For how long did you stay abroad?

5 weeks each time

Why did you choose to learn abroad?

I live at home while attending school at UTM, so I really wanted an international experience that could be both academically beneficial as well as an overall amazing personal opportunity.

When you do a program like this, most of the peers that are there with you are like-minded people who have the same interests as you, so you end up making friends that become like family right away.

Sam Inglis
Sam Inglis

What are the specific skills that you learned or developed?

I learned independence and confidence. Although Summer Abroads are very structured there was a lot I did and figured out on my own – I felt like I came back a very confident traveler and a more confident person. I gained a lot of academic confidence as well! Being in a class where you see your peers everyday and build a relationship with your prof helps you build on so many academic skills, that I came back a much more confident student overall.

What benefits did you get from the experience?

Independence, confidence, a good relationship with a prof, cultural context and understanding, collaboration

Please, name 2 challenges that you faced and how you overcame them in your experience.

The first Summer Abroad I went on, I went totally alone. I had never lived in res, never been away from home for an extended period time, never gone away alone, so I had a lot of concerns. I overcame all my fears and worries really quickly by just plunging myself into everything I could and taking advantage of everything the program had to offer, so there was no time to worry or be scared.

I also worried about feeling homesick and not meeting people. But when you do a program like this, most of the peers that are there with you are like-minded people who have the same interests as you, so you end up making friends that become like family right away.

Although Summer Abroads are very structured there was a lot I did and figured out on my own – I felt like I came back a very confident traveler and a more confident person.

Would you recommend learning abroad to a friend? Why?

Absolutely! It was without a doubt the best experience of my entire time in university.

Sam Inglis