Studying beyond Canada

Have you ever thought of traveling the world, exploring new places, meeting new people? When you venture into postsecondary land, you may find that studying abroad is the way to go.

According to many university students, the price is well worth it. But just make sure that you are studying abroad for the right reasons. There is the “experience” of living abroad and indulging in foreign culture, but you should also remind yourself that although traveling can be an education in itself, you are still there to attend school.

To prepare, be sure to investigate what types of documentation you will need. A student visa will be required (apply way in advance!), and a work visa will potentially be needed as well. Some countries simply need a social insurance number to grant employment permission, but others call for much more. Before you assume you can jump into a job, look into all the necessary paper work. The drawback to obtaining a student work visa is that employers often will not offer you work because they understand you will not be sticking with the job for long. Another fact to keep in mind is that sometimes you must pay up to $200 for a work visa, and on a tight travel budget, that could be hard.

If you are lucky to sit back and enjoy your time abroad without a job, then be sure to make the most of it. During her third year in the Ryerson University journalism program, Nicole Cohen spent a semester in London, England. “The cultural experience was incredible,” she says. “I learned a lot. Most of the museums and art galleries in London had just started offering free admission, so I spent most of my days there. I took advantage of the low-cost airlines in Europe and visited Paris, Greece, Italy, Spain and other countries.”

Cohen found herself with a lot of spare time at the City University in London because her program wasn’t incredibly demanding. “The program at City was much smaller than Ryerson’s,” she explains. “It was also structured differently. I was in third-year at Ryerson, but put into second year at City because they only have a three-year program. For that reason, I found the program and classes to be much less rigorous. Also, there were no exams and much fewer assignments. My education while in London came from reading all the newspapers.”

Sarah Lysecki, who also left university to study abroad in Australia, agrees with Cohen. “If I was there for the education, I would have been terribly disappointed,” she says. “There was no challenge at all. School gave me something to do during the day and was a good way to find out about what to see and where to go.”

Aside from some less-than-challenging academics, there is also the bureaucractic hassle of attending foreign schools. Imagine trying to fight administration hassles in your own school. Now add thousands of miles, professors who do not know your name, and a set of rules and regulations you are unfamiliar with. Might be a little frustrating.

So if you can fight the annoying administration roadblocks, high tuition, and homesickness, then studying abroad is right for you. It may appear that studying abroad is a bad idea, but I am writing this simply to prepare you. If you decide to fly halfway around the world, you can’t just jump on a plane to come back. You have to be able to deal with the problems on your own. And if you can, then you are in for a great adventure in food, art, museums and, of course, the social occasions. So fully enjoy your time, immerse yourself in different cultures, and don’t hold back! You will learn more from doing than watching.

Lysecki says that though she wasn’t sure if she could bear leaving her boyfriend for her six-month visit to Australia, she would gladly study abroad again. “This is the kind of opportunity that any young person should take advantage of,” she says. While you may never see the new people you’ve met ever again, you learn a lot about yourself as a person and how other cultures view you and your culture.”

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