Student Exchange Program Opens Doors to the World
by Mark Toljagic
When Centennial College student Breda Cormack moved to Spain last February, she wasn’t quite prepared for the transition to life in Europe.
“There is little English spoken there. Try finding an apartment while speaking very broken Spanish,” she recalls with a smile. Rather than opt for a residence dorm, Breda insisted on living in the community.
In fact, it was her knowledge of French that helped her secure an apartment in Logrono, a wine region 330 km north of Madrid and close to the border with France.
Breda, 26, had relocated to attend classes at the University of La Rioja as part of a student exchange program arranged through Centennial’s School of Business. As an International Business student, earning some of her credits overseas was immensely appealing to her.
“Not only do you get to live in another country, but you can completely immerse yourself in a new culture and language.”
Centennial has formal agreements with a number of European schools where business students can complete equivalent credits in such courses as economics and marketing.
While some European universities teach in English, Breda welcomed the challenge of attending lectures in Spanish. After six months in Logrono, she’s almost fluent.
“With three languages under my belt, I’m so much more marketable now,” says Breda, who has also started learning Chinese since her return to Toronto.
She got to know exchange students from all over the world at La Rioja. “We spent a lot of time discussing stereotypes. Many times you’re completely wrong about people when you step out of your bubble.”
Being in continental Europe, Spain gave her the opportunity to travel throughout Europe inexpensively. And Logrono proved to be an affordable home base.
“I paid 150 Euros (about $220) per month for a massive apartment,” says Breda, describing her share of the rent for an apartment she kept with two roommates. Rents in big cities are considerably more.
One advantage of an exchange program is that students pay the usual Canadian college tuition fees they’re accustomed to, rather than international tuition that’s usually much higher.
Students are on the hook for airfare, books, accommodation and food, although qualifying students are eligible for Ontario Student Assistance (OSAP) funding. Centennial offers two $500 scholarships annually to encourage studying abroad.
Breda is adamant that the exchange program offers an invaluable learning experience.
“You learn to deal with people. I recommend it for anyone. My roommate was an Australian nurse taking courses in Spanish. Why not?”
Links
For more details, take a look at the
international student exchange program.
For more information about Centennial’s Business programs, visit:
www.centennialcollege.ca/business.
If you have questions about the student exchange program, please e-mail: studentexchange@centennialcollege.ca
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