Earn a Degree While Fulfilling Your Wanderlust

By: Emma Duca

How many of you would like to travel? If you are anything like me, you tend to experience permanent wanderlust… checking Expedia flights in your spare time, posting pictures every #throwbackthursday of your past adventures abroad, and constantly daydreaming about driving to the airport and taking the next flight out. Unfortunately, we all have things holding us back, in particular, school, time and money. I have agonized for weeks and weeks over this complex problem (actually, more like 30 seconds), and came up with a solution: STUDY ABROAD. You can travel and experience life abroad while earning a degree, and not feeling like you are wasting precious time. In addition, there are many scholarships available to students wishing to study abroad to help them fund their tuition and other expenses.

Now, how do you begin to narrow down the hundreds of options available? So many countries, so many schools, so many programs. Well, if you scroll down a little bit, you will find an article written by yours truly, entitled “R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H” all about, well, conducting research! Go ahead and give it a read, I’ll wait.

I recently attended the Study and Go Abroad Fair in Toronto, and met with numerous representatives from schools all over the world. Speaking with them allowed me to gain important information, not only about the programs, but the school’s atmosphere, the country itself, and how I would fit in within that surrounding. Although the fair has already occurred, here is a link to their blog, full of articles about the different experiences students have had studying, volunteering, and working abroad:

http://blog.studyandgoabroad.com/

If you’re interested in studying abroad, but the idea of moving to a different country for up to a few years makes you a little nervous, consider completing a semester or two of your undergraduate degree aboard. Laurier International has partnered with over 60 universities all over the world for the Study Exchange Program, allowing you to pay Laurier tuition and earn credits toward your degree while living and breathing a new and unique culture. Below are the links to their webpage and Facebook page:

http://www.wlu.ca/homepage.php?grp_id=151

https://www.facebook.com/LaurierStudentExchangeProgram

Bon Voyage!