Finding friendship, direction and adventure overseas: Jenna Gill
It’s been about a year since I’ve returned from my study abroad opportunity at the University of Hertfordshire in England. The University of Hertfordshire is a large institution of almost 35,000 students near London. This experience changed my life in ways words will never be able to fully capture. Not only did I have the chance to fulfill many travel dreams and make incredible lifelong friendships, I was also able to pursue studies within my major on topics that are not ordinarily covered under my degree program. It also helped me narrow down what careers I would like to pursue post-graduation!
The experience helped me develop a variety of skills that will be relevant to the workplace and future education. It also shifted my mindset on how I perceive the world around me. To any students who wish to pursue studies internationally through VIU’s International Mobility program, there are some important things to remember going into such an experience! Here are the top three lessons I learned from my own experience as an exchange student.
You’ll find community, even when you least expect it!
Going into my exchange, I was nervous about finding people I could connect with. I was on my own in a foreign country, adjusting to a new culture and academic setting. But I quickly noticed that a lot of people around me felt the same way. They wanted to find people to share their international experience with and explore everything the country had to offer.
I made lifelong friends from many different countries. Some of these friends have already visited me here in Canada, and I will be visiting others in their home countries in the coming years! The trick is finding people with mutual interests. In my case, I found community in fellow study abroad students who wanted to travel around Europe during our time in the UK. Over the course of my exchange, I visited 12 countries with friends I made during my studies!
Favourite countries outside the UK? France, Italy and Portugal!
Things won’t always be perfect
Just because I came away from this exchange with amazing photos and memories does not mean that this experience came easy. Paperwork, navigating transfer credits, work/study permits, homesickness and financial barriers were some of the many problems I faced leading up to – and during – my time in England. These logistics kept me on my toes and made the experience far from simple! But I was able to develop organizational, budgeting and problem-solving skills to ensure that this experience was one to remember. Hard work really does pay off in the end!
Say YES to every opportunity
The best memories I made came from spontaneous decisions and accepting every opportunity that came my way. Book last-minute tickets to visit Edinburgh for the weekend? Sign me up! A student union trip to Windsor Castle for the day? Jump on the bus! Your study group wants to go on a late-night adventure downtown for snacks? You bet! The best memories came from accepting every invite, even at moments where it was not easy or convenient (some of my best adventures came from times when I didn’t feel like leaving my flat!). It’s important to embrace the moment and enjoy every bit of the experience you have. Seize all opportunities while you can. To me, that is what studying abroad is all about!
In photos: Jenna Gill's year in Europe
- My last trip with some of my new friends: a weekend in Berlin, Germany! This trip was special to me as I got to spend time with these new friends from my host institution, but I also had the chance to reconnect with some old friends from high school who pursued study abroad opportunities in Canada!
- Bonjour! This a photo of me in Nice, France. I got to put my French skills to the test and explore the south of France and Monaco during the first half of my spring break trip! One of my favourite cities that I visited!
- The first group trip of my second semester was to Stockholm, Sweden! It was amazing getting to explore the city with my new friends. Sweden was warmer than I thought it would be for February, but the river was still frozen over!
- Hello from Brighton! This was the trip that finally “made it out of the group chat.” Eight friends rented a house to spend a weekend together exploring the coastal city before we parted ways at the end of the first semester. One of my favourite weekends with this group! We all still keep in touch!
- One program our university offered was daily sports activities across both campuses to promote active lifestyles. On Tuesday nights they organized roller skating events!
- St. Albans Cathedral, a short bus ride away from my host university. This town was great for a change of scenery and amazing food. Fun fact: the university hosts their graduation ceremonies in this cathedral!
- My first time in London! Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) took my breath away when I first saw it towering above me. This was my “I made it” moment of study abroad!
- My flatmates and I showing off our train tickets on a trip into the city together! I miss the train system so much. It made travel so efficient and stress-free (once I figured out how to use the tickets at least!). My host university was only 30 minutes away from London by train, which made for some fun weekend trips!
Jenna Gill just graduated from Vancouver Island University with a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Digital Media Studies and a Minor in Languages & Culture (Romance Languages). Always a travel enthusiast, Jenna pursued her dream of studying abroad with VIU’s International Mobility program. She was able to spend two semesters abroad at the University of Hertfordshire (England) during the 2023-24 academic year studying Mass Communications.
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