When I was younger, I often spent my free time with my aunt, known for her love of travelling, who brings her stories to life through vivid descriptions of the people, places and moments she encountered, especially during her time completing her master’s degree in Australia.
Long before studying abroad became my own goal, those stories shaped my belief that education could exist far beyond the classroom.
Years later, the idea feels less like a daydream and more like a real possibility since becoming a student at Mount Royal University (MRU), which offers a study abroad program.
I started to ask, how does it contribute to a student’s academic experience?
Is it simply a chance to travel, or does it meaningfully change how and what we learn?
From curiosity to possibility at MRU
As I began looking into the exchange program offered at MRU, I found that there are approximately 60 partner institutions worldwide, and costs vary depending on where you want to study.
An Academica Forum report suggests that studying in a different country can help students understand differences in learning styles.
Some found topics they couldn’t study at their home institution, but for others, it meant seeing familiar topics through a new cultural lens.
Cara Blechschmied, a student from the University of Cologne in Germany who completed an international exchange semester at MRU in fall 2024, didn’t just experience a new education system.
She also built lasting connections with professors and other students. She felt she was part of the community, rather than just a visitor.
“Beyond improving my language skills, my time abroad allowed me to build lasting connections to the other side of the world. Immersing myself in a new culture, experiencing a different education system, and embracing the local campus life, I became a part of the culture rather than just visiting,” said Blechschmied.
Building connections across borders
Through interviews with Blechschmied and my research, what stood out most was how learning does not reside only in the classroom.
Students travel and explore unfamiliar cities, learn to adapt to new social norms and engage with people from different backgrounds.
Often, without even realizing it, these experiences shape how students approach their coursework.
Assignments are now tied to real places, histories and communities students encounter daily.
Learning through lived experience
My research showed how studying abroad helps develop skills that will be beneficial in the long run.
“Study abroad has an overall positive impact on the development of a wide range of 21st century skills, expands career possibilities, and has a long-term impact on career progression and promotion,” wrote Patricia Fox and Charles McIntyre in a report titled Clear Advantages to Studying Abroad: So Why Aren’t Students Enrolling?
Just like everything, there are challenges to studying abroad.
A Government of Canada report notes that cost remains a significant barrier, and adjusting to a new academic system can be overwhelming.
MRU offers a few funding options, like guaranteed funding through the International Mobility Award to assist with costs for students pursuing an outbound exchange, and scholarships like the Scotiabank Student International Experience Fund.
Barriers and support systems
Yet, even with those challenges, the benefits outweigh the difficulties.
In Fox and McIntyre’s report, studying abroad doesn’t replace traditional learning.
Instead, it expands it. Students are able to connect theory to lived experience and to understand subjects within a broader, global context.
Expanding, not replacing, education
In many ways, that brings me back to my aunt’s stories.
As a child, I heard them as adventures, snapshots of faraway places.
Now, I understand them differently.
They were not just about where she went but also about how those experiences shaped the way she learned and saw the world.
As I consider my own path, studying abroad feels less like an escape from the classroom and more like an extension of it, one that stretches learning beyond its traditional borders and into everyday life.
After attending an exchange information session, I’m now going through the application process to study abroad in England for the winter 2027 semester.