Summer High School Programs in International Business

The experiences and activities on this trip are like no other scholarly experiences I've encountered before. The idea of a classroom being at these world-famous sites is astonishing. Furthermore, the assignments are well oriented around the places you go and the activities you complete. They are hands-on, engaging, and surprisingly entertaining to say the least! Overall it was a truly amazing experience and pushed me to want to do more world travel and learn more about the subject area. This is a trip I will definitely not forget.

I went on the International Business Program in the summer of 2021. It was the first time really being able to travel again since the start of the pandemic, and it was the most amazing experience. Despite having to navigate the changing covid rules and restrictions MEI did a great job of making the trip run very smoothly and safely. I became close friends with some of the best people from all around the United States and Canada and we all continue to keep in touch with each other! The six cities we went to over the course of a month were all well planned, and I loved having the chance to both academically learn in these place but also have time to really explore cities and see the sights. The MEI saying is that the "world is our classroom" and this is very true, and an aspect of MEI that makes it very unique in the best way possible! Having our classes out in the cities really opened up my eyes to how amazing learning can be when we step beyond the closed walls and desks of a typical classroom we are used to. There is nothing comparable to learning about Julius Caesar while sitting various squares in Rome, or learning about real estate while walking and physically looking at real estate through the streets of Berlin. Our teachers were also the best! As academic teachers they were very knowledgable and engaging about the Business and English courses they were teaching, but as we traveled around with them we really get to know them and their personalities beyond the classroom which was really nice to be able to connect with them in a way that is not usually possible in traditional school. Lastly, the experience as a whole was a ton of fun. It was definitely a trip where we all had to learn how to manage our time as we had to balance our academic work with our exploring of cities and hanging out with peers, but all of these aspects (even the academic work) were very fun and engaging! It was an experience of a life time that I already wish I could go back to!

My experience on MEI was wonderful! I gained great social skills as well as having the most amazing teachers to teach me business and english! I would say the most unique aspect of the trip for me was the feeling of having the world at my fingertips while also creating an incredible balance between academics as well as free time to go off and have fun and get to know your peers! If your looking for an all around amazing experience that allows you to grow as a human being I highly recommend this program!

Last summer I had an amazing adventure travelling with MEI Academy completing the International Business Program and acquiring my grade 12 English and grade 12 International Business credits. It was a life changing experience that I would 100 percent recommend. In 5 weeks we traveled from Toronto, to NYC, to London, to Paris and then to Hong Kong and Beijing. We walked the streets of these great international financial centers embracing new cultures, building new friendships and being academically challenged every step of the way. All of the teachers on the trip were extremely engaging and supportive which inspired me to produce my best work. The program allowed me to share ideas with like-minded peers, work in dynamic groups and build leadership skills. I definitely improved my time management skills and my ability to prioritize and work with distractions while still having time for a lot of fun! I returned home more independent, resilient, self aware and confident that I could take on the challenges ahead of me. Honestly, I can’t imagine any better preparation for post secondary studies than completing an MEI Academy program. Thank you MEI for taking me on a trip of a lifetime and providing me with the most incredible memories!

This previous summer I experienced the most life changing summer of my life. Within 35 days I learned more than I had the whole year prior. MEI's international program opened my eyes to the world of business, taught me about different cultures, and gave me skills I will continue to use in my everyday life. On top of everything I got out of the trip, my favourite quality was the use of environment. Not once did we sit inside a class room during our lectures or our work time. It was always somewhere different, with an open space. From lectures at the steps of Versailles, to songwriting on the Great Wall of China, every day held a new adventure. Later when I went back to school and sat in a classroom again I realized how much of an impact that had on my learning. Another huge highlight of the trip was my teachers. They were all so approachable and impactful throughout the whole journey. They were not only mentors for me, but people I could go to and trust if I was anxious. If you’re debating on whether to do a trip with MEI or not, I highly suggest you take this leap and go for it. To this day I tell stories about my trip, and am still in touch with all the amazing friends that I made. There’s a magic to the community they create and I am so grateful to have been a part of it.

