate students and 5.100 graduate students. About 6.000 of these students are international ones. The study structure is quite similar to Tilburg University. There were no working groups and it was not really necessary to participate. The classes were pretty big. They lasted and hour and twenty minutes without break. We had a lot of midterms, they each weighed about 25%. It was actually quite nice; it made it easier to keep up with the learning materials. Deleted:, II PRACTICAL INFORMATION Information before you left I received my information on the fifth of February. There were no difficulties and it was really easy to ask the Exchange Coordinators anything through email. Visa procedure and arrival I did apply for a visa because it was advised. It came in handy when I wanted to travel across the border. American customs are pretty strict and they want know if there is any evidence that you have a purpose in Canada. I could have easily gone without a VISA though. It cost me about a hundred euro s. It did not take very long because you can apply for it online. I took a direct, eight hour flight from Schiphol to Toronto Pearson International Airport. I arrived at the airport there was a huge line at customs, it took about one and half hour to get through. Waterloo University arranged a bus pick up, that was easy and free. They dropped us of at the hotel because there were three more people going there. There was no reception whatsoever, when Orientation started we had to pick up our WatCard. That part was well organized. Orientation/Introduction activities There was an orientation week but that was mainly focused on first year students. The international students did not get a lot of attention, you had to make it fun for yourself. We had some small parties in the basement of WCRI. There were some mandatory things for exchange students but that was also mainly focused on people staying for the long term. You could apply for a buddy but I chose not to. Housing I decided to apply for accommodation at WCRI, but students can also choose to search for private housing. I booked in advance. I was only there for the fall term, so I could only apply for a double room. Which meant that I had a roommate. At first I was not so happy about that, because I like my privacy. I was really curious who my roommate was. Luckily, she was really nice. She came from Australia. At the end of the term we went out for sushi together. We did not really encounter any problems. I would do my thing and she would do hers. We got a long pretty good. It is not part of university, but they do give the website of WCRI for you to check. They do not really give you any support though.
When you get WCRI you can apply for the amenities kit. Which contains a pillow, a blanket, a towel and more of the basic stuff. It costs about 35 euro s. You can also use cutlery, pots and pans for free! WCRI has old buildings, but if there something not working, they will come immediately to fix it. The handymen are really friendly. The kitchen could get pretty dirty because you had to share with the whole floor (around 26 people). Luckily there was a cleaning lady two times a week. There were four buildings that were mainly for exchange students, so you could always meet up with someone. Every building had their own basement, which was ideal for parties. We hosted them quite often, if we went out there were always people having pre-drinks. I was rather satisfied with the WCRI, because I was lucky to have a nice roommate and it was nice to have all your friends around. You could say the facilities were old and the roommate could really be a downside. Keep in mind that you can move in on the first of September, if you come earlier you have to arrange something else. The university has some sleeping possibilities and some hotels have cheap offers for students. I did not do that on time, so I had to pay quite a lot for my hotel room. It was really nice to adjust on my own time and to relax in my room for a bit, but if you want to save money, be sure to this on time. Living Costs I worked as a cleaning lady during the summer and continued my work as a tour guide at the Heineken brewery. I saved up that money. Also my parents helped me out a lot, without them I could have not traveled so much. My living expenses were quite similar to Tilburg, because the Canadian dollar is worth less. I did go out for dinner much more, but in Tilburg I go to the supermarket almost every day. In Waterloo I would just go once a week and only buy the necessary things. I spent most of my money on trips. I have to admit that I also spent quite some money on shopping because when you are in a big city, you want to see some of the shops that we don t have in the Netherlands. I would advise students to spend all their money on traveling, because it is definitely worth it. Housing 250 Food 100 Transport * 0 Books (once) 360 Miscellaneous 175 * for Waterloo University students transport was free, you showed your WatCard when you got on the bus. It was only for the Kitchener-Waterloo region. Academic Calendar I arrived in Canada on thirtieth of August. I stayed in Comfort Inn hotel in Waterloo for two nights. The orientation started on the first of September and it lasted until the sixth. My first day
