Skip to Content (Press Enter)

Molly Elliott

Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts (Politics and International Relations)

Exchange @ Universityof New Brunswick, Canada

Your host university

  • Accommodation (McLeod House)

    • Designed for exchange and international students so there are lots of different people.

    • Large residence, with majority single rooms (which means you do not have a roommate).

    • Small rooms, but liveable.

    • Meal hall in residence.

    • Very fun house to live in as it is where most of the exchange students live.

  • Libraries

    • There are multiple libraries!

    • The main library is very large with some great study spaces – including a café (which sells Starbucks) and a small lounge area with a fireplace.

    • The law library is especially nice – very quiet place to study and it is nice to have a whole building!

  • Food

    • Meal hall food is not great, however they always have a salad bar and fresh fruit available.

    • There are also a number of cafes on campus – including Starbucks coffee, Tim Hortons (a Canadian staple), and a general store.

    • Also, eating in a “meal hall” is an experience in itself.

  • Campus Life/Activities

    • If you are keen to be involved each faculty has plenty of activities (events, clubs, etc) that everyone is welcome to join.

    • Residence houses also have activities and events (e.g. a Glee competition fundraiser, inter-house sports, etc).

    • There is a FANTASTIC gym on campus, membership to which is included in fees.

    • There is a bar and club located on campus.

    • There are varsity games to go and watch (e.g. ice hockey, basketball, soccer).

    • There is also a BMO Bank located on campus.

Studying in your host university

  • Class structure is very different to JCU.

  • I did not have any tutorials, instead I had two one and a half hour lectures per subject per week OR one three hour lecture per week.

  • For my law subjects professors expected students to be more prepared for lectures (i.e. to have completed all of the required readings), however there where never any questions to prepare).

  • My political science subjects were much less theory based than they are at JCU.

  • Class assessment was also very different – each subject had different types of assessment to what I was used to.

  • I enjoyed all of these differences though! It was nice to mix things up!

  • Little things took a while to get used to though – e.g. professors would ask for a paper to be X pages long, rather than X words long.

  • UNB Law faculty is very small (similar to JCU) so professors get to know your name and are willing to spend time with you to help you understand – especially as an exchange student!

Living in your host country

  • Canada is cheaper than Australia, especially on the east coast (however, there minimum wage is much lower).

  • Tax is NOT included in price tags and you must always tip taxi drivers, waiters, etc.

  • Lifestyle is very similar to Australia in terms of having a strong sports culture and love of the outdoors.

  • There are great travel opportunities from New Brunswick

    • E.g. Nova Scotia is a short drive.

    • E.g. Boston and New York are relatively close and are good options for breaks.

    • Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, and Toronto are easily accessible also.

  • People are incredibly friendly!

  • I made a ridiculous number of amazing friends from all over the world, and also many from Canada.

What were the most rewarding aspects of your exchange experience?

  • The amazing people I met.

  • Getting the opportunity to study subjects that are not available at JCU.

  • Studying from a different perspective (i.e. the focus is everything Canadian, rather than Australian).

  • Being independent.

  • Living on-campus and experiencing student-life in a different country.

  • The opportunity to combine my love of travel with my studies.

Did you experience any difficulties?

  • There are always little things that are different, however there was nothing that I couldn’t easily figure out.

  • Plus everyone was willing to help.

What advice would you give to a JCU student going to your host university?

  • Live on-campus – it is the only way to truly appreciate everything UNB has to offer.

  • If you go in winter be prepared to freeze, but enjoy all of the winter activities that are available (e.g. there is a mountain nearby for skiing, and sitting by a fire drinking hot chocolates with new friends is a must).

  • Be prepared to be exposed to many different cultures – UNB has a lot of international students from all over the world (I lived with and/or had classes with people from Sweden, the UK, Mexico, Egypt, Israel, India, South Korea, Malaysia, the USA, and China).

  • I can’t imagine having gone anywhere else for my exchange. I made lifelong friends and shared with them some of the most amazing experiences of my life so far.

Harriet Irving Library.

Law Trivia Night at The Cellar (UNB’s Pub).

Sunrise from my room. This is the view I had from my room and there were many a beautiful mornings like this! My room looked out over the campus and on a clear day I could see all the way downtown across the river.

Sunrise from my room. This is the view I had from my room and there were many a beautiful mornings like this! My room looked out over the campus and on a clear day I could see all the way downtown across the river.

McLeod House 2012. This photo was taken at the McLeod House Formal, which is held annually in February. It was held at a hotel downtown and was a great night! Everyone was dressed up and we sat down to a lovely dinner before dancing the night away.