IN October 2015 I arrived in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to begin a one-year exchange program at the largest university in the country, the University of Ljubljana. I studied international relations and Slovenia was the natural choice for me to study IR in due to its recent EU membership and post-communist history.
Slovenia is a small country in central Europe, just south of Austria, north of Croatia and East of Italy (about a two hour drive from Venice). The location makes it very easy to explore Eastern, Western, and Balkan Europe. This also makes Slovenia quite culturally unique. The country clearly has Balkan, Austro-Hungarian and Italian influence, but Slovenes have their own national identity and language, Slovene. The nature of the country is also stunning, frequently being compared to that of Switzerland. This along with the location and the culture make it a fascinating country to explore.
Coming from the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, BC, Slovenia was quite a distant location to study in for a year, and despite being nervous and not knowing much about the place before arriving, my time in Slovenia ended up being one of the most fun, and enriching experiences of my life. I gained lifelong friends, explored a beautiful country, and had incredible adventures and travels.
As a Canadian in Slovenia, I found it remarkably easy to settle and get by in the country. It was relatively easy to travel to by plane, with good connections to major European cities. The weather is similar to what we have in Vancouver; cold, rainy and sometimes snowy in the winter, and warm with some rain in the summer. English is very widely spoken, they are on the metric system, and as an EU country the visa requirements are not particularly difficult. I would recommend that any non-EU nationals like myself obtain their student visa before arriving in the country. Visas are required for anyone staying longer than 90 days. Dorms are also offered to exchange students, but space in them is limited so you may need to find private accommodation. There are a few good Facebook groups for renting rooms and flats in the city.
Once I arrived at the University of Ljubljana, I was immediately thrown into the Erasmus, or exchange, group of students. In my year there were around 1500 Erasmus students, making for a very fun, lively, international student life. In fact, Ljubljana itself is extremely student friendly, the University of Ljubljana is the main university in the city, and with 60,000 students it is by far the largest in the country. Ljubljana itself only has around 300,000 people, so a large percentage of the population is students. This has a profound effect on the city, with an abundance of student bars and events, and most restaurants offering subsidised meals for students.
Personally, I had a fantastic time in Slovenia, and with its central location, vibrant student culture, and stunning natural beauty, I would recommend Ljubljana for any student looking for a unique exchange outside the main tourist centres of Europe.
