Regardless of how well you know the Canadian education system, there are things that you absolutely must know before settling for a college.
Foreign students that wish to study at one of Canada’s many colleges should know first and foremost that a visa is a must. Simply said, you cannot enter the country without one, let alone study.
But before we waste too much of your time, let’s start with our list of 6 things every foreign student in Canada should know.
This article will consist of things related to colleges and things related to culture and social life.
1. Do Your Research On Potential Classes
Now, we cannot stress how important this one is. Picking classes isn’t anything new, even by Canadian standards of education, and the whole world uses this system.
What students do is pick classes from a pool. Some colleges have some mandatory classes, while others are optional. And you will need to make a decision on which class to pick.
But what is it that makes such a huge difference? Well, students that visit Canada to study will be put on a student visa. This student visa expires as soon as you graduate from college.
So, it will work in your favor to stay as long as possible. But this is a rather double edge sword. Why? Well, it’s because the more you stay there, the more you pay tuition fees.
That’s not all that bad as tuition fees in Canada are very modest, compared to their Southern neighbor, the US.
2. Student Discounts
One thing that students rarely know about is the fact that they get discounts on pretty much everything. However, businesses aren’t that fond of letting them know.
But seeing as you’re a foreign student in Canada, then you should know that you get a discount on certain things. Which particular things aren’t exactly known as it’s pretty much down to each particular business owner.
And the Canadian government also offers discounts on public transport and other similar stuff.
So, never pay the full price and enquire about any potential student discounts.
3. Get A Driver’s License
Even if you’re not planning on sticking around in Canada, a smart thing to do is to get your driver’s license. Even if you don’t own a car nor have the money to purchase one, you should still get your driver’s license.
A driver’s license is an official document that vouches for your validity. It is nearly identical in terms of status as your ID, but this one lets you drive a car.
While the process of obtaining a driver’s license is rather hard and complicated, you should put in the effort and pass all tests to be eligible for one.
You’ll never know when you might need a car. And seeing as Canadian businesses always enquire if you have a driver’s license or not, it will give you a greater chance of finding a job.
When it comes to anything local about Canada, it will work in your favor to know as much as you can about the culture and way of life. Even small things such as the best restaurants in Toronto can be a great way to socialize. So, if you’re interested in knowing all of these things, then why not give kevsbest.ca a read. This is a great blog with even better content.
4. Try to Meet New People
Listen, we’ve all seen college movies and we all know what happens there. Regardless of how much you like college life, you will have to meet people.
Meeting new people will help you integrate better into society. You will have friends to go out with, chat, and even help you if things are getting worse.
Luckily for you, this isn’t hard to do at all! That’s because Canadians are known to be very good people. These guys are so friendly that you can get away with anything.
We’re obviously joking but this is a “stigma” that surrounds the Canadian people. You’ve probably heard that Canadians like to apologize all the time. We’ll that might not be as true, you will have to be polite with others.
Canadians are known to be extremely polite, and they expect that same level of politeness back.
5. They Love Sports
Yet another tip for a better social life is the fact that Canadians love watching sports. The national sport in Canada is lacrosse. What is lacrosse? Well, that’s a game similar to hockey but very different.
On the other hand, ice hockey is an even more popular sport despite not being the official sport of the country. So if you’re a sports fan, then a great place to meet new friends and a great way to socialize is to go to one of these games.
Do you want to hear something truly amazing about Canada? Did you know that Canadians invented Basketball? Truly amazing.
6. Studies
We talked briefly about classes, now let’s touch on something else related to college. It would be wise to know beforehand what you’ll be planning on learning.
That’s why the first tip on this list was the subject of classes. But you have to take the next step further. Namely, Canadian colleges have a mandatory three-year undergraduate degree before specializing in a program. These programs include the likes of medicine, law, programming, and tons of others.
So it would work in your favor to finish your undergraduate degree by taking classes similar to your specialty.
While we do understand that this is a far stretch, as very few people actually know what they want to become when they grow up, it is certainly something to think about.
Conclusion
Canada has one of the most affordable colleges in the entire world. If we compare that Canada has a high standard of living but very inexpensive colleges, then we can easily conclude that lots of foreign students would come here.
Canada is expensive but it’s also very modest. The people are friendly and social life is important. We do not doubt that some of these tips ill help you settle better when arriving.
Nina Smith