Which e3 program is right for you?
Megan’s experience in the French Alps? Life changing. Now it’s your turn.
Megan (’19 BA English major, Religious Studies minor) always knew she wanted to have an international experience. When she realized that she could complete her Language Other than English requirements in the e3 program (with guaranteed credits), everything fell into place.
“For the French program, the two schools work very closely together. The University Centre of French Studies (CUEF) and U of A created the equivalency so I didn’t have to transfer back credits at all. It was a UAlberta course and I knew exactly which credits I was going to get — it was so relieving!”
You can customize your experience based on your goals by combining an internship placement, academic course, and/or a language course in e3 Berlin, Brazil, or the French Alps.
So, which location is best for you?
Well, it depends on your goals — is there a language you want to learn, an academic course that fits in your degree, or a city’s culture that interests you?
Saba Al Hammouri from University of Alberta International explains that, “Berlin is a design city with a great nightlife, Curitiba is a leader in sustainability, and the French Alps offers a great escape to the outdoors. Students should think about their goals and expectations and decide that way.”
No matter which location you choose, e3 is an incredible experiential learning opportunity that will impact your life — including your career! Saba states that in the e3 program, “students are not only able to gain international work experience, they are also able to gain new language skills that could help them stand apart in the job market”. And Megan agrees —
“I applied for my current job in the first place because I could meet all the requirements! I didn’t before, I wouldn’t have a year ago. I definitely credit this program to opening that door for me”.
International experience is a great way to build on skills developed in the BA. Megan emphasizes her personal growth during the program, as well as the importance of looking at different perspectives in the Faculty of Arts. This global point of view lent a land with her English and Religious studies degree, as well as supporting her work with international students.
“I am way more confident in my own ability to handle difficult situations. Knowing that I can go places where I’m not super proficient in the language and that I can survive is a confidence boost, you know? And I am less judgmental of things that I don’t understand.”
And yes, she improved her proficiency in French too! Beyond the classroom and language labs, Megan and her peers spoke French to locals everyday. This increased her conversational competence, which is tough to achieve quickly without immersion.
“The CUEF (Centre Universitaire d’Études Françaises) is world renown. If you want to learn French, this is where you go. There are wonderful instructors. They were like ‘Megan you are still doing this wrong, Megan this is your problem — fix it.’ And I’d be like okay, I’ll try!”.
Megan encourages participating students to get to know others going from U of A ahead of time at pre-departure ‘Meet and Greets’. But her biggest message is to embrace every second, including the challenging moments.
“Seek out new experiences that you wouldn’t expect and be open to them! It can be life changing. You expect to be the same when you come home, but you’re not.”
Internship application deadline: November 7, 2019
Language and academic course deadline: January 29, 2019
Want to read more about Arts alumni that have gone abroad? Logan’s Job Shadow experience encouraged her to move to Japan!
Interview edited for length and clarity.
