Fall Semester in Europe

At the beginning of grade 11, I decided my grade 12 year needed to be different. I’ve always loved learning but continuing this repetitive 9-4 pattern of classroom learning was going to crush my desire to discover more. This and the fact my current school was not at all preparing me for university is what drove me to apply for the MEI fall semester in Europe. I of course was a little nervous to be spending 70 days with complete strangers, but those feelings quickly dissipated and second I met my class, and my new family for the following weeks. Everyone on my trip came from various different lives but we all shared the common goal to learn and seek out everything this world has to offer. Your classmates start to feel like siblings as you learn to live with each other as well as work together on various different projects and presentations. I grew tremendously not only as a student but also as a person during my MEI semester. From being educated in the places where historical events occurred, conquering fears of public speaking and learning invaluable people skills, being able to go abroad with MEI is something I will always be grateful for. Not even halfway through the fall semester I signed up to continue with MEI for their spring semester, influenced by the above points, but overall by the connections and friends formed to last a lifetime.

I just concluded my final semester with MEI Academy and after spending 120 days on the program I can confidently recommend this to any high schooler in grade 11 or 12 who is looking for something new. I participated in the “Big Year” meaning I spent my fall semester traveling through Europe and my spring traveling through Asia and it was truly life changing! Not only were the places that I traveled to absolutely magical but the people that I spent my time with were incredible. I love MEI because the size of my program (10-15) allowed me to become friends with people I never expected to. We were all like-minded in the sense that we wanted to learn about the world, but we also were all so unique and I learned so much from my fellow students. The teachers on the trip were also incredible! They were all so supportive and passionate about what they do, which was incredibly refreshing. The majority of the teachers on my trip were young making them approachable and easy to relate to. Some of my teachers changed between semesters but Riley stayed through the entire year and I became very close with her. I of course respected her on a teacher level but when we weren’t in lessons she became a great friend. It might sound very corny but the people I spent time with truly felt like family by the end. I was forced to learn to coexist with people because of proximity which taught me a lot about myself and how differently we all live. Regarding the academics, it was quite difficult to get used to the MEI approach as it is very independent. Most projects that we did had very little guidelines regarding content which allowed us to explore topics that actually interested us and tie it back to the course, teaching us how to think critically. The teachers gave a lot of creative liberty to the students, supporting and even encouraging us to follow through with our “crazy” ideas. I got back from Asia about a month ago and I’m still mourning the experiences that I had and the connections that I made. I truly cannot recommend MEI enough!

Mei is an unforgettable and life-changing experience. I was a student in the European fall semester of 2022, as a junior in high school. We traveled to Rome, Roccamare, Borgo, Florence, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, the Swiss Alps, Paris, Heidelberg, Berlin, and Munich.
Travel:
To travel between cities you will take a coach, train, or airplane. We stayed in various hotels and they were always clean, with a handful even being luxury.
Community:
I am from the US, and this is a Canadian-based program. I appreciated learning from my classmates and teachers from a different country than me. All of the students are interviewed prior to the trip and go through an application process before attending. Therefore, all of my classmates wholeheartedly wanted to be there and had an eager passion for their learning. The Mei dynamic is very much a family one. You will become closer to this group of strangers than most of your friends at home. Each and every teacher and teacher assistant is very warm and truly cares about you. I have made lifelong connections with Mei whom I hold very close to my heart.
Education:
Mei creates a well-rounded, flexible, and education-hungry student. Every morning we were required to watch videos and had readings corresponding to a daily theme. One of the themes was power and there was a Machiavelli reading attached along with a series of wonderful videos. This was our morning muse and it connected to all of the coursework we completed that day. A group conversation followed this and each student brought challenging and passionate ideas, leaving me feeling inspired every day. I learned from my classmates constantly and felt like they added to my education almost as much as the material did.
Impact: I often find myself using critical skills that Mei has taught me, a year after the trip has ended. As I am in my last year of highschool, I am complimented by my teachers on my ambition and ability to think outside of the box. After returning home from Mei I felt incredibly inspired to pursue my passions and started a non profit organization at my school. I learned more about myself, my dreams, aspirations, and values more than ever before.

I went on this program during Fall 2022. I met a lot of interesting individuals, some of which I am still friends with. It was really fun and something I definitely won't forget, my only gripe is the lack of freedom for certain activities. The education I received was top notch and I became well-versed in European history. The teachers were also well-versed in their fields and truly pushed me and my fellow students further than we could have gone. The assistant teachers were nice as well. The entire group functions like a family away from home for the duration of the trip. Would reccomend.

After completing the summer trip to Greece this year, I was lucky enough to join the MEI Fall trip. The trip changed my life. I have grown and learned not only about the world around me, but have gotten to really know myself. This trip has shown me the beauties of the world we live in, and encouraged me to be the best version of myself. This is so much more than school. After being on lockdown through covid, this program has helped me find new friends and explore new opportunities I never knew existed!

The MEI experience is unique & unlike any other on the market. As an "original" student over 20+ years ago, to see my daughter get to travel and explore the world with MEI has been a profound experience as a parent. The isolation and restrictions of COVID-19 in 2020 set so many young people back, as the world opens it's doors again, I can't think of anyone I would entrust my child with to safely get back to the beauties of the world & grow and mature through the experience this education offers.

This semester is unlike anything in existence within any school system. It is truly incredible to travel throughout all of these locations and learn about the people who stood there throughout history. There was a moment about a week into the trip, after our first book chat. we were all having fun, overlooking Rome at sunset while a performer was playing. We were all just singing, laughing and observing the gorgeous city right in front of our eyes. That was the moment I realized, this experience was special and definitely could not be found anywhere else.

I registered for the MEI second semester program for Spring 2020, and just a few days before departure the world shut down due to COVID-19. While our travel has been delayed, we were able to complete our classes online. Even though it wasn't what I hoped, the online learning was well done, and helped keep a routine while we were in lockdown! 
The media program was my favourite, and I learned a lot. I want to continue to expand on what I learned when we travel, since some things I found a little more difficult to grasp through online learning. I prefer to be hands on, but given the circumstances, this was not something we could make happen. 

I will wait and leave on the travel portion when things open up for travel again. I've been looking forward to seeing the world, and I know it will happen when we can safely see the many sites we discussed in our lessons. MEI teachers did a great job supporting our class through a global pandemic from the safety of our homes. I really appreciate the online graduation ceremony that the staff put on for us! It was really nice to feel recognized. 
My plan is to carry on with post secondary, and when things open up, leave to enjoy the travel portion of this experience. I know the learning will continue, and I'm looking forward to it! Education with MEI is unlike anything in a traditional classroom.