Program Reviews

My experience with the Spring Semester program completely changed my life. The approach to education and the Ethos that MEI provides was such a unique and enriching experience, that I decided to become a teacher BECAUSE of my time with MEI. The leaders and support staff are the best teachers out there, and there's nothing better than learning about the material ON SITE! I loved my experience, and reccomend it to anyone who wants to be inspired.

Almost seven years later and I am still close to the friends I made on this journey! The spring semester is the perfect program for students wanting to travel through Western Europe with both like-minded peers and educators who want to push your limits. Through morning workouts, hikes, readings, assignments, and everything in between, you will return healthier, smarter, and with more of a desire to explore the world than ever before!

MEI academy has opened up my eyes to the world around me and taught me so many things. Academically, this program has pushed me to dig deeper in readings, and even when studying history and culture. In my studies, I now grasp details and focus on their purpose, which opens up so many new opportunities for opinions and theories. Secondly, I developed so many valuable skills and personality traits that I never imagined I would. Independence is the biggest thing, travelling for 5 weeks and personally being responsible for all your belongings sounds expected. However, you learn to become so aware and dependable, I could never have learned it a better way than just through experience and making mistakes. At MEI academy, you are also constantly surrounded with social opportunities because you are living with friends and other students, I learned lots about balancing school and social life and this will help me when I head to university in the fall. Finally, I learned the importance of being yourself and being kind to everyone around you. On trips such as this you do not want to waste time being shy or reluctant, because you will want that time back once your comfortable with each other. Overall, this experience exceeded my expectations and after hearing all my stories, my younger sister Jazmine has now signed up for a trip this summer!

If you are considering taking park on the Trek Through Europe MEI program, you should do it. Not only is this program educational and helps fast track you through high school and lighten your year course load, it is an amazing way to have an exceptional summer, make life-long friends and mature as a young adult. I would personally go on this trip 100 more times if I could. Some memories I will carry with me forever include watching and celebrating Germany win the world cup while living in Munich, Germany and visiting Vimmy Ridge on the 100th anniversary. This trip was one of the best months of my life. If you are on the fence about going on this trip, do it!

MEI taught me many things that I will hold with me forever. The program taught me techniques and skills to improve my education, educated me on the world from many different views and mostly taught me to step out of my comfort zone. While travelling abroad with MEI I learned a very important task Time Management, as there was so much I wanted to see and do while in all these countries there was also my share of work I had to complete for school. Overtime I learned how to create a balance and work concisely and efficiently so I was able to see everything I desired to see. On MEI I learned more in 80 days then I did in a six-month semester sitting in a desk. Lectures from my teachers were interesting and very enticing always making me want to know more. The teachers I had were very passionate about their teachings however were never biases, always allowing for the students input, point of view and suggestions. Finally on MEI I learned to step out of my confront zone, sometimes it was eating exotic foods, or working with different people other time it was completing a task I never thought I’d be able to do. Studying aboard with MEI Academy taught me things I would have never learned from a high school classroom.

The hardest moment of MEI for me was saying goodbye to my new family. Never have I ever been so close to 30 people in my entire life. After 80 days of an experience of a lifetime, living with the same people you become a family. They become your best friends, your brothers your sisters and I just never wanted it to end! The people surrounding me taught me so much, their constant support, the memories we made and the exciting fun times were so hard to see end. It was weird to believe I just travelled a portion of the world with these people and now I’m saying goodbye. 80 days before I was on a plane to Beijing, China with 30 strangers and 80 days later I was saying goodbye to my new family.

I took part in the MEI International Business program in 2015, the summer before going into grade 12. Upon entering the program I had no idea what I was passionate about or if I even enjoyed business. I can say with complete confidence this program is the reason I know what I wish to do with my future and know how to achieve my goals. This program gave me experiences I could never have dreamed of while preparing me for university and my future. From the diversity of class material and travel destinations I learnt about my interests, strengths, and how to be successful. This trip allowed me to find my passion and plan for my future with confidence in myself and my abilities. The program is created to keep you busy, focused, motivated, and provide real life examples of situations you usually just read about in textbooks. The program brings opportunities to life and gives you the knowledge and skills needed to be prepared for a successful future. This trip was the best experience of my life and has given me knowledge I could not have received from a textbook or traditional classroom. I would highly recommend this program to anyone, whether you feel passionate about business or your not 100% sure, it changes the way you see the world and yourself.

This past summer I participated in the International Business program with MEI Academy and I couldn't be happier with how well it has prepared me to enter university studying business next year. Since returning I have a new found love for the opportunities in business and have gotten involved with a DECA club at my high school competing in case study events against other students from all over Ontario. This program prepared me with the presentation skills and knowledge needed to enter the business world and ultimately contributed to my success of 8th place in Ontario for my category at DECA Provincials! The program focuses on an array of different aspects of business from real estate to the stock market and everything in between and I have no doubts that this program has provided me with the assets I need to enter university and the business field.The MEI Academy programs truly have an endless amount of benefits when it comes to character and academic development. For myself, I have never been an amazing English student but MEI focuses on creating concise, creative writers that think critically and when reflecting upon my experience with MEI, I could not agree more. Upon returning I have noticed that my public speaking, presentation skills and writing have all improved drastically and become second nature. We are encouraged to journal each morning to warm up our brains and organize our thoughts. This forms a habit to get your thoughts out and organize them in a way that is understandable and clear and I hope to continue this habit and maintain my writing skills.

While on my journey across the world, there were many memorable moments which will stick with me for the rest of my life. If I were to pick one moment in which I believe would top my list, it would be the trek we took to the private beach in Hong Kong. As a class, we were able to just sit back and reflect on how far we had came since the start of the trip and realize how fortunate we all were to have the opportunity to experience something so special. We played frisbee on the beach, swam in the ocean, had lunch together, and even got to write our own song about another classmate which provided some excellent entertainment! It was this moment which ultimately showed me how great the world is and how much it truly has to offer! Having the opportunity to step outside of the four walls of the classroom taught me crucial skills that will help me to be a more independent and successful individual during my future experiences at post secondary school. There is a strong sense of independence and responsibility on MEI programs which I believe are key fundamentals for building a well rounded confident background. Next year at post secondary school, I can confidently say that I will be able to comfortably live on my own and take care of responsibilities such as homework, while having a healthy balance with my friends and family. MEI really taught me the importance of prioritizing and maintaining a healthy balance between responsibility and leisure.

This MEI program is fantastic. The International Business East meets West program gives you a taste of what life in business is really like and how to work with deadlines. By the end you know if you are cut out for a commerce program or not. I loved the competition of the Apprentice Challenges and Dragon's Den. Our group was lucky to have Joe Mei as our lead teacher. He is the kind of person that changes the way you see the world and inspires you to achieve great things. The teacher assistants were also excellent and lots of fun. I especially liked our morning workouts and Ultimate Frisbee games in Central Park, at the Tower of London and in front of the Louvre. My most memorable activity was being 'lost' at the beach in Hong Kong and of course winning $500 for the London Apprentice!

I had wanted to go on this trip for a few years, and when I finally got my acceptance I was ecstatic!!! It was by far the best way I could have ever gotten two of my gr. 12 courses, and I feel I am now actually prepared fro University. The teachers level of commitment to the students was unparalleled by anything else I have ever seen. I will be recommending this trip to everyone back home!! Thank you MEI!!