Hedvig Berntson – Events Management – Level 3
Brock University, Canada
It is crazy to sit here and write about my experience as time has passed by so fast and it’s been a real adventure. However, that I decided to do my exchange at Brock University, Ontario Canada, is by far one of the best decisions I have ever made. For me, Canada has never been a ‘top first country’ to visit, but after being here for more than nine weeks I strongly recommend it!
Brock Uni is considered a medium size university here in Canada, although it is approximately four times as big as QMU. However, it does not feel that big as everyone is really friendly and you can still make a connection with your professors. I really feel the engagement from the professors as they are very helpful and professional. I’m not going to lie, the student structure is very different and it took me a while to get used to it - at QMU, it is more independently-driven work, and with the final exam being worth more than half of the coursework in percentage, it makes it busy during the week.
At Brock however, you have to keep up with the work every week as the different assignments are divided into different percentages. For example, in one of my more difficult courses, there is no final exam, instead the participation is 30% which means that you have to be active in class, show that you are prepared and have something to contribute with. Personally, I think this system is really good as it helps you to speak up and is probably better for my confidence in the long-term.
Brock is a good university and the people here are very helpful and nice, but personally the area that Brock is located is not my favourite. It’s called St. Catharine’s, and it is really small and quite rough. However, St. Catharine’s is about 1.5 hours by bus to Toronto, and I absolutely love Toronto. One of my new friends here and I are planning to do an internship as we both feel that we want to come back. Also, St Catharine’s is part of Niagara region, and Niagara region is famous for their vineyards and beautiful nature, which I strongly agree with.
I’m really happy that I got the opportunity to do this exchange, making friendships for life and being able to explore this beautiful country. Me and some German friends went on a road trip on reading week (I actually thought reading week was meant for reading, but no). We started in the capital, Ottawa, Montreal and then Quebec City. The French part of Canada is very different compared to Ontario, it almost feels like two different countries!
Before coming here, I never thought that I would go to so many different sports that I have, as its never been my interest. But I guess you adopt to the culture and it turned out that I really enjoy it!
Thank you Brock and QMU for giving students this chance to meet people from all around the world and make memories for life. Now it’s time to go back to Sweden for Christmas. I will miss this very much and do not regret it for a second. I'm also ready for my final semester back in beautiful Edinburgh!
