Hello! My name is Kai Taylor and I am a third year Music student who has just finished my Year Abroad in Halifax Canada!
The academic year in Canada actually finishes 2 months earlier than UK academic years. This year lasted from September to April, and allows an optional summer term after, maybe mandatory depending on your course.
During my first week in Halifax, I explored the city, and saw a variety of amazing things, from the bottom of the waterfront up to the top of the Halifax Citadel. The city is a mix between classic historical sites and modern buildings. Social life is very broad, especially during public holidays, like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. The great thing about Dalhousie University is that Studley Campus (the campus which my accommodation was located) is right next to the city, so it is very easy to reach everything the city has to offer.
Before you have classes, you choose 3-5 modules to learn. For me, I had to do 5 modules. It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed keeping busy. Classes vary on what the module is about. For more essay based & musicology style modules, classes will consist of only lectures. If a module is more practical, then there will be more interactive seminar classes rather than pure lectures. Each modules has a lot of smaller assignments which all contribute to a final grade, including midterm and final exams, but these are spaced out and managed well, as to not overwhelm you too much.
The people in Halifax are really chill and nice. They are welcoming, open, and easy to talk to. It is very diverse both on campus and in the city, so there is a great sense of community in Halifax. Depending on your room in accommodation, you may have a roommate (he was actually British as well!). This helped me settle down quicker, having a roommate to explore with. It is easy to make friends at Dalhousie, and makes the experience so much better.
Hopefully this has given you a brief sense of studying abroad in Halifax, Canada, and it inspires you to take the chance at it, it is so worth it!
Here are a few pictures taken during my time abroad.
