Western University

Please note: these tips have been provided by students who have studied abroad in Canada - Global Opportunities recommends that you use these as a guide only and do your own research on what is best for you.

Money and Banking: 

• Canadian Bank account and also an International travel card 

• It is absolutely a good idea to open a bank account in your host country to prevent losing money through fees for spending money abroad. For Canada specifically, Scotiabank is perhaps the best option due to the unique advantages they give to international students such as no monthly charges (which is a standard for most banks) 

• I got a Monzo account before I left for Canada, which doesn't charge any fees for international transactions, so I could basically just use it as a normal bank account. It also registered on most Canadian tills as a credit card which was useful as some places in Canada don't take debit. Overall I found this worked really well and I didn't regret not setting up a Canadian bank account. 

Staying Connected: 

• EE let contract users pay extra to use their minutes and data while abroad 

• I didn't buy a new phone or SIM card because my current SIM allowed me to use data roaming in Canada without extra charges. It is definitely a good idea to either get a new SIM in the UK that provides this (O2 is a good option), or to get a new SIM in your host country because otherwise you would either be unable to use mobile data, or the charges will mount up quickly. Getting a Canadian SIM may actually be the better option because it was often inconvenient or impossible to input a British phone number whenever needed to. 

• I got a new SIM card once I arrived in Canada from the phone shop on campus in the Student Nest, which I mostly used for data. It was easy to set up and cancel. 

Food: 

• I'm not sure if I have a favourite place because I made a conscious effort to mix up where I would order food from. Vancouver is a very diverse city so a wide variety of food options are available with Japanese and Chinese food especially good, but other food like Indian or South-East Asian cuisine are also widely available. That's not to mention Canadian food like poutine which is also widely available (and very tasty). In terms of standards like pizza, Uncle Fatih's is perhaps the best option on campus, while A&W is a good standard fast food chain which also offer their own root beer, which led to me developing a taste for it and missing it since returning. (UBC)

• I couldn't pick just one food place, Vancouver has so many! There's something for everyone and so many different cuisines. For food shopping, No Frills is the cheapest option but might not have everything in stock, and Safeway is a little more expensive but has a selection more like your average Tesco. Both are reachable by bus. There's also a save on foods on campus, which you can walk or get the bus to, which again has a wide selection but is very expensive. (UBCV)

• On campus: Aroma cafe, but downtown the best restaurant by far was Sugo, a small Italian restaurant that I miss more than anything else.  (YorkU, Toronto)

• Loblaws Supermarket for groceries & Freshii for healthy take out salad bowls (UWO) 

Paperwork and bureaucracy: 

• This is something which is best to deal with as soon as possible to keep it off your mind and allow you to fully enjoy your time. Keeping a list of what you need to do and when. is of course a great idea. I found a good thing to do was to do and prepare as much paperwork as possible before leaving. It is also a good idea to set a day where you will deal with as much as possible during the summer. A lot of paperwork is needed for your Study Permit application for example and it can be quite time consuming, so setting aside a day to just sort it out is not a bad idea. 

• UBC was pretty helpful in giving us checklists of everything that we needed to do. I applied for my student permit and went to give my bio-metrics before leaving for Canada and made sure to have all the possible documents that I might need for immigration. The process was pretty easy once I arrived to get my student permit, it just involved a long queue at the airport! Once arriving, the most important thing is to register for the healthcare system to ensure you'll be covered appropriately. We were given talks about this on imagine day, which gave exchange students an introduction to life at UBC, so it was clear what we needed to do. 

What I wished I'd known...: 

• It will not always be loads of fun and not every day will be like a coming of age movie. I had some of the best days of my life in Canada and I met wonderful people but I also had some of the worst days. Without the mental health services offered at the university I might have come home early. I wish I had known that I would have such low points so I didn't feel so guilty about not enjoying every single minute. 

• The pandemic is obviously top of the list for this year, but I do think it links to other things in general that I wished I had known. That being, do not wait to try out new experiences or to visit certain places. While most years probably won't be interrupted early in such a way, it is nevertheless a good idea to seize the moment because this may be a once in a lifetime experience. I would tell my past self that if I'm ever on the fence if I want to go out and do something on one day to just do it and don't put things off until later.

• For Vancouver specifically, it is amazing city that I would recommend to anyone but I do wish I had realised just how much it rained there. I had been told it rained a lot, but that doesn't prepare you for a solid month of almost none-stop heavy rain as was seen this winter. Linked to my previous point, it is a good idea to seize the opportunity to do weather dependent activities during the first few months before the rainy season begins in late October. 

• I would probably say not to put too many expectations on the first few weeks; it might take a little while to find your closest friends and feel like you've really settled in but it will happen! Personally I'm so glad I went on the exchange club trip organised early in the term as it really helped me to get to know the people that would become my best friends from exchange.