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By Dorothy Barenscott, Ph.D.

When students ask me why I became an art historian or when I knew I wanted to become a professor, I tell a story about education and travel. It happened on the first day of a Grade 12 Western Civilization class when the teacher, Mr. Kennedy, coming in slightly late, out of breath, and with a freshly processed stack of slides from the printing lab, regaled us with stories about his summer trip to Europe from which he had literally returned the day before. Over the next hour, he showed us slide after slide of his adventures, featuring many of the amazing architecture, paintings, and sculptures we would be studying in his class. The passion and enthusiasm with which he spoke was infectious, and the connection between education and travel would bea...

Category: Student Blog
Photo credit: Randall Martin
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By Susan Seto

Yes, you’ve made it! You’ve been accepted to study abroad. You’re dancing around in your kitchen while reading your acceptance letter out loud. It’s an incredible feeling, isn’t it?

Just as the adrenaline rush dies down, you realize this isn’t going to be cheap. However, don’t let this discourage you. With careful planning and preparation, you will be able to pursue your dream to go abroad.

Here are 10 ways to save:

  1. Start saving now. Open a separate savings account and set aside a small amount each week. Even if it is just $5 each week, it will accumulate. Every little bit counts.
  2. Keep a budget. Give yourself a budget each month. Track your spending in an excel sheet or download a...
Category: Student Blog
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In October 2014, several BC students took a break from their studies and flew to Taiwan to represent Canada in The Seminar on Youth Public Participation and International Humanitarianism in the Age of Globalization. This seminar was a hub for students around the globe to come together and share their experiences in international affairs and sustainable volunteerism. Some of the countries represented in the conference were the Dominican Republic, Ireland, New Zealand, Israel, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. A representative from each country presented and held a discussion on various topics from prevailing issues within his or her community to maintaining stability in NGOs.

University of Victoria student and co-C...

Category: Student Blog
Meghan Thompson
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I’ll be embarking on my journey overseas in less than a month now, and things are starting to feel a lot more real. I’ve been planning for this exchange for over six months now, and these plans are all finally coming to fruition.

The process has been long, and there have been a lot of bumps along the way, but it’s all coming together – I’ve been admitted into the University of Toulouse, my French visa has been approved, and I was accepted into residence. In all honesty, though, it really has been time-consuming preparing for this exchange program. Arranging all of the paperwork to submit my French visa application took months; working out the details for my residence in Toulouse with an international coordinator in France who doesn’t speak English was a struggle; taking French courses in...

Category: Student Blog
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By Nadine Wilk

Spending the night cramped on a wooden beam, thinking about the cockroaches that could be nestled in the cracks is not a comfortable way to fall asleep. Hearing the loud squeals of a pig being slaughtered is not a pleasant way to wake up. Going for days without showering and being in the humid and hot weather, makes a cold shower and a soft bed sound like a luxury. At the top of a mountain with no electricity and no toilets; this is the magnificent reality of a jungle in Thailand. Yet, despite the stinky aromas, lack of cleanliness and uncomfortable bedding, it was by far one of my most treasured experiences from my two-and-half month field school in Southeast Asia.

Our guide, Alak, picked us up early in the morning from our hotel. Despite the early h...

Category: Student Blog
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By Susan Seto

If you were to tell me five years ago that I would be living out of a suitcase for a year, I would think you were crazy. Last year, I decided to take a leap of faith to pursue my passion to go abroad.  It was a bold move to leave my career, apartment, and family and friends in Vancouver for the unfamiliar. Looking back, it was by far the best thing I did for myself in terms of personal and professional growth.

I had the opportunity to live in four different places through the Master of Global Business program at the University of Victoria. I studied in Canada, Taiwan, and Austria and completed a summer co-op term in Hong Kong. All of these were enriching in their own ways.

If you’re asking you...

Category: Student Blog
Photo credit: Christina Wu
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Life at ESADE Business School has finally begun! The first week of welcome has concluded and all I can say is, "overwhelming, exhausting and a lot of fun." 

The daily grind here in Barcelona, Spain is a little different than Vancouver, BC. I'm slowly adjusting to the walks to the metro station, scenic train ride and then the 20 minute walk through the suburb of Sant Cugat before finally arriving at campus. When I arrived at school, it was strange to be dressing up for "CV photos" and finding my assigned seat in class after five years of going to the office. 

In Europe, it is not uncommon to attach a photo along with your resume (or CV) to show employers. I first found this quite surprising, since in Canada it would be considered a form of discrimination to select a candidate based o...

Category: Student Blog
Boris Remes arrives at Sciences Po in France
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On Sunday I will be celebrating an important milestone of my life. Exactly 10 years ago, on August 31, 2004, I landed in Vancouver to embark on a life-changing journey in this beautiful and welcoming country. Ever since, every day of my life has been eventful and memorable.

Shortly after finishing middle school in Kazakhstan, my parents realized that graduating from a high school overseas would better transition and prepare me for post-secondary success. As a safe, multicultural and accepting English-speaking country, Canada had no competition. In 2004, I entered Bodwell High School, a co-ed boarding school for international students in North Vancouver. I also had the opportunity to learn more about Canadian culture through studying French in Montreal while living in a Quebec homestay.

...
Category: Student Blog
Photo credit: Christina Wu
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Recently, I read an article in the Atlantic called Living With Less. It is about the minimalist lifestyle, “living a simpler, less materialistic life”. I realized that was exactly one of the reasons why I love the experience of living and studying abroad. There is something very liberating and simultaneously terrifying about pairing down your life to a few essential items that fit into one suitcase and leaving the comforts of home to nourish your own personal and professional growth. And that is exactly what I am about to do as I prepare for the next year and half in Barcelona, Spain studying at ESADE Business School, Ramon Llull University.

Having studied on exchange in Denmark during my undergradua...

Category: Student Blog
Myself in Front of the Coliseum
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It’s been about a month since I have taken part in my amazing course abroad. In that time we studied art history in Florence and Rome encompassing the Renaissance, High Renaissance, and Baroque art including architecture. What I wanted was to enrich my education and build on subjects I have already studied to some extent. Not only was that achieved but it also was a catalyst in my future goals for education and travel.

In Rome I was also able to experience ancient Roman architecture leading into the Rome we know today. Coming out of the metro station in an entirely modern environment and all of a sudden being in front of the Coliseum is something that I have never experienced over in Canada. In terms of my own artistic practice I now have a better appreciation for the art that is often cas...

Category: Student Blog

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