An article by Tracy Gavilanes, Colegio Menor San Francisco de Quito
In July, three college counselors from Quito visited 22 Canadian universities, spread out from the AtlanticCoast at Halifax west to London, Ontario.Marie Vivas from Colegio Americano, Barbara Sipe from Einstein, and myself, Tracy Gavilanes, from Colegio Menor, have sifted out several of the highlights from our trip to share with you.
The universities that we saw were all impressive.The programs are avant-garde and broad in scope.One university offers fourteen different engineering programs.Others offer new careers such as Gerontology and Nanotechnology. As Canadians see the value of combining classroom theory and real world application, Coop and Internship programs are on the rise.Students can work during semesters or summers, in Canada or Abroad.They learn practical skills and return to the classrooms to validate the theory they have been exposed to.All of the universities have innumerable opportunities for study abroad. Students can study semesters of political science in France, business in China, or cloud forest insects in Ecuador!
The universities� central concern with technology is quite evident..We saw Touch Smart screens so smart that professors can �write� on them with a finger, and change the color of the �writing� with a touch of a button.We saw a multi-vehicle simulator that functions as a helicopter or a car by merely changing a switch.And we saw wind tunnels that allow students to actually try out their aerodynamic designs!Many campuses are entirely wireless, so that students can access their class notes on line in the cafeteria, in their dorms, or even in the campus bar.Many universities offer laptops on loan for free, so that students do not have to carry their own around.
The Canadians say of themselves �cold weather, warm hearts�.Universities are well-adapted for the below zero temperatures.Wherever possible, buildings are designed to face the morning sun. Windows span several stories to catch the tiny winter rays.Many buildings have atriums with translucent glass ceilings so that the people inside can glimpse the sky without going out into the freezing cold.Also, roofs are peaked so that the snow will easily slide off.Most universities, and many cities, have some sort of tunnel system, so that students can go from class to class and dorm to dorm without getting out into the snow.Athletic facilities are all under roofs:inside running tracks and indoor Olympic pools abound.Tennis courts are covered in late October with round plastic covers. In addition, snow plows begin their routes from 3:00 a.m.; in some schools, enterprising students are paid to shovel where the plows don� t reach, so many universities never miss class at all in the winter!
We felt the warmth of Canadian hearts everywhere in our tour.Our university hosts went our of their way to make us feel welcome.Some stayed late on Friday afternoons and came in on Saturday to talk to us;university VIP�s, and even one President took time from their busy schedules to explain the highlights of their universities. Some invited us to try Canadian specialties such as fresh halibut and scallops or rabbit sausage and duck, or the famous microbrewery beer(We even tried a raspberry brand!)One host appearedat 7 a.m. with a special send offof doughnuts and coffee (Tim Horton�s, of course).We felt welcome every step of the way.
Je me souviens (I remember)is the phrase in French that appears on all Quebec license plates.We adopted the phrase as our motto for our our whirlwind road trip. Each of us brought back wonderful memories of the universities, the culture, and the Canadian people, and of course, lots of information and advice for our students.
Thanks to our gracious hosts at: Saint Mary�s University, DalhousieUniversity, MountAllisonUniversity, University of New Brunswick, Saint ThomasUniversity, CarletonUniversity, University of Ottawa, McGillUniversity, HEC Montreal, ConcordiaUniversity, Queen�s University, TrentUniversity, McMasterUniversity, BrockUniversity, University of WesternOntario, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, RyersonUniversity and YorkUniversity.