The Best Class You Have Yet to Take: Studying Abroad

There are few experiences compared to a student exchange

When it comes to travelling the world, there are few experiences compared to a student exchange. You can spend a semester or a full year in a foreign country, making friends, learning the language and experiencing a new culture every day – all while working towards your degree.

Here are five Canadian students and their take on why going on exchange was the best decision they ever made.

Name: Jen Redrup, 21

Home University: University of Ottawa

Exchange University: Université de Liège, Belgium

Program: French & History

Favourite memory: I think my favourite memories from my time abroad are the pizza nights my Belgian roommates and I used to have. We would all order pizza together and it would take so long to arrive that by the time it did we were all so excited and we would all sit in the living room and talk and laugh and eat and just enjoy each other’s company. It was these nights that I really felt I was a part of the country and a part of the culture. I felt like I belonged. It was really amazing.

Biggest challenge: Essentially going it alone. Especially when you first arrive you feel completely alone; you have no support system and you are completely out of your comfort zone and that’s very difficult to get through. I did some smaller trips by myself and that was also quite a challenge. Being somewhere completely new where you have to rely solely on yourself is really scary, but in the end I found it incredibly empowering.

Continue reading about Jen and other students’ experiences here.