was on the eighth of September, the last day was on the first of December. There was no midterm break as we had midterms all throughout the semester. I only had an exam on the ninth of December but the whole examination period lasted until the nineteenth. The International Office There is an international office for each faculty. When you get your admission letter there will be a name of who you have to mail for questions. I have good experiences with the people from the international office; they always respond quickly and to their best to help you. Exchange promotion There was a day for students at Waterloo, who wanted to go abroad, unfortunately I had lectures all day. I did skype with the study abroad advisor of TSB, she just gave a lecture about going abroad and she asked me some questions. Due to the time difference, it was at 5 in the morning, but it was a pleasure doing it. Social Activities The Federation of Students organized different things throughout the semester. They took us to the Niagara Falls, a hockey game and the NBA game between the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards. It was really nice that they organized these things for us but we were with so many that sometimes there was no one really leading and there were a lot of ambiguities. You had to figure out a lot for yourself. There was not much contact with local students. I only knew about five of them. All the exchange students kind of hang out together and did the same activities. We also lived in the same building so you could easily meet up with everyone. We would go to someone s room for movies or to the basement of the building for drinks. I did quite a lot of travelling. You can take the Greyhound bus to a lot of big cities in Canada. We went to Toronto a couple of times, as it is only a two hour drive. Once to see a baseball game, that was really a lot of fun. I would really recommend that. We also went to Wonderland which is a 45 minutes taxi drive from Toronto. The rides were really thrilling and I had a lot of fun! We also went to Montreal. We rented bikes and explored the whole city. My sister and her boyfriend were also on a vacation in Canada so I met them in Ottawa where we stayed for a couple of days. After those days we traveled to Algonquin National Park. When you see the beautiful nature and the immense woods, you will be amazed by all that Canada has to offer. I also showed them Waterloo. It was really good to have my family over and to show them how my life was like. We took a road trip to Chicago, the Windy City of the United States. At the border, the American customs will question you as if you were a criminal but Chicago itself is very nice. It was pretty cold in November but the atmosphere is really vibrant. My boyfriend came to visit me and we decided to meet up in New York City. He arrived at JFK Airport and I took the bus from Waterloo. New York met up to all my expectations. Central Park was beautiful and the view of the skyline is one I will always remember. I had an amazing time!
Culture and Language When I came to Canada, I stayed in a hotel for the weekend. I wandered around in the city for a bit. And every hundred meters there was some kind of fast-food chain. The smell of fries was everywhere, which is less fun when it s early in the morning. That was the thing that surprised me the most actually. There was not much of a culture shock, I had to get used to using English the whole time. Canadians are really friendly, they are willing always to help you out. They will ask if you are lost or will give you advice about what to see in their city. In the Netherlands this probably would not happen. At the bus when a lot of people want to get in, they actually line up. In the Netherlands everyone would make a big crowd and people surely will jump the line. I did not expect that there would be so much fast-food, I really thought that that was an American thing. I would describe the Canadian culture as very friendly and really hospitable. Canadians are always very polite. Sometimes it was a bit confusing because when you said something rude or too direct, they would not tell you. That was not limited to the Canadian culture, I think Dutch people are just very straightforward. They also do not really cook, they like to go out for dinner. You have these family restaurants, where you can bring your whole family. A lot of food is unlimited and going out for dinner is affordable. I found it pretty difficult to keep a healthy and balanced diet; all sorts of food had a lot of sugar in it and they doubled the cheese on everything. They really know what good food is. When you are there I suggest you try a poutine! I went to America twice. It was a bit different from Canada, even though they were also really friendly. I did not have any language problems and I did not follow any language courses. I did not take a language course at Tilburg University either, I only made and passed the test. Personal Development I met a lot of people, but I would hang out with people from Western countries like Australia, Sweden, United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Our culture differences weren t so big, even though the Australians find Europe very small and make jokes about that. People from totally different cultures kind of stuck together throughout the semester. I think the exchange will influence my career possibilities in a positive way. I gained a lot of life experience. I learned to relax a bit more and to realize that a lot of things you worry about will never happen. My best experiences were the trips that we made. I liked Chicago a lot, it actually surprised me. The Algonquin Park was amazing and the nature really overwhelmed me. My worst experience was when I came back from New York. It was such a great weekend but when I went back to Waterloo, there was heavy snowfall. The bus driver warned me when I got on the bus. Toronto? Oh, you might get there. The weather is really bad. At first I did not think much of it. As our trip continued all travelers going westbound from Buffalo would not be able to make it. Toronto is a northbound destination, so I would be fine. When we made it to Buffalo, our bus driver did not show up. They would make a quick stop, but we waited in the bus for over four hours. No one could tell me what was going on. I had a connecting bus trip in Toronto and the last bus there would leave soon. The bus driver finally showed up and I continued my little not so much fun - adventure. We went through customs at the American border and
