Field of study in Wageningen: BSc Nutrition and Health
Study period exchange: 04/01/2024 – 30/04/2024
Country (exchange): Canada
City (exchange): Edmonton
University (exchange): University of Alberta
Faculty (exchange): Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences
2. Motivation for exchange
Why did you choose to go on study exchange?
When I chose my study in Wageningen I already was very interested in the opportunity to go on exchange. I thought of it as a once in a lifetime opportunity, which I really wanted to experience. I also was really curious about what university would be like in another country and to experience the cultural differences between countries and to meet many people from all over the world!
What is the reason you chose for this country?
I really wanted to experience something entirely different than the Netherlands. I started exploring the possible exchange locations and from the start Canada really appealed to me. I was interested to explore the beautiful nature of Canada and I thought Canada would be a beautiful country to explore.
What is the reason you chose for this university?
When I decided that I wanted to go to Canada, there were a few cities that I could choose from. I compared the courses that every university offered and I decided that I was most interested in the courses that were offered at the University of Alberta, so I decided to go there.
3. Accessibility to reach destination
You have to go there by plane. There’s a direct flight going from Amsterdam, which is pretty convenient. You could arrange a free taxi service from the airport to your university building where you are staying. You could do this via the site of the university, this was really helpful, because when you land there you have no idea where to go, so a free taxi is always welcome :).
4. University and studying
Could you provide some general information about the followed courses?
What is it like to study there?
Studying in Canada is a bit different from studying in Wageningen. For example, there were not that many compulsory hours that you have to be at the university. I had a lot more free time during the semester, which made that I could plan my own hours better and study whenever I wanted to. Next to that it differs for each course how the course is thought. Two of my courses were thought only by lectures and assignments. The other two courses were a combination of lectures and presentations, so they required a bit more participation during the class.
What is the culture of the university?
It was kinda hard to make contact with the local students. All the courses I was following were courses for third or fourth year students. This made that all the students already had their group of friends and sat with their friends. I also was the only exchange student in the courses I followed, which made it hard to connect with people during the courses.
What does the university offer the student additionally?
The university offers a lot of facilities. There are multiple sports facilities that you can use all around the campus. There’s also a dining room at the campus where you could eat a meal for a relatively low price if you don’t feel like cooking yourself. All housing buildings offered a laundry facility. Next to that my housing building also offered a private gym.
5. Housing-travelling-living
What are the possibilities for housing?
You can sign up via the website of the university to get a room on campus. You can give a top three of houses you prefer. You could choose between Nipisiy House, International House and HUB. In International House you have a room with a private bathroom and you share the kitchen with other international students. In Nipisiy House and HUB you live together in a 4 or 6 room. You share a bathroom with one other student and you share the kitchen with all other students in your house. The rent is a bit more expensive than in Wageningen, but it depends on which house you choose. The rent varied between 700-900 euros a month.
What is the culture of the country like?
The culture was a lot different compared to home. In Wageningen most of the time a ate together with my friends or roommates. In Canada, a lot of people are more on their own and are a more individual orientated. Another difference that I experienced, was that Dutch people really like to plan everything in advance, whereas Canadian people, or people from anywhere else on the world have this a lot less. They see what the day brings and make many spontaneous plans. This was an adjustment for me at first, but later on I got more used to it.
Could you give some information about public transport infrastructure?
You pay for public transport via the university. This is compulsory, but then you do have unlimited public transport for the whole semester. The public transport in Edmonton works fine and you can get to a lot of places with public transport, but the distances are way bigger than in Wageningen. I had a room at nipisiy house, which was located on campus. It took a 15 minute walk to get to my classes, but it does depend on where you’re classes are taking place.
6. Expenses
Can you give an indication of your expenses for/during your exchange? 
How were the price levels in general in comparison to the Netherlands?
Eating out was less expensive, because of the exchange rate (1 CAD = 0.69 eu). Housing was more expensive than in the Netherlands. In general most expenses were the same.
Additional remarks regarding expenses?
Save enough money so that you don’t have to worry about spending money during your exchange and you can do a lot of fun things when you’re there!
7. Free time
What are must-sees in the area?
You should definitely go to the rocky mountains! Jasper and Banff are both beautiful and there are a lot of fun hikes you could do. You could also ski there in the winter, which I did in both Jasper and Banff. It’s best to go there by car, because it is a four hour drive. If you share the car with friends, it is not that expensive either. You could go to either Banff or jasper for the weekend. It is not hard to plan it last minute, because most of the time there is still enough availability for places to sleep (especially in the beginning of the year, when it’s not that busy yet).
What does not appear in the travel guide, but is worth seeing/doing?
Definitely check out Deweys pub on the campus. They have their weekly activities, like a pub quiz or Trivia. I went there every Wednesday for karaoke with my friends. Ice skating in Victoria park is also really nice. I bought some cheap second hand ice skates, which I used several times to ice skate. Another tip is to stay at Canmore when you’re going to Banff. It is a small town just outside the national park, but it is way more cheaper to stay there than in Banff and especially if you have a car, it is only a 30 minute drive longer in the morning.
7. Challenges & best moment abroad
Any challenges? How did you deal with them?
The hardest part of my exchange was for sure the first weeks. I was the only exchange student for wur so I didn’t know anyone when I first came there. I needed to figure out everything by myself the first weeks, which was challenging. I did have 5 roommates, but they all were really individual and I didn’t have a lot of contact with them, which made it a bit hard in the beginning. Luckily I met some nice people, who quickly became my friends. After the first few weeks everything became a lot easier to handle.
Best memory?
I have made a lot of memories during my exchange. If I have to choose a best memory I think it will be the trip to Banff with my friends. It was after the first month, so I just started to get to know everyone. We were with a group of 11 and we drove there on Friday night. We got up really early on Saturday to be the first at lake louise, where we did some ice skating. After that we went to do a hike in the snow and when we arrived at the top, we had a great view. The next day we explored Canmore a bit (where we stayed) and we drove back to Edmonton.
8. Contact Details
Would you like to ask Nathalie more questions about her exchange?
Send her a mail: Nathalie.vankessel@wur.nl