In a community as large and diverse as Ryerson University, it does not come as a surprise that there is always some kind of event going on. While some of the events are for entertainment, there are others that are beneficial to students in different ways. Adjusting to life at university is not easy. It can be difficult to find a balance between school work and extracurricular activities. Luckily, there is a way that you can do just that! Global Learning Week 2019 is a week full of events available to Ryerson students who want to study abroad. Whether it’s an exchange program, summer research or a job, all of that is possible!
Link to the story: https://www.ryerson.ca/ri/GLW/
Studying abroad is an exciting opportunity. You get to broaden your horizons while working towards your degree. However, is this something that Ryerson students are interested in? To find out, on-campus interviews were conducted. Rogers Communications Centre, Sheldon and Tracy Levy Student Learning Centre and George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre were a few of the many on campus locations where students were interviewed about this topic.
Below are three sample interviews where different students gave their answers and expressed their opinions on this topic.
Interview 1
First and Last name: Lexus Scott
Program and Year of Study: Marketing, Year 3
Ryerson Email: lexus.scott@ryerson.ca
In this interview, Lexus talks about how she is interested in going abroad and experiencing a different marketplace. As a business major, this is something that is of interest to her.
Interview Recording
Interview 2
First and Last name: Asritha Swaminadhan
Program and Year of Study: Media Production, Year 2
Ryerson Email: asritha.swaminadhan@ryerson.ca
In this interview, Asritha talks about she has always wanted to study abroad, ever since she was in high school. She did previously know that Global Learning Week was about studying abroad, but wants to learn more.
Interview Recording:
Interview 3*
First and Last name: Jovanpreet Mann
Program and Year of Study: Computer Engineering, Year 1
Ryerson Email: jovanpreet.mann@ryerson.ca
In this interview, Jovanpreet talks about how it is interesting to go abroad and learn about everything the country has to offer while taking your studies with you.
Interview Recording:
*This interview was done by my partner, Yasaman Farazmand.
These are just three examples of the 18 interviews that were conducted. Of the 18 people that were interviewed, only two people said that they had previously heard about Global Learning Week. However, even the people who were not informed, showed a willingness to be more informed about events at Ryerson. Students said that although they do regularly check their school email, learning about student lead media like RUtv and Ryersonian would help to know about events on campus. Another thing that the majority of these students spoke about was the fact that it is actually quite expensive to study abroad! This is undoubtedly a major factor as to why so many Ryerson students do not know about the opportunities that Global Learning Week provides. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to study abroad, even if it is something that they are interested in. This can definitely lead to being uninformed about the issue. In conclusion, with so many events happening at Ryerson, it is understandable that interviewees were unaware of Global Learning Week. However, they showed a genuine interest in the event after learning all the details, which is important to note.