-Amy Jung, York University alumna
Ever since my first semester abroad in England, I’ve always been passionate and proud of the study abroad experience. The exciting adventures, the life-long friendships, the endless travels. And in the rush and tumble of stories, I often overlook the academic experiences. But they were exciting. Life-changing. And are worth more than the limited words that I am using today.
I have found that students don’t often have the time and space to reflect on their experiences. So I’d like to share with you the academic experiences of students who participated on the Ontario-Baden-Württemberg Student Exchange Program and volunteered to be part of my Master of Education thesis on the study abroad experience.
The foreign classroom provided a space for new possibilities and perspectives. We had the luxury to engage with academic disciplines, culture-specific content, and teaching styles that differed from those at our home institution. And our professors encouraged us to explore new avenues to gain experience such as working in a psychology lab or assisting in a language course.
A sense of community and acceptance blossomed from the classroom. Our professors and classmates welcomed us, recognized our contributions, and encouraged our development. And our wonderful, life-long friendships developed within the classroom. They began with the classmates that we studied with, that invited us out to the local bar, or over for a traditional German/Canadian meal.
Friendships positively influenced academic engagement and motivation. We sat around the dinner table discussing course content and engaging in different worldviews. Our interactions improved our language proficiencies, making our readings and lectures easier to follow, and developed our understanding of both our host and home cultures.
Courses from abroad internationalized and “interdisciplin-ized” our degrees. We added credits, minors, and/or majors to our already jam-packed degrees. We took intercultural and interdisciplinary approaches to our assignments and class discussions, which revamped and excited us. We honed our interests and passions and have chosen to pursue further studies abroad.
We have a world of experiences. And I hope that you take the time to reflect, understand, and share how your international and intercultural academic experiences have shaped your own development.