Exchange students come together to discuss opportunities abroad

Wilfrid Laurier University and Laurier International Global Engagement Opportunities is hosting a series of Workshops to bring together exchange students into a setting in which they can socialize and discuss experiences and opportunities of exchange.

The workshops are scheduled on various dates between January to March. All of the workshop dates are scheduled from 2:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. on various Tuesdays until March 27.

Anne-Marie Henry, coordinator of global engagement programming at Laurier, is supervising the series of events. The purpose of Exchange | Exchange is to connect incoming students with Laurier’s own students who have gone abroad. This opportunity allows for students to connect with one another and share experiences of exchange, travel as well as prospective opportunities.

“The Exchange | Exchange is something completely new this year. We heard from a lot of students who have been abroad that, when they come back, they want to connect with other students who have been abroad, but also students who are here from the places they’ve been abroad to,” Henry said.

“The event is not just for the students who are incoming from our partner schools, but also for Laurier students to connect with them and share their experiences. We’re doing [these sessions] bi-weekly this term”

Laurier has a long-standing tradition of welcoming exchange students, as well as sending its own students abroad.

Conversation is not the only tactic Laurier International uses to help students adapt to Canada. In addition to Exchange | Exchange, Laurier International also hosts intramural teams for exchange students.

Laurier has exchange partnerships with over 65 universities across the world. Last year, 230 exchange students travelled to a variety of countries and 183 exchange students were welcomed to Laurier this year.

“It’s almost one-for-one. We’re aiming for it to have parity,” Henry said.

Laurier has fostered relationships with many international schools, particularly with business schools. There are many different opportunities to go on exchange, especially in China as well as various countries in Europe.

“You’ll see that in China we have quite a number of partnerships and in France we have more partnerships. There’s lots of opportunities in Germany, there’s lots of opportunities in Norway, Sweden, Scandinavian countries; there’s quite a number,” Henry said.

Whichever major incoming exchange students are taking, there is still the risk of committing a faux pas — a breach of etiquette in social situations. It is Henry’s hope that the Exchange | Exchange events will lift some of that pressure.

“We’re hoping that people will just meet up, socialize and have conversations,” Henry said. “The theme is just to talk about cultural adaptation.”

Conversation is not the only tactic Laurier International uses to help students adapt to Canada. In addition to Exchange | Exchange, Laurier International also hosts intramural teams for exchange students.

“Something I think is pretty awesome, in terms of their positive experiences, is getting to play on the teams,” Henry said.

“There’s intramural soccer and they do table tennis, as well as other activities.”