when we got on the bus, the driver asked if anyone had a connecting trip. I was the only one. The driver got a little bit irritated; Why didn t you arrange anything? The bus station closes at 1 AM, so you ll be out on the streets for tonight. I had no idea and no one told me anything. I called my boyfriend, he stayed up almost the whole night. He started looking for hotels in the Toronto area, as the bus had no Wi-Fi. He could not find any hotel with a 24/7 reception. I was quite upset but after some time the bus driver called my name and told me You are very lucky this time, there is a bus leaving at 2AM. I was really relieved. There was a bus driver starting his 4 AM shift in the Kitchener region. It was pretty strange, I sat in front with the bus driver and the whole bus was empty. He dropped me off at WCRI, which was really nice! I finally made it home. Two friends of mine were not so lucky; their bus company decided that the bus would not continue. They were stuck for a couple of days. So when you go to Canada, keep in mind that the weather can be really extreme. I will never forget all the fun times I had and the wonderful friends I made all over the world. I saw so many amazing things and it really made me more open to the world. I got really into traveling and I would like to see so much more of the world. The most important lesson is that I learned to trust on myself and that I m capable of much more than I would first expect. III ACADEMIC INFORMATION Academic level at a host university All my courses where taught in English, as it is one of the two official languages. In Canada they also speak French, but not in the part where I studied. In Quebec the main language is French. I followed four courses: One was called Introduction to Human Sexuality and I chose to follow it because I thought it would be interesting to learn about a topic that is not covered here at Tilburg University. I would also recommend this course, I learned quite a lot and the professor that gives the course is very funny and finds all these ways to keep you interested. A second course that I followed was Couples, Marriage and Family, which is about family life and how it develops. It was quite interesting, but the main focus was on Canadian laws and their traditional ways of family life. I also followed Educational Psychology and Psychology of Law. The first one covers how you can learn to learn better and how classes should be organized. Psychology of Law teaches you about how Jury duty works and how offenders and police officers have certain personality traits. We had a lot of midterms but it made it easier to keep up with the work load. The midterms were not cumulative so it was easier to study for them. Even though it was a lot to keep up with, you only had to have 50%of the answers correct for a pass. Our final had 136 multiple choice questions, which was really a lot. I only had one final so I don t really know if that is a normal thing. Our teachers were really nice and you could ask them anything. They would tell you if there were extra things to take into account because we were international students. The lectures were comparable to the ones at Tilburg University, only the seats were much less comfortable.
I am happy with my academic achievements, my grades were good. I also learned a lot about the courses that I took. There were a lot of interesting things that I did not know about. Exams I had 14 midterms and 1 final exam. The final was 60%, I already earned the other 40%. The midterms for the other three courses weighed 25% each. They were made up of multiple choice, true/false and open ended questions. Other There are two easy accessible libraries. The Diana Porter Library and the Davis Centre. There are computers available but they are pretty slow and wipe out everything after ten minutes, so you have to constantly save everything on an USB stick. It is easier to bring your laptop and sit at a study spot. These are really nice for some quiet studying. You can also easily print stuff. Course name: Prereq. Exam Major at BI Approved as Introduction None MC BA (6ECTS) Minor to Human Sexuality SMF 204 Educational PSYCH 101 MC BA (6ECTS) Elective Psychology PSYCH 212 Psychology of PSYCH 101 MC BA (6ECTS) Elective Law PSYCH 230 Couples, None MC/TF/Open BA (6ECTS) Minor Marriage & Family SMF 206.. Tips for the future students: I would definitely recommend a period abroad. It is really a big adventure and you have to do a lot by yourself but in the end you can be proud that you did all these things. When you re abroad, you might feel like you are on your own but you have to realize that there are a lot students going through the same thing. You can always email your host university. It is better to ask than to not know and guess. I would recommend Waterloo University because it is really well organized and there are all kind of things you can do. Canada is a really nice country and the people are always willing to help. In the end everything will be fine and you can look back at a period full of wonderful memories! Contact details: Feel free to ask if you have any questions! Anja Zijlstra a.zijlstra@uvt.nl