Making a Smooth Transition

Easy things you can do while you are still in your home country

Relocating to a new country to pursue higher education can be challenging, but an extremely rewarding experience with the appropriate support. There are a few steps you can take right now to make your transition as smooth as possible. Canadians are known to be easy to get along with and very welcoming. However, it’s your responsibility to be proactive in finding activities that you like to meet new people and fully enjoy your time abroad.

First of all, you should try to identify if the Canadian institution you are planning to attend has a presence in your region or country. For instance, the Telfer School of Management hosts receptions in many international locations ranging from Silicon Valley to Hong Kong. These enable us to keep our alumni engaged with us and to make sure our programs continue to be world-class. We do also welcome current and future students to these events. This could be a good way for you to meet members of your future community.

If this is not a viable option, you should start looking for events that are happening in your first week of class at your institution or in the community. For example, the Telfer School of Management organizes a Golf Tournament every year in September. It is often too late to register once new students arrive in Ottawa, but we encourage them to register in the summer. This event is a fantastic way to make new friends and support a great cause at the same time.

To make a smooth transition, international students should try to get involved in social gatherings as soon as they arrive in Canada or even before they leave their home country.