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choice of uni's abroad for an exchange

Hey guys i'm currently an undergrad at a UK university. I have the option of going on an exchange next year for a semester. The unis that i can go to are

1) University of British Columbia
2)McGill University
3)University of Virginia
4)University of Melbourne

could you guys help me out in deciding...i'm kinda leaning towards melbourne because i want to go to australia...or am i making the wrong choice??!!! your help would be appreciated! :confused:

Reply 1

hobnob

14

Well, for one thing, what exactly do you want to get out of that term? I don't think people will be able to tell you whether you're making the wrong choice unless you specify what criteria you'll be basing your choice on...

Reply 2

brwnz

OP

a life changing experience...a fun place to go aswell as something totally different from the UK and also has to be a good uni and has a nice friendly environment

Reply 3

forpolarbears

17

They are all really good schools, it just depends on what you are looking for.

I personally love UBC, but have heard good things about UVA and McGill.

Reply 4

brwnz

OP

is UVA well known? and can anyone give me pros and cons of goin to melbourne?why does everyone love UBC?

Reply 5

Strayin

The university of Melbourne is regarded as one of Australia's top university, depending on which ranking you look at, it is the top university. One factor you might want to take into account when thinking about Melbourne, it's weather sometimes changes ridicously quickly. I myself experienced a temperature change of about 10 degrees in only a few days while I was there on a short vacation...

Reply 6

brwnz

OP

yeah i've heard 'four seasons in one day' i wish i was able to transfer to queensland! is the city upbeat or is it quite 'country' for someone coming from london?

Reply 7

brwnz

OP

o and btw i know everyone says the weather changes a lot...but how often is a lot?

Reply 8

Ink

12

I already wrote something in the US study forum about UVA and it sounds nice, but I don't know anyone who goes there.

4 really good friends of mine go to UBC for different subjects (child developmental psychology, erm...medicine?, another science, and engineering) and all of them love it, even though they hang out in different circles doing different things.

If you have any specific questions, I can probably ask them.

That said, Canada might not be the place to go if you're longing for Melbourne weather. While the temperatures in Vancouver are more moderate than that in most of Canada (it rarely snows, for example) and it is really pretty in Southern BC, it rains allll the time and it's definitely not going to be as warm as Australia.

I can't speak for the other unis though.

Reply 9

brwnz

OP

I've been to Canada twice, both times i went to toronto and it was lovely...but i would like to go somewhere where the weather will be good..vancouver looks amazing but if it rains that oftern its really going to put me off ..the uk had enough of it!!!!

Reply 10

arod

5

You don't mention which subject you're taking - you may want to take this into consideration when picking the exchange uni....
Are the uni schedules for Australia the same as UK unis?
I know that the school schedules are totally different e.g. Australia starts the school yr in Jan - not Sept.
Are you just going for a term? Or a whole yr?
Do you care how far away you are??
Vancouver - London is only 8 hr flight. To Aus it's way longer!

UBC has an international reputation for science, and if you are a skier or snowboarder - this is the place to be! Whistler is just north of Vancouver and so far this winter has 9 m of snow! The city is very cosmopolitian. Beautiful since it's right on the ocean with views of mountains from the University. And Vancouver can in fact be quite warm in the summer - wreck beach is a nudist beach near the campus.

McGill is in the French speaking part of Canada - so a very different flavour. Here bars stay open REALLY late - so if partying is your thing Monteal is quite the place! Academically McGill is also very good.

Lots of things to think about..The international offices in the Canadian uni's are very helpful - call or email them and they'll tell you all about the place

Reply 11

Strayin

brwnz

yeah i've heard 'four seasons in one day' i wish i was able to transfer to queensland! is the city upbeat or is it quite 'country' for someone coming from london?

I cannot really answer this question. I have been to London, but that has only been for a few hours. But from what I remember, London is really busy. Don't expect anything like that from Melbourne. The only very busy place with a lot of tourists is Sydney. One thing is certain about Australia: the lifestyle is more laid- back. Of course there are busy places in Australia's major cities, however it is not the same 'feeling'. I can't tell you about the nightlife in Melbourne as I was too young to go clubbing when I visited it. But with a big uni and 3 million people living there, I'd imagine there is a decent night life.
I agree, Queensland is the way to go. I loved Brisbane and as far as I know two of the universities there have a pretty good reputation.

Reply 12

brwnz

OP

thanks guys that really helped! and to answer arods questions...im studying maths, i'm not too bothered how far im going as its only for a semester...and these exchanges are arranged by the uni to fit in with your course,so when the academic year starts should't be a problem

Reply 13

arod

5

Ah, then I think you'd have a great time anywhere you go..
Just be sure that it's summer in Aus if you pick Melbourne and not winter!
I was there on a student exchange when I was 16 and July and Aug are pretty cold - they don't seem to heat their houses over there!! I nearly froze indoors and I'm from Canada so I thought I'd be used to the cold! Ended up wearing all of my clothes to bed at night since they either didn't have heating or just didn't turn it on. Might be 18C in the day, but it'd go down to 3C at night... Brrrr

Reply 14

esp151

UVA and McGill are the two best unis on that list. McGill is slightly more hippy, free-spirit, and UVA is slightly more southern belle, girls wearing skirts and pearls-esque.

Obviously there are exceptions, but those are two basic generalizations.

Reply 15

swedishboy

brwnz

Hey guys i'm currently an undergrad at a UK university. I have the option of going on an exchange next year for a semester. The unis that i can go to are

1) University of British Columbia
2)McGill University
3)University of Virginia
4)University of Melbourne

could you guys help me out in deciding...i'm kinda leaning towards melbourne because i want to go to australia...or am i making the wrong choice??!!! your help would be appreciated! :confused:

I would say the university of Virginia, its got a beautiful campus!!! and a great rep. McGill also but Montreal is freaking cold !!!