BY JESSICA HAMMER
Students might not be aware that they can go to school in a different country and get credit for their Conestoga courses. But there are things they should consider first.
Some of the top things are expenses and which country to go to. A lot of research is required.
If a student decides to study abroad, he or she should know it is going to be more expensive. Additional health insurance will be needed and tuition will be higher because Canadian students will be considered international students. In Canada post-secondary tuition for Canadians is lower because it is subsidized by both the provincial and federal governments. However, just because tuition is higher aboard, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. There are other things to consider.
“Some of our programs you can study may be a full 12 months in Australia to get a degree and the alternative in Canada might be you study three years,” said Tao Cruikshank, a career adviser at Conestoga’s Career Hub.
“Even though that tuition in Australia is really expensive, at the end of the day because you’re studying for less time it may come out to be the same amount of money.”
Students can get help from various organizations when applying to international schools, trying to find living arrangements and filling out paperwork for visas.
“It’s more for the experience than the actual studying,” said Abby Schlupp, a first-year media foundations student, who added that she had some friends who studied abroad last year.
The countries that are most popular are Germany, Australia and England. Students from business and graphic design programs are often the ones who tend to go overseas.
“No matter where you go you are going to learn a lot about yourself and what your strengths are. It shows a lot about yourself and you’re much more independent, you can think for yourself and you’re adaptable,” said Cruikshank.
“When you go to a job later, if you can adapt to a whole new country then you could probably adapt well to a company culture.”
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