When I was deciding which University to go to after high school, I came across Mount Allison at an Atlantic Universities fair and one of the things that stood out to me was their poster listing all the other Universities from around the world that MtA partners with for exchanges. With over 21 countries such as South Korea, Australia, the Bahamas, Ecuador and more represented and covering a wide range of disciplines, there are almost too many great choices (if there can be such a thing!), and the fact that you pay regular MtA tuition only plus the flight made an exchange seem even better! 

 And so, once I started my first year, I immediately started researching international opportunities, going to the Exchange Fair, talking to Robin Walker (our International Affairs Coordinator,) and talking to other students about their experiences. I ended up getting accepted to go on a full year exchange to Strasbourg, France starting the very next September! I could barely contain my excitement and started saving as much money as I could for travel right away. The Strasbourg Exchange is MtA’s only group exchange, meaning instead of one or two students being chosen to go to one school (the standard procedure for MtA exchanges), up to 15 people are chosen to go every year. This takes away a lot of stress surrounding going to a new country with a new culture for the first time because you get to do it with some people who may become some of your closest friends! Unfortunately, my exchange year ended being shut down by Covid-19, however before that I was able to visit eight new countries (travel is so much easier and cheaper in Europe!!) on top of France which I was living in, improved my French dramatically with a C1 diploma certification, and make more memories than I can fit in this post! 

I highly recommend going in your second year as opposed to your third or fourth as it gives you more freedom to finish the required courses for your major/minor, meaning you can focus more on the experience in another culture than worrying about school! But if a full year or semester-long exchange, isn’t it for you, MtA also offers field schools in Pompeii, Belize, and the Netherlands in the summer months and a ‘Create your own’ study or work experience abroad where you can go anywhere you want in the world! I cannot recommend international experiences enough and highly encourage everyone to visit the International Centre (second floor, room 208 of the Wallace McCain Student Centre) to see the wall of experiences from previous students – it will change your life!