University of Toronto

The accomodations were great. I chose to live at the co-ed building and it was the best choice. The female one was the further away...........not only that but they didn't have their own cooking or laundry facilities. ALL we had to do was go downstairs!

We really liked going down to the Old city and hanging around. Anything from going down to the pier to hanging out on the boardwalk in front of the Chateau Frontenac. Although, I never went there is this club on the Grande Allee which is really popular: Chez Dagobert. There are some excellent places to eat in Quebec. Be warned that eating here is an experience. It's not uncommon to spend 3 hours in a restaurant! Also, get the table d'hote. These are set menus and they seem a bit more expensive but they are totally worth it. Also, QC is definitely a city of festivals. There is always something going on!!! During the summer there is the Festival d'ete. They have open air concerts and stuff. You pay $8 and that gets you into anything!!! They get good acts too......while we were there they had Zebda (they are a French group that had the #1 song in the city at the time) and Great Big Sea. The festivals are loads of fun and a really inexpensive way to have a good time!!

I think it's really important to keep up the language when you return. You pick up a lot while you're there. But you need to practice! It's tough 'cause you are no longer living in the language. Oh and I should note that the school has a STRICT rule about ONLY speaking French while you are there. In fact, they reserve the right to kick you out of the program if you are caught speaking another language. This is good if you are more advanced but sucks if you are basic. I know a whole bunch of people who went on a trip and they were all very basic beginners. They totally got yelled at for speaking English!! But really.........if they spoke only French their conversations would have consisted of "Hello, my name is......." or "I am good....." and stuff like that. BTW, there are a TON of students from Mexico so Spanish is pretty rampant. In the residences you are pretty much free to speak whatever language you choose. I have to admit we spoke a combination of English-French-Spanish with each other.

Food can get expensive. I highly suggest cooking if you live on campus! Having said that don't neglect eating out -- a lot of restaurants are fabulous. Oh and there is a bank right on campus so that was completely easy to take care of. I would, however, say that there was limited access to the internet -- which was dissapointing.

The very first time I went to Quebec City I thought to myself..........Wow! I want to live here one day. It's that sort of place. If you go there is NO way you will regret it. Take my recommendation and live on campus. Also, IF you are a Canadian student you have the opportunity to obtain a bursary from the Canadian Government. You can apply through the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada. They pay for your tuition, your books, and your housing........on top of that you receive a subsidy of $500 for the 5 weeks that you are there. Also, a lot of the excursions that the University offers are subsidised. It's a fantastic opportunity! I would suggest that you take a chance and go for it! :o)