Emil Yatim and Guillaume Ledda look back on their exchange semester at the University of Toronto. This program, managed by the Châlons-en-Champagne campus, marked the first year of exchanges with this Canadian university.
Toronto, a strategic choice
Toronto was the natural choice for both students. Attending a renowned English-speaking university would allow them to improve their oral skills while discovering a new academic environment. But it was the university's excellence in data science and artificial intelligence that really made the difference. Consistently ranked first in Canada, Emil describes it as "an epicenter of deep learning," a decisive factor in his choice.
Project-based teaching
What particularly impressed Emil and Guillaume was the project-based teaching approach. The courses encourage independence and practical application.
Emil developed artificial intelligence capable of detecting pneumonia from lung X-rays. "This project was quite complex and demanding, but it really allowed me to apply what we had learned in class while training myself in technologies that we hadn't covered before."
Guillaume, meanwhile, worked on calculating the thermal flows of an apartment as part of a course on building energy efficiency. "Overall, the courses are very project-oriented," he explains. Working in tandem with a Canadian student allowed him to enrich both his academic skills and his understanding of the local culture.
Advanced specialization in data and AI
Both students highlight the richness and specialization of the courses they took in Toronto in data science and artificial intelligence. The approach to these subjects at the University of Toronto is more focused and allows students to concentrate fully on them. Emil points out that this specialization offers the opportunity to delve deeper into the technical aspects and experiment with advanced practical cases, whereas other courses remain more general in nature. Guillaume cites in particular the "Analytics in Action" course, which is very practice-oriented and focuses on predictive algorithms and machine learning, complementing their initial training in a concrete way.
A human experience
With nearly 100,000 students spread across three campuses, the university is impressive in size. The St. George campus, located in the heart of downtown, is home to the majority of international students.
Although few events were organized for exchange students, a WhatsApp group created before the start of the school year facilitated initial contacts. Bonds were then formed naturally. Emil talks about lasting friendships, even visiting some of his classmates in Europe a few months later, while Guillaume highlights the richness of the multicultural exchanges that punctuated his semester.
A successful exchange semester
It is impossible for them to talk about their stay without mentioning the spectacular Robarts Library. Standing 17 stories tall, it became their main place of work and a true hub of student life.
As this was the first year they had participated in this exchange, they sometimes had to deal with a lack of administrative information, but they emphasize the involvement and support of the teams in assisting them.
Their advice to future applicants is simple: take the plunge and make the most of the experience! Beyond university life, this semester also allowed them to discover Canada, from Niagara Falls to Montreal and Quebec City. Guillaume adds: "You can contact Emil or me, we have lots of advice to give about life in Toronto."
For both of them, this semester will remain one of the highlights of their student life!
