(Jamaica Observer) One Jamaican student studying in Canada is encouraging her countrymen to consider a similar option, a move she says would bring valuable results.
Former Manchester High School student Crystal Witter, now in her fourth year at St Mary’s University (SMU) in southern Halifax, Nova Scotia, wants more Jamaican students to explore the opportunities available at universities in the North American country, as several of them ramp up their international recruitment programmes.
Witter said, while deciding to relocate can be frightening, the benefits to be derived from it are invaluable.
And while she acknowledged that every experience is not the same, she said students are bound to become well-rounded individuals and the best versions of themselves.
“Upon starting St Mary’s University in my first year, the first thing that stuck out to me was how diverse the university community is. With that, I was able to fit in really quickly,” Witter, a psychology major, said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer at the campus recently, during the EduCanada guidance counsellors, students and media tour 2019.
“Because of the diversity, I felt at home. I could identify with a lot of people there who looked like me. I also liked how the university community is well-equipped with resources and experiential learning opportunities, to help you develop your own interest and to help you to get out of your comfort zone,” Witter added, batting for more Jamaicans to consider SMU.
Already, approximately 40 Jamaicans are studying at the university which caters to just over 7,000 students, a third of which makes up the international population from 118 countries. As a result, the school promises a rich, cultural experience all while fostering global connections.
Services specifically dedicated to international students include the International Centre, the Language Centre, and the Students Acting for Global Awareness programme, among others.
“As an international student, I find St Mary’s University to be fulfilling. The experience at SMU, I’d say, is life-changing. One of my difficulties coming to SMU was facing the weather and the differences in culture. However, St Mary’s University provides you with an atmosphere of support,” Witter expressed.
For her, the support most international students receive from home ahead of university life was lacking. That is where SMU stepped in, she shared.
“Throughout university, I didn’t get direct support. Most students coming to school from the Caribbean that I know of, their parents come to SMU on the first day. Their parents would participate in all the activities and they would be there for a few days just to get them settled. That’s the norm, I would think, for students coming to university. I didn’t have that. I came to Canada on my own and supported myself throughout my university experience.
“Not having family immediately around me, the university provided that support where I was able to either get out into the SMU community or get out into Halifax; that didn’t replace family but filled that void. When most students would leave university for the holidays to go home, for the students who couldn’t afford that or didn’t have family close by, SMU stepped in and hosted many dinners,” the 22-year-old said.
The school also provided financial support, Witter disclosed.
Annually, the university awards over $6 million in scholarships for academic excellence. Two types are available: Renewable entrance scholarships and named entrance scholarships.
Students with an average of 80 per cent and above at admission are automatically considered for entrance scholarships and are required to maintain a 3.67 grade point average, while named entrance scholarships — supported by alumni, staff, community members, and businesses — are open to students after admission.
The deadline for application and supporting documents for the named entrance scholarships is March 1.
“I find the many opportunities to receive scholarships and funding very valuable based on need, based on academics, based on involvement in university activities or in university life. I wouldn’t be able to be in my fourth year if I didn’t get funding. This year I received scholarships valued over $10,000 for my fourth year. You are working hard and they are rewarding you,” Witter said.
Added to that, she mentioned that SMU, Canada’s third oldest university, provides the necessary resources to help students develop entrepreneurial skills.
Students are also able to participate in the school’s co-op programme. This is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience provides academic credit for structured job experience.
At SMU, international students are permitted to work while studying. The Canadian Government allows full-time international students to work 20 hours on and off campus during the academic year, and 40 hours per week when class is not in session.
As International Recruitment Specialist Lauren Cullen puts it, there are lots of great job options in Halifax.
“Then when you stay on a three-year post-graduate work permit, if you choose to do that, Halifax certainly has growing opportunities in various industries — whether it’s sales and services, tourism, finance, science, research, and more,” Cullen said.
“You will find in all of our programmes we have a very strong emphasis on hands-on or experiential learning. Almost all of our majors have co-op. That is what led me directly into my position here. It’s optional, you can apply in your second year. Students are researching with their professors as early as the summer of their first year,” she added.
SMU specialises in liberal arts, business, science, engineering, and environmental studies.
Cullen shared that among the school’s most popular majors is psychology, specifically industrial organisational psychology and forensic psychology.
“In our science faculty, we have a forensic science certificate. We are the only university in Nova Scotia that offers that. It’s very hands-on. Every year they take a resident room and make it into a crime scene. Then forensic students have to go in and figure out who did the crime.
“We are the only university in Canada that offers a major in entrepreneurship in the arts. We also have it in business. We are unveiling a new entrepreneurship centre with money from the Nova Scotia Government. That is to promote an entrepreneurial mindset for all students — whether it’s arts, business, science,” the recruitment specialist explained.
The university is also home to the oldest and largest business school in Atlantic Canada — Sobey School of Business. At Sobey, students join the ranks of thousands of business leaders from over 80 different countries.
With co-op work placements and study abroad opportunities, students are expected to be able to develop a global outlook in pursuing their passion.
“So we’re very proud of all that we have to offer with optional co-op in every major as well. In the Bachelor of Science, astrophysics is very unique, as is forensic science, but almost all of these majors have the option for co-op as well, and really fantastic research,” said Cullen.
Added to that, SMU shares a School of Environment and an engineering programme with Dalhousie University, also in Nova Scotia. Students complete their first two years of the programme at SMU and the final year at Dalhousie.
Fees for international students vary and are dependent on faculties: Arts and Environmental studies – $28,866 (tuition $17, 270; student fees $1,354; residence and meals $10,242); Business – $30,006 (tuition $18,410; student fees $1,354; residence and meals $10, 242); Science – $29,682 (tuition $18,086; student fees $1,354; residence and meals $10,242) ; Engineering – $33,680 (tuition $22,084; student fees $1,354; residence and meals $10,242).
For the most up-to-date scholarships at SMU, visit smu.ca/scholarships.