Its my fifth year in Windsor, Ontario. This part of the world, geography does not change so frequently that you can notice. When I look back four years, I do not see much difference in the vicinity where I live than what it is now. Things change rapidly back home while time flies like a fast train here.

I believe its time to write some of my experiences about living in Windsor while studying statistics at the University of Windsor.

If you are reading this post because you’ve got an offer of admission in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics here in University of Windsor, please accept my congratulations for being so lucky to get an offer of admission. Getting admission as an international student has become very competitive now-a-days than it was ten years ago. Only top applicants are selected for consideration while a small fraction of them are actually offered admission.

An unusual foggy morning in the Summer in Windsor. Dated: April 10, 2011

Before arriving at Windsor

The International Student’s Centre (ICS) at the University of Windsor has a program, called Soft Landing Program to welcome new international students to Canada and make their first experience to Canada as hassle free as possible. Through this program

• New students will be able to have them picked up from the local airport, or rail station, or Greyhound bus station
• Free accommodation for the first night only (subsequent nights are students’ responsibility)

To avail this opportunity, students will have to complete a form located on the University’s official website.

The university has another program called Buddy program. This program is designed to provide information and support to new international students prior to their arrival, in order to ease the transition to University life.

About the Buddy Program:[/strong] Those students who choose to participate in this program will be matched with a returning student who has been on campus for at least a year. This returning student will be available to answer questions via e-mail, and will meet with the new student at least once when they arrive in Canada to show them around the University.

To sign up for a Buddy Program, visit the their website.

After you arrive

It is usually a good idea to contact with the department as soon as possible. They will provide you with a list of papers, and help you completing certain formalities (such as activating the Student ID card, completion of Health insurance, etc.). More information can be found on the University's website.

Weather condition and more

You will hear a lots of stories about Canadian weather. But be assured that while Canada is predominantly a cold country, Windsor is fairly hot and sunny during the summer. Wikipedia has more to say about its weather and more.

Accommodation in Windsor

Cost of living in Windsor is not cheap, not high either. Depending on individual preferences, students have two options for accommodation:

• Apartment building shared with friend or classmate costing a total of 500- 600 CAD per months (for two persons)
• Apartment in a house, about 250 to 400 CAD per month (per person).

Apartment building shared with friend or classmate

• Search housing at Kijiji.ca
• List of Apartment Rentals

Apartment in a house

Room in house or apartment in a house means that you will rent a single room in a house with 3 or 4 or more rooms. The whole house will be rented to students and you will be sharing the kitchen and washrooms. You cook on you own.

You can search Kijiji.ca for such accommodations. Look for ones that are close to the university.

Academic costs

The following is an estimate for a full-time graduate visa student. You can obtain your estimates from the University's website. All prices in Canadian Dollars.

Fee Estimate Result
 
Name				Amount		
Base Tuition Charge		5,525/Term
 
 
INCIDENTALS
 
University Center Expansion	7.20	7.20 Per Course
Graduate Student Society fee	38.71	Each Term
Graduate Drug Plan		561.87	once per academic year
HeaIth Insurance-all Visa	810.78	Each Term
Recreation fee			72.90	Each Term
Grad House Fee			27.75	at 5.55/Course
University Centre Health Fee	19.99	Each Term
Sports & Rec Capital Fee	13.07	maximum of 2 terms/acad yr
 
SOCIETY FEES
 
International Student Society	3.50	Each Term

Academic cost in the first year

With the estimated expenses mentioned above, the total yearly academic expenses, assuming you will be taking seven courses, will be as follows. THESE ARE ESTIMATES ONLY. Individual cost might vary depending on various circumstances.

COST FOR FIRST YEAR (7 courses)
 
Tuition	Fees			16,575
University Center Expansion	50.40
Graduate Student Society fee	116.13
Graduate Drug Plan		561.87
HeaIth Insurance-all Visa	2432.34
Recreation fee			218.70
Grad House Fee			38.85
University Centre Health Fee	59.97
Sports & Rec Capital Fee	26.14
International Student Society	10.50
 
TOTAL				20,089.20/year

Additional expenses

FIXED EXPENSES
 
Category		Monthly		Yearly
Housing			300-400		3600-4800			
Food (at home)		150-200		1800-2400
 
OPTIONAL EXPENSES
 
Category		Monthly		Yearly
Telephone (Basic)	30		360
Telephone (Cell)	35-50		420-600
Telephone (cards)	5-10		60-120
Internet		30-60		360-720
 
OTHER EXPENSES
 
Stationary (paper etc.)	200/year
Photocopy		5 cents/page
Books (new)		50-150 each
Transportation (Bus)	
	One ticket	1.70 (one-way)
	10 tickets	16.40 (one-way)
or
Unlimited pass		55/month
Unlimited pass		87 (for July+August)

Internet

In some apartments/houses the landlord provides Internet free of cost. But this is rare. Internet is not generally cheap. However, one cannot possibly live without Internet in this part of the world. Following is a list of Internet service providers with their approximate cost

Acanac(1)	5mpbs (unlimited)	28.19/mo
Youmano(2)	5mpbs (unlimited)	39.49/mo
Teksavvy	5mbps (300G/mo)		36.10/mo
Bell(3)		6mbps (25G/mo)		45.14/mo
 
(1) you have to pay 1-year in advance
(2) plust a 50 CAD setup/installation fee
(3) plus a 3.95/mo modem rental. 
    One time activation fee of 29.95 applies.

The prices mentioned includes 13\% percent tax. Usually prices mentioned on the websites do not include taxes. Be careful about fine-prints--the conditions that apply to the contract. Most of the times, if you go for a contract, you cannot terminate it before the contract expires. In case you want to terminate, you will have to pay big amount of fees.

Youmano has a month-to-month contract, i.e., you pay monthly. Acanac charges are based on one-year-of-advanced payment, for FIRST YEAR ONLY. You have to pay around \$34 in subsequent months (payable one-year upfront). The cost for Bell and other big companies are usually higher for much lesser bandwidth. If you go over allotted bandwidth, you will be charged an exorbitant fee. The total bandwidth, however, may be increased by paying extra fees.

Approximate total cost

Academic costs		20,000-22,000/year
Living costs		7,000-10,000/year
 
TOTAL			27,000-32,000/year

These are estimates only. Individual needs and expenses may vary. Please consult with your department, and/or supervisor for their suggestions.

Attractions in Windsor

Windsor is a fairly large city with an estimated (2006) population of 216,473. Windsor is a border city adjacent to the United States of America. The Detroit river separates Windsor, Ontario and the Detroit city in the US. There are a few remarkable festivals that take place in Windsor area every year. Fireworks over the Detroit river is one of them.

Fireworks over Detroit river. Photo dated June 24, 2009.

Detroit skyline as seen from Windsor. Photo dated September 23, 2009.

Update

This page was last updated on May 10, 2011. Please feel free to suggest errors or omissions.