Organization
Organizing the summer school in Halifax is not a problem. After you have filled out the application form , for which you can get a good guide from your website, you will get acceptance pretty smoothly. Then you can register for the desired courses and possibly apply for a place in the dormitory. You always get help , no matter what your questions, not only from your website, but also from Halifax if necessary. In addition, you don’t need an extra visa for a summer school in Canada , so the organization is child’s play .
Accommodation
I stayed in an apartment in the Rice Residence on campus. Here we had a room for two and shared the kitchen and bathroom with another double room (double apartment). That cost around $ 500 a month. Sharing your room with someone you didn’t know before can be difficult, but I was lucky in my case. Of course, you always have to consider whether you “treat yourself” to a single room, but I would definitely make sure that you rent an apartment with a kitchen (all apartments in the Rice Residence and the senior apartments in the Loyola Building). Without a kitchen you are automatically forced to book the university’s “meal plan” and it is damn expensive. It should be noted that the kitchens are not equipped with cutlery / pots, etc. and here, if your roommates don’t have anything, you may have to buy your own things. Pillows, blankets and towels are also not provided! To buy all of this reasonably cheaply, it is worth visiting Walmart on the first day. Unfortunately, I can’t say much about the search for an apartment off campus, but if you are only in Halifax for two months for a summer school, the search here is probably not really worth it.
Finances
Canada is expensive! The tuition fees for a summer school are a little cheaper than in the USA (in Halifax around € 1000 per course), but the cost of living is very high . In addition to the $ 500 for accommodation in the dormitory, you spend at least as much per month. You should then add a little bit of money to travel around and the money for the flight . If you don’t book in a travel agency, it’s worth being creative here. I flew there via Luxembourg and back via London and was able to find relatively cheap flights considering the main travel season.
University
The Halifax campus is one thing above all – international ! It’s really nice how many different cultures meet in Halifax. It should be noted, however, that there really isn’t much going on on campus during the summer school. The sports program is suspended and there are not many events. In addition, the International Department did not organize any events for the participants in the summer school. So you get to know new people either through your roommates or in your courses.
Study / courses
I studied management and took the “Ethical Responsibility of Organizations” course with Steve Foran. I can really recommend it . Steve Foran is a very good lecturer and gives you a lot of new, interesting food for thought . The grade is composed as follows: You write 9 tests during the semester, of which the best 7 tests make up 70% of the overall grade. In addition, you write a kind of “diary”, which makes up 10% of the overall grade. The remaining 20% is earned with the final test. So you are forced to do something for the course every week, but the level of the tests and the entire course is rather easier than the average course at my home university. Regarding the amount of work, I would not recommend doing more than two or a maximum of three courses per summer session. The courses are usually held for three hours two days a week.
Life / travel
Halifax is a great city to study in . There are plenty of pubs and restaurants on the waterfront , and as Halifax has a total of 5 universities , the city is packed with students . One can also recommend the Point Pleasant Park (approx. 5 minutes on foot from the campus). Be sure to rent a car on the weekends and explore the coast. Regardless of which direction you are going , you can actually always be on a beach in 30 minutes . Definitely go to Cape Breton!
