Angle down icon An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. Dalia Goldberg says studying in Montreal helped her learn a new language and allowed her to graduate debt-free. Dalia Goldberg Dalia Goldberg chose to leave the US in 2010 to earn her BA at McGill University in Canada.During her four years in college, she experienced some culture shock and learned a new language.After graduating, she had no student-loan debt. She continued to live abroad and settled in Spain.
It was 2009, my senior year of high school, and I felt clueless.
I’d never fit in very well at school. I enjoyed learning when I was younger but toned down my enthusiasm when it became clear that having too many nerdy interests was “uncool.” So by the time some of my peers were eagerly filling out college applications and even discussing what they might choose as a major, I was still dragging my feet.
I didn’t feel particularly excited about the future. What was the big deal about college, anyway? I’d just be studying the same old subjects and preparing for some job I didn’t really want. My parents took me on college visits, where we attended presentations that I listened to half-heartedly.
Growing up in a Philadelphia suburb, the University of Miami caught my eye. I was enamored by the lush, green Florida campus filled with flowers and fountains, just a half-hour drive from South Beach. The distance from my hometown was an added bonus. But at a whopping cost of over $50,000 a year at the time — including tuition, fees, and room and board — I’d definitely have to take out student loans.
New York University offered the excitement of living in a big city, but the cost — nearly $60,000 a year at the time — was also daunting.
I began filling out applications to state schools, a more affordable option. But I couldn’t quite give up my dream of moving farther away and having an adventure.
I started looking into colleges outside the US
I wanted to meet new people, explore new places, and get a fresh start. Maybe if I could get away from memories of middle-school bullies and awkward encounters with boys, I could finally enjoy studying again.
My parents had bought me a big book of colleges, which I haphazardly flicked through while watching TV. Then, something caught my eye. Not all the colleges in the book were in the US. Some were overseas, and those were cheaper — a lot cheaper.
“Can I visit Trinity College Dublin?” I asked my parents. But they weren’t fans of this idea. Europe was far away, and going back and forth would be expensive. Would European degrees even be valid in the US? There were too many variables.
So I proposed a closer option: McGill University in Montreal. It was well-known in the US and just a 1 ½ hour flight from Philadelphia. I could even take the train. The cost was significantly cheaper than my other favorites: around $25,000 for the year, including room and board.
Deciding on Montreal came with challenges
During my first visit to the city, I knew it was the place for me. I loved the narrow streets of Old Montreal, the plazas, the bars, and the restaurants. I also found the school appealing. I felt it was a place where I’d be free to do things my way. I liked the independent approach to student life, with most students moving off-campus after their first year.
After the visit, I pushed myself academically. I studied hard in my French class, got a few letters of recommendation, and took the ACT and SAT subject tests. Finally, I got the score I needed for admission.
Leading up to graduation, I started to have cold feet. I’d be leaving all the friends I’d made in the past few years and starting completely from scratch. Did I really want to do this? Some friends thought it was cool that I was moving to Canada, but others found it odd. Even when I explained the lower costs, it sounded too far away to them.
At first, the author, right, thought it would be hard to find her place at McGill, but she ended up making a lot of close friends. Dalia Goldberg
When I got to Montreal, I didn’t feel comfortable right away. Like any college freshman, I was somewhat anxious about being away from home for the first time, but there was also the added element of culture shock.
I’d become friends with a French exchange student at my high school and spent some time in France, but I soon found the language and expressions used in Quebec were a lot different. I also didn’t know much about Canadian culture — the slang, the history, the education system, or the way people viewed the world.
At first, as I met groups of students who knew each other from high school, I felt like it would be hard to find my place at McGill. After a while, though, I found a good group of friends, got involved in city activities, and began to feel at home.
Starting my career abroad
After receiving my diploma four years later, I knew I wanted to stay abroad.
I applied for a postgraduate work permit that allowed me to stay in Canada and found a job at a marketing agency where I had to speak French every day. At first, I felt intimidated. I didn’t get some of the jokes and cultural references made around the office, so socializing was hard. But over time, I began to feel more comfortable working in a second language.
After a few years, I decided to move to Berlin with my partner at the time. It was hard to find work, learn German, and navigate the immigration system, but I drew on my previous experiences and found a remote job teaching English online. We continued moving around Europe until I settled in Spain in 2018, where I started a career as a freelance content writer and journalist.
Moving abroad for my degree gave me the courage to pursue my own path. As I learned how to figure out confusing visa situations, new cultures, and foreign-language environments, I became more resilient and motivated in my career.
Not having a student loan to pay off was an added bonus.
Got a personal essay about choosing to attend college outside the US that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: akarplus@businessinsider.com.
Source link : https://www.businessinsider.com/college-overseas-abroad-canada-mcgill-university-no-debt-2024-7?amp
Author :
Publish date : 2024-06-30 20:14:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.