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Studying abroad in SFU - dorms vs offcampus

Solotak
edited August 2009 in General
Hey all, i've applied for a study abroad application to Simon Fraser burnaby campus for the spring semester 2010 (January-April). I'm coming from Melbourne, Australia and i've never been to Canada before so i'm not sure which type of lodging i should choose. I have never moved out of home so either option will be exciting but i am more biased towards the one that will be more rewarding and fun!
I am aware that SFU is remote and on top of a mountain which might be problematic during the winter, since buses can't drive up there sometimes from the snow. Other than that i would like to know any pros and cons that i have not considered that an international student might not know from living either off campus or in dorms.

OFF-CAMPUS housing:
Pros:
Living with locals and networking
Insider knowledge gained from mingling with locals
Possibly living closer near downtown, nightlife, parties +++
Nicer and bigger rooms/shared living room

Cons:
Miss out on the "dorm experience" and living with heaps of people (more socialising and friendships)
Getting locked in the mountain with no accommodation in case the buses can't drive out the mountain
^^ Getting locked out that you can't get access in the uni


SFU Dorms:
Pros:
Living with more students although most possibly non-canadians. (Not a bad thing, it's just that i'd rather have a feel what it's like living with canadian people and hear their insider knowledge on things to do)
Walk to uni?
Cheaper?

Cons:
Grocery shopping will be a hassle
Nothing to do on the mountain?
Far from downtown, nightlife, fun things to do
Transport coming back home might be tricky and expensive

*On a side note* I hear it's pretty depressing to live or even study at SFU so i'm having some second thoughts of pursuing the study abroad dream. It's unfortunate because the timing of sending my application to an abroad university was not in my favour and amongst other things i could have picked some other canadian uni's such as waterloo, bishops, queens. However i wanted to go snowboarding and see what vancouver is like. I just hope i didn't pick a shitty time to go, especially when the olympics are on. It would be really cool if i got to see an olympic event but the ebay tickets are insane. Are there any scalpers over there?

Anyway i digress... I'm sure there's other things i haven't considered so ultimately the best opinions are from those who have actually done either option or both and can tell me what it's like living such conditions. Anyway i'd love to hear your feedback!

Cheers :)

Comments

  • NukeChem
    edited August 2009
    SFU dorms: Stay the hell out of Mctaggart-Cowan. The walls are like flypaper and you can hear everything.
  • SpectreFire
    edited August 2009
    There really is absolutely no reason to live on campus. Paying the school a ridiculous amount of money to live in a tiny coffin, eat shitty overpriced food, and surrender all privacy is just not worth it.

    For the same amount, you can live in a decent suite in Burnaby, enjoy the fantatic food on Hastings, and *gasp* have real privacy for once.

    Or if you're up for a bit of travel and a roommate, you can get a really nice condo in one of the new towers near SFU Surrey.
  • justinbh2
    edited August 2009
    If I were you, I would live in downtown Vancouver. It seems like you're only here for one term, so get the best out of it. I lived by english bay with an oceanfront view for a year when I was in school and just took the skytrain to get to school, a school different than SFU, and it was pretty easy. SFU is very close to our sky train services and it s short bus ride from the train to the top of the mountain.

    Living in the city was the best, especially the closeness to everything.
  • NukeChem
    edited August 2009
    Yeah. If you pick your location well you can be on the 135 bus route and have a decent, short-ish trip to SFU. I would recommend trying to find a place near Boundary and Hastings, actually. :)
  • ikkaku
    edited August 2009
    Just better hope there's no major snowfall or else all translink shuts down and you're SOL, period.
  • randomuser
    edited August 2009
    Major snowfall = school closed, so it makes no difference

    you can always live on campus in one of the rental properties and not residence, from what i hear a lot of the res units are dumps, and as others mentioned your food options and privacy are limited
  • Solotak
    edited August 2009
    Interesting points, although the trade off from living down town is not meeting as many people and living with a cultural mix of students. Yes i would only stay for one term but i will be travelling around canada and maybe the states after the exams.

    No privacy?? Um i'm not sure what to think about that but i thought that was the whole point with sharing with flatmates?

    I guess commuting wouldn't be bad but how often and how late do the buses go between SFU and downtown? Isn't hastings the place with all the addicts and prostitutes? So anything on a 135 bus route or a sky train should be right from downtown(ish) areas? That'd be something like an hour commute wouldn't it?

    I do enjoy city life but what good is that when i can't share the same enthusiasm among like minded students wanting to party. But i guess it'd be cool and maybe i could find some students to live with. I think it'd be a lot easier meeting new people when living in a student populated place vs some condo in the city. Which means i probably won't have friends to hang out on weeknights and shoot the shit with the roomies, even if it is depressing on the mountain, cause you can always have fun anywhere when you're in the company of good mates.

    But the replies have made me think more about downtown living. Ah, such a tough choice.
  • NukeChem
    edited August 2009
    Hastings and Main is the bad area of Vancouver. Anywhere east of there (starting around Nanaimo) is okay-ish and once you get far east enough it's fine. I live on Hastings myself, in the Burnaby area. It's very quiet and the crime is mostly nonexistent.

    As for west of Hastings and Main, by the time you hit Hastings and Abbott you're basically right downtown and the area becomes OK again. Even during the daytime Hastings and Main isn't horrible if you don't dress to the nines and make it blatantly obvious that you're rubbing your higher income in the face of the homeless population there. That said, I would:

    1. Not recommend renting in the area,
    2. Not recommend going out in that area at night.
  • randomuser
    edited August 2009
    living downtown is good, i would find it depressing on the mountail, although you shouldnt expect to meet a lot of people just by living downtown, youll have to find the connections
  • Solotak
    edited August 2009
    Well i looked at some testimonials of students studying at SFU res and said they had a blast, even at the mctaggart hall. So i'm not sure what that comment was all about.

    I suppose even if it's miserable it should be alright with plenty people to hang out with.

    So as i understand there's Shell or Mctaggart. Are there any others i might be neglecting (i'm 23/male). I'm looking here http://students.sfu.ca/residences/pdf/policies/Eligibility%20and%20Amenities_2009.pdf and it seems Towers is for first years which i presume more parties? Which one is reputable for parties? Also which hall has the best views of vancouver (something with plenty windows)?

    So now the question is which hall to stay. I won't be needing peace or quiet since i could just go to the library to study. The more people who like to drink/toke, the better.
  • SpectreFire
    edited August 2009
    I don't really think parties exist that often on campus.

    I know the old residence are reputable for just downright sucking in terms of livability and price.

    You're paying a ridiculous amount of money to live in a run-down coffin.

    Why? Honestly, you'll meet just as little people living off residence than you do on. If you want to really meet people, join clubs.
  • Solotak
    edited August 2009
    Ah what the hell... According to the 2009/2010 eligibility contract it says "Any single undergraduate student over the age of 23, as of the start of this contract, will be required to live in the Townhouses" ... wtf that really sucks. But that other table showed ages 18-23. So i dunno where i lay =\. I'm 23 but i don't turn 24 until July 2010.


    SpectreFire: Yes but it's not only about living conditions, but the people you live with that you develop solid friendships as opposed to just meeting all the time. It's like living with your family all your life, you know them better than anyone else because living with someone is more different to just meeting up with them, even on a daily basis. Well i guess i can't really defend the res status if it looks like my only option is the townhouses =\

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