387 reviews
4.33 / 5 based on 387 reviews
Useful |
1
Jessica L
Student life
Describe host city:
Student life dominates the city
Read more >
Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Great nightspots include Cafe Campus on Tuesdays and Balroom on Thursdays. You'll find this is the place that HEC Students go to on these nights.
A great brunch spot is L'avenue - going there is a must!
Read more >
Useful |
7
Jessica L
Overall
I wish I had known...
Not to go with GIA-Gestion. My accommodation put a real damper into my exchange experience. Living alone with your landlord, and far away from other people, is not fun at all.
Read more >
In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
HEC Montreal is a great business school. Exchange students are particularly lucky because the exchange committee (HEChange) dedicate their semester to arrange event after event for exchange students. They organise two trips throughout the semester, 2-3 parties each week, 10 days of activities during their welcoming week, and an end-of-semester gala where students get the opportunity to dress up in more formal clothing. No other institution has such a dedicated team!
Read more >
During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
You'll find you spend a lot in the first month but that is normal. Still, watch your spending. Try not to eat out too much (as food here is not cheap), cook at home with your housemates to save money, and when eating out, watch your tipping - the general rule is to tip the around same amount as tax.
Read more >
Useful |
2
Jessica L
Housing
Type of housing: With a family
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
I would have preferred to have found accommodation on my own as the school provides assistance to help exchange students find housing together. This is MUCH cheaper, and also guarantees you will live with other students.
Read more >
Personal comments
Housing I received was provided by GIA-Gestion. It is a company recommended by HEC Montreal, however, it is overpriced and usually offers mediocre housing. My housing was very expensive, and not only was I told I'd be living with my male landlord (I am a female undergraduate), living with one person turned into living with 3 as sometimes his girlfriend, his girlfriend's son and his own son would stay over too. I paid a lot for something bad and got something worse.
Read more >
Useful |
1
Jessica L
Academic
Course recommendations
You'll find the english courses are dominated by exchange students, and are also easier than their French counterpart.
Read more >
My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Go to all your classes. You'll find the teachers will drop strong hints on what they'll include in their exams which will minimise your study hours and make studying more efficient.
Read more >
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Useful |
1
Jessica L
Languages
Language of instruction: French
Was learning French a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your French?
My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
You'll be able to get by speaking english, and there is the opportunity to learn French too. Just make sure you enrol early!
Read more >
Useful |
1
Jessica L
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Personal savings
Other sources of funding:
Government assistance
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
Housing with GIA-Gestion was expensive, and as I lived with no other students, I would incur expenses solely on my own (whereas in a shared house you can split some groceries, cab rides home etc)
However, Montreal is not a cheap city to live in either.
Read more >
Food, Housing, Nightlife, Travel, Overall:
was more expensive than at home.
Telephone:
was the same price as at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
GIA-Gestion claim to operate at no profit, however, you'll find the same landlords who rent through GIA will offer the same properties on the regular market for much, much cheaper. If you do a bit of research, along with the housing assistance that HEC offer, you'll be able to find the same, if not better accommodation at much cheaper prices. You'll also get the guarantee of living with other students, saving on household expenses and having a much better home life.
Read more >
en
Español
Français