Over the past summer of 2019, I embarked on the travel opportunity of a lifetime with the MEI International Business Crew. This trip is something I will remember for the rest of my life without question, and has taught me valuable lessons that are hard to come by. Academically, the trip taught me more about how to communicate my thoughts into writing better than the last three years of high school has. The pure amount of writing and story telling that I completed, and the writing of other students that I was exposed to helped me recognize my weaknesses and strengthen them. The types of business lessons and opportunities you get exposed to are unmatched. Learning about the NY Stock Exchange while standing right next to it, learning about a day traders life while standing in their office, and meeting business legends in the flesh are just a few of the lessons that no classroom can ever provide. The feeling I had when was on the trip was a sense of family. My teachers cared for me like parents. They knew my goals and they were determined to find a way to help me reach them. There were no shortcuts, a strong work ethic is definitely necessary for this trip, but everyone is truly there to support you. The business trip has day long competitions called apprenticeships, and these were the days I learned the most about myself and others. These competitions are very challenging, and groups need to work efficiently to get the job one well. I learned more about group dynamics and leadership during this trip than I have in 7 years of competitive sports. This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity and you don't want to miss it!

After traveling with MEI Academy for 5 weeks throughout the summer of 2018, going back to normal high school will be a challenge. The trip that I signed up for with great enthusiasm ended up being more amazing then I could have ever imagined it to be. Before too soon, our group that was made up of people who all had different interests and all came from different places was a family. I made friendships that I will cherish for a long time coming. I believe it was so easy for everyone to get along and get close was because we are all hungry to travel and eager to learn; an environment in which I directly found my spot. There is a balance between education and social experiences, and almost all the time, the two overlap. One thing to know is that while this trip is amazing, it is definitely not a vacation There is a great sense of responsibility when you have the decision of going to visit the Big Ben or writing a last-minute essay that you haven’t worked on in the days prior. Time management is a skill that definitely is important during this trip, and even if it isn’t a great skill when starting this adventure, it most definitely will be one of your strongest coming out of it. Besides time management I have developed skills that I will use for the rest of my life. Responsibility, proper social skills, even going to the laundromat and doing our own laundry sometimes ended up being a challenge, but are all skills that have been enhanced during those 5 weeks. My favourite aspect of the trip is the fact that we weren’t just in these incredible places, but our amazing teachers were able to incorporate these environments into our lessons, which truly made the world “our classroom”. We would learn about marketing with the Eiffel tower in the background or reading poems about Dover Beach, while driving past Dover Beach. These are experiences you just aren’t able to recreate while sitting in a classroom. Overall this trip is something that I know I will be looking back on for years and years to come. It was an amazing experience that I would not have wanted to miss for the world.

The 2018 International Business trip was an unbelievable journey to remember. When presented this opportunity, I knew I had to escape my comfort zone and take part, and I am sure glad I did. As far as development goes, not a single other program will assist in your personal and academic growth as much as IB. From vigorous presentation schedules to plentiful writing opportunities, your preparedness for your final high school year and the commencement of university will never be better. Beyond academics, there is extremely valuable development of interpersonal skills that takes place while experiencing these cities in a tight-nit group. Something to know before embarking on the journey is that while you are visiting all these breathtaking places, it is not a vacation, as you do have two courses to be completed. Time management must be grasped in order to reach academic requirements with time remaining to explore the amazing cities around you, which is very attainable if you are efficient. The skills I gained along with the experiences I gathered on this trip are extremely valuable, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. First hand experiences of the business dynamics in the city superpowers was extremely interesting, and you certainly would not be able to capture these aspects without this program. Our expert teachers were also great contributors to the success of this trip, and it would not have been the same without them. Overall, this trip was truly amazing and I am extremely happy that I chose to embark on this adventure.