Just a tiny minority of Canadian students choose to study abroad, and that's a problem. Here's what some universities are doing to try to reverse the trend.
Caitlyn Ryall had her doubts - and her fears. Then a third-year material art and design student at OCAD University, Ms. Ryall weighed the pros and cons of heading abroad for a semester at the University of Southampton in Winchester, England. On the one hand, she felt an excitement and fascination due to her upbringing - her father is a travel writer, and she shared his wanderlust and curiosity about the world. On the other hand, she faced serious challenges: the costs were almost unthinkable (upwards of $15,000), the initial administrative processes seemed to be moving as slow as molasses, and the payoff, in terms of transfer credits, was uncertain. And it would be her first time abroad, without her traditional network of friends and family.
"I lived at home, so it was definitely my first time apartment hunting and looking into roommate situations and things like that," Ms. Ryall notes. "Nobody else from my school was going into this, and I think everyone's a bit nervous about going into something completely alone." In the end, she decided to go for it. "I grew up with lots of travel stories - that was a huge driving force," she remembers.
For more information
350 Albert Street, suite 1710
Ottawa Ontario
Canada K1R 1B1
www.universityaffairs.ca
