Taiwan - National Taiwan University (NTU)
Liwen Lu, Computer Science, Honours Co-op (3A)
I have been interested in Taiwan for a long time, but as a Computer Science coop student, it is difficult to plan a long-term trip, so I choose to have an exchange to National Taiwan University (NTU).
It
did
not
take
me
long
to
transition
into
Taiwanese
study
style.
My
Chinese
background
might
take
into
effect,
but
I
think
the
environment
of
NTU
also
helps.
Most
of
the
students
and
professors
are
very
friendly
and
helpful.
Even
though
all
my
computer
science
courses
are
taught
in
Chinese,
the
textbooks,
slides
and
assignments
are
in
English.
The
professors
and
TAs
I
met
were
very
willing
to
give
help
in
English
when
needed.
If
you
wish
to
improve
Chinese,
there
are
also
language
trade
program
in
the
dorm
where
students
pair
up
to
exchange
their
language
skills.
|
 |
|---|
I think the computer science courses do not differentiate from UW courses very much. The teaching style varies, but I found it similar to UW. Most of the professors I met have experience of studying abroad, so even if you find yourself not fitting in well, they will understand and can provide help. For the electives, there are some unique courses that are worth trying. I highly recommend looking for some Taiwanese cultural courses that are taught in English. It gives an opportunity to learn new culture while earning credit. I took one of them that talk about Taiwanese film, which was very inspiring.
The course load is not as heavy as Waterloo, which gave me a lot of time to explore Taiwan.
| I am especially interested into Taiwanese music, so I went to some live performance and music festival. It was a great opportunity to make Taiwanese friends. |
 |
I also did some travel. Taiwan is a small island, so traveling does not cost much. The weather is also great compare to Canada.
Overall, exchange to Taiwan was a great experience. If you are interested either in food, politics, music, or Taiwan overall, it is worth applying. If you just want to escape from the heavy course load of UW, exchange to NTU is also a great option.
Taipei often has some free activities.
 |
|---|
| There are a lot of road signs in Taipei with English labels, like this one, so you don't need to worry about getting lost. |
| Food! Remember to try the night markets. |
|---|
 |