Moving to a new city – or country – to study is an educational experience in and of itself. We asked three students who came to ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ from another country or province – Pavithran, Lindsey and Annika – about their experiences, and what advice they might give new arrivals. Here is what Lindsey Kamienik, a fourth-year student from Pittsburgh, told us:
Where are you from and why did you choose to study at ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ?
I am originally from Pittsburgh, in the United States. This will be my fourth year at ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ, where I am pursuing an honours cognitive science degree. What attracted me was how internationally reputable the ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ degree is, as well as the university’s phenomenal location.
Montreal is such an ideal city for students. It offers a vibrant, multicultural environment and immense safety.
Having spent my entire life in the United States, I wanted the experience of moving to a new country while getting a world-class education. Where I am from, it is extremely common to go to the local university or a state school. I was only one of three students from my graduating high school class to leave the state of Pennsylvania. I was the only one to leave the United States.
What were your first impressions of Montreal and of the campus? Was anything surprising to you?
Due to the pandemic and border closings, I wasn’t able to visit the campus prior to accepting my admission offer. Once I arrived at the beginning of my first year, I instantly fell in love with the greenspace and architecture. With Mount Royal right in our backyard, the campus truly looks like it belongs on a postcard, especially during the fall semester, when the leaves start changing colour.
I was a bit surprised by how ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ’s downtown campus still has a community-campus feel, even though it’s in the heart of Montreal.
What was the hardest thing to adjust to here? What turned out to be easier than expected?
International students often put pressure on themselves to try to feel at home as soon as they land, and do not give themselves time to adjust to their new environment. I was conscious of going through an adjustment period that included pushing myself outside my comfort zone. This allowed me to develop maturity and confidence. Now, I feel I can live anywhere in the world. I no longer am held back by how daunting moving to a new place might seem; I spent five months in Scotland on exchange.
What was easier than expected was how quickly Montreal started to feel like home. I love exploring different neighbourhoods, study spaces, libraries and cafés. I spent weekends going all over the city. This allowed me to become quite good at navigating the public transit system and improve my conversational French skills.
How do you find the food in Montreal? Is it easy to get the ingredients you need to make recipes from home?
Montreal’s food scene is a culinary melting pot, with cuisines from around the world. Quebec is known for smoked meat and poutine, which have become a bit of a cliché but are absolutely delicious when combined. I have tried Greek, Korean, Peruvian, Thai, Mediterranean and Portuguese foods here, just to name a few. Living next to campus, I have three large grocery stores within a five-to-10-minute walk but also can go to nearby specialty markets for more authentic ingredients.
Has it been easy to get involved on campus and to meet other students?
I am introverted and was worried about making friends. I knew no one before coming to ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ. Once here, I realized that there are many opportunities to meet people through FROSH, residence, extracurricular clubs and in lectures.
I found the vast majority of my friends through clubs! I joined the ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ Model UN Travelling Delegation team and met 50 wonderful individuals with whom I shared many interests. We also bonded by travelling to conferences together. ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ has 250+ clubs, so there is definitely something for everyone.
Also, Canadians live up to their stereotype of being friendly, and that extends to ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ! I’ve made friends simply by asking someone to hike up Mount Royal or to go to Jean-Talon Market with me. One of the things that sets ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ apart is how international our student body is. I have made friends with and learned from individuals from various cultural backgrounds.
What advice would you have for someone newly arrived at ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ from elsewhere?
Become involved and reach out to older ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ students to learn from them and to chat about all of the services and opportunities ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ offers to support students.
For instance, the ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ Writing Centre offers seven hours per semester of free one-on-one writing support. Especially if English is not your first language, having a master's or PhD student read your paper is a great way to check that it makes sense.
Additionally, International Student Services hosts events all year long.
There are also a great many research, exchange and field study opportunities students can take advantage of during their time at ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵ.