by Linda Yang
Do you have an incurable case of wanderlust? Travelling and studying don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, more and more international learning opportunities are cropping up and many employers now see the value of these experiences and tend to prefer job applicants who have gone abroad. So what are some of your options as a UBC student?
Exchange
Arguably the first thing many people think about when they are considering going abroad is to do an exchange. Exchange allows you to take courses for your degree that will transfer directly back to UBC and will count towards the completion of your program all while paying the same tuition you would in here in Vancouver. UBC has over 150 partner universities which span all six continents which gives you a wealth of destinations to choose from.
Group Study
Over the course of a couple of weeks, a UBC faculty member will take you and a group of other UBC students to a fabulous new locale and guide you through the completion of a UBC course that relates to your destination. Imagine, you could be learning about wine and tourism in Italy or about sustainability while scaling glaciers in Iceland.
International Service Learning
Spend a week or a month or a few months volunteering for a community partner and see how you can apply what you’re learning in class to the real world. Service Learning allows you to give back while gaining valuable skills and a better understanding of NGOs and living conditions in various parts of the world. You may even get course credit! Some current programs include community health, societal development and children’s rights advocacy in Kenya, Swaziland and Uganda and natural resource management in Costa Rica, Mexico and Bolivia.
Make your own adventure
If none of these programs pique your interest, don’t be afraid to do a little digging of your own to find your perfect program within or outside of UBC. Google is your best friend. Find universities or companies in your dream city and shoot them an email.
So go on. Travel far and travel wide. But don’t forget to come back and tell me all about it.