Experience report
ANR: 395203
Name: Iris Schoormans
E-mail: Irisschoormans@gmail.com
Exchange semester: Fall
Academic year: 2014
Host University: HEC Montreal
Country: Canada
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
How was your arrival organized? Did someone pick you up from the airport/station? Was an
orientation or introduction activity organized? How was accommodation organized? Does the
university provide you with accommodation? What kind of accommodation does the university
provide? Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a place
to live after you arrived?
Nobody picked me up from the airport, but there was a possibility on a few days that you had
arrival pick up. Because I went to New York and Washington DC before coming to Montreal, I
was already earlier in Montreal. HEC Montreal has a committee HEChange who organizes
everything for you, from the airport pick-up until the very last day of your semester. They are
amazing, they organized so many parties, trips and a lot more.
When I arrived in Montreal I was already renting a room through getyourplace.ca They are an
organization who have a lot of different houses in Montreal, all with the possibility to just rent
it for five months. The rooms are a bit more expensive then when you would search for a place
in Montreal by yourself. I preferred the convenience so I didn’t mind to pay a bit more.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
Please describe the city you lived in. Where is the university located in the city? What is the best
place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? What are interesting things to see and do in your host
city? What was different than in Tilburg?
The University is located to the West of the city, but really easily reachable by metro or bus.
From almost everywhere you can get easily at the HEC. For living in Montreal is the
neighborhood Le Plateau the best. Most of the bars, cafes and stuff to do is in Le Plateau. Also
most of the other exchange students are living over there. It will be a bit more expensive to
live in Plateau than near by the university. From plateau to the University it will take 15-25min,
depends on where you are living in Plateau. Downtown Montreal, is the more business and
malls. It is nice to go there for shopping. The most nice bars are at Saint-Denis. And definitely
worth visiting is Mount-Royal. From the top you can see the whole view of Montreal. Also
beauty for breakfast at Saint-Urbain Street is a must go.
It is different in Tilburg than the city is much bigger and it takes you way more time to get
somewhere. Also you need to take the bus or metro instead of your bike.
TOPIC: Academics
Which courses did you take and why? Which courses would you recommend? What did the courses
add to your program at Tilburg University? How does the university compare to Tilburg University
concerning the level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English, workload, etc.? Overall,
were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange? Please describe the
campus of your host university.
I took Management Skills (the best one, definitely take it). If you are interested in management
or becoming a manager. It was a really useful course and really fun teacher. Marketing
Management, it was a nice course but it had a lot of common with Marketing courses I
followed already in Tilburg. There was one group project, but that’s with almost every course
in Montreal. I took International Management, really interesting if you are interested in
international business. All the pros and cons organizations have to make about going abroad
are discussed in this course. And I followed Organization Behaviour, also really interesting but
maybe a bit more psychological than economical. It was the most toughest course because it
had a lot of different models and only a midterm and final exam. The level of courses is a little
bit less than in Tilburg, but because you have a lot of things to do like reading papers, making
group projects it takes some more time during the semester. But this makes it easier to pass it
in the end. HEC Montreal is part of University of Montreal and has just two buildings close to
each other. It is really nice once you know where everything is located, but it is easy to find
you way.
TOPIC: Social life
Which social activities organized by the university or students? Did you have contact with local
students? Did you have contact with other exchange students? How did you get along with the local
students and other exchange students? Did you travel to other places/countries during your
exchange?
I had contacts with local students because I rowed in Montreal at the Montreal rowing club.
They were students from different Universities but it was really nice to meet some Canadian
people as well. Normally when you are on exchange you stick with the people who are on
exchange as well, and when you are leaving you realizing you didn't even met any local
person.
HEChange organized different trips to Ottawa, Quebec, Bosten etc. It is really well organized
and easy to go with a lot of friends. So definitely worth going.
I travelled a lot because I thought this is a lifetime opportunity but of course this makes the
semester way more expensive. I went to New York and Washington D.C. before I went to
Montreal. During the semester I visited Ottawa, Quebec, Cuba, Mont-Tremblant, Toronto,
Niagra Falls and Boston.
TOPIC: Living costs
How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg University?
What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? What did you spend most of your
money on? What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Please outline your
approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange: housing, food, textbooks, etc.
I financed my exchange by a loan from my grandparents and also the maximum loan from the
government. Living in Canada is way more expensive than living in the Netherlands. Before
leaving to Canada I though I had a good vision of what I would spend, but now when I’m back I
realize I spend way more money then I thought. Because with all the trips you have to eat
somewhere else and visiting a lot of things is also expensive. But I think it was definitely worth
it because it was the most and best experiences I ever had. So in intelligence and personal
development it made me a lot more richer. For me it was worth spending so much money and
saw so many places in the world.
Monthly budget:
Rent: 650 CAD
Food: 300 CAD
Small things (going out etc.)/ extra’s: 300 CAD
Rowing: 100 CAD
Trips all the semester: 3500 CAD
TOPIC: Culture
Did you experience culture shock while on exchange? How would you compare your host culture to
your own culture? What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange? What was different
about your host culture than you expected? What did you like and not like about your host culture? Do
you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to learn more? How
would you describe your host countries culture? If you travelled to other cities/countries during your
exchange, were they different than your host city/country, and how?
I didn’t have a culture shock. Canadian people are way more friendly and open than Dutch
people. It is really nice and it makes you way more open to them. The only thing I had to learn
was French, everybody in Montreal is bilingual or almost everybody. But most of the time all
the signs, boards, menus is in French, although an English version is there as well. Everybody
starts talking to you in French as well, but you get easily used to it.
TOPIC: Personal development
What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange? Would you do things differently if
you had the chance, and what would you do differently? What was your best experience, and what
was your worst experience? What will you remember for ever about your exchange period? What was
the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange period?
I learned a lot and had a lot of different experiences throughout my semester. It made me wiser
and open to other people. Less judging on the first thoughts and there are more ways to
accomplish something. It was a real eye-opener and I definitely recommend an exchange to
everybody. You have to experience it by yourself before you really know and get what are
people meant.
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Would you recommend an exchange period? Would you recommend your host university? What
should prospective students bring with them/leave behind? What preparation is required for going on
exchange to this destination? Was there anything you should have done in preparation that you didn’t
do?
I would definitely recommend an exchange and for sure in Montreal. It is on the 8th place of
worlds best students cities, do I need to say more to convince you that Montreal is the best?!
TOPIC: A picture is worth a thousand words
If you took any pictures or made any videos that you would like to share with future exchange
students, please include them (or e-mail them separately). Pictures that show your daily life or
symbolize your exchange period are especially interesting for future exchange students.