Birta is spending this semester in Toronto

By Tina Højrup Kjær, tkh@sdu.dk

At the end of August, Birta Maria Bjarnadóttir travelled to Toronto, Canada, to study abroad for a semester as part of her degree in Economics and Business Administration – Digitalisation and Business Development at the University of Southern Denmark in Kolding. She is experiencing a somewhat different way of being a student in Canada.

- In Denmark, we’re used to having a final exam at the end of each semester. And there’s no compulsory attendance, so in principle you can just sit at home and study and then turn up for the exam and pass. But here there are quizzes every week in every course, and there’s a kind of midterm test you have to take when you’re halfway through the semester, so you’re forced to keep up.

- Attendance is also compulsory in most courses. It’s part of the grade. So if you’ve done well in the semester but you fail the exam, you still have the chance to pass the course. So there’s not the same pressure for exams. If you just keep up and get your stuff done along the way, you have a good chance of passing, says Birta Maria Bjarnadóttir.

Considerations for a semester abroad

The young student has already settled well in Toronto, where she is staying in an Airbnb apartment for the four months she will be in Canada.

- I’ve always thought that I should go on an exchange like this, and I had the opportunity to do it on the BSc I’m taking at SDU in Kolding. I wasn’t so keen on going somewhere in Europe. That was a little too close. You’re often in Europe on summer holidays and so on. So then I just applied to Canada. I’ve always wanted to go to Canada. It was only supposed to be for a few weeks, but now it’ll be four months instead, smiles Birta Maria Bjarnadóttir.

She hasn’t started to miss her friends and family yet – there hasn’t really been time for that. As she says, it might come, but she’s only going to be away for four months and she knows she’ll be home again for Christmas. Right now, she just wants to enjoy her stay.

New experiences are rewarding

In her spare time, Birta goes sightseeing in Toronto, goes out on the town, has coffee with people from her studies, does homework and at the weekends she has rented a car and driven out into nature.

- I can definitely recommend others to go on an exchange. It’s an amazing experience to meet so many new people and to try something new. I was getting a bit fed up with studying after the fourth semester, so it was just the idea of getting away, of not being in a familiar environment and experiencing something completely different. I can definitely recommend it. It also makes you a little more independent. I’ve already moved away from home and live in an apartment in Aarhus, but this is on a slightly different level.

A secure experience

Several things had to fall into place for the eager student before she could leave. For instance, she had to choose courses in Toronto and have them approved by the University of Southern Denmark. She also had to get a visa and find a place to live. The college in Canada has been taking very good care of the 25 exchange students from all parts of the world.

- I got a lot of emails from the college before we arrived here in Canada, with a lot of information about what I needed to be aware of before I came and what I needed to have taken care of. So, a lot of practical information, but it was really nice, and it gave a sense of security.

The college has also arranged for the 25 exchange students to meet each other, have lunch together and have the opportunity to chat with each other and form a group on WhatsApp so they can communicate and make appointments that way. They don’t always meet in the hallways, as Centennial College is one of the largest campuses in Toronto.

- It is very big. I still haven’t figured out where everything is. But luckily, I usually have classes in the same rooms for each course. Sometimes, when I have free time, I walk around a bit, but you can get a bit lost, laughs Birta Maria Bjarnadóttir.