Spending three quarters at the University of Washington in Seattle helped me grow personally and professionally. Rather than having to focus on taking courses required to graduate, the exchange provided an opportunity to explore courses that interested me, especially ones that were not offered at UBC. Exploring different courses and being in a new environment helped me reflect and discover what I wanted to pursue after graduation.
While Seattle doesn’t seem far from Vancouver at a glance, there are some differences I had grown to appreciate throughout my time in the exchange. For example, the quarter system allowed me to explore more courses in the school year, and the culture of summer internships, rather than a co-op program, inspired me to seek and find a summer internship on my own.
My experiences participating in the Corbett exchange were influential in helping me decide where I wanted to start working after graduating from college. Since I was already familiar with the city and because of the friends I had made during my exchange, my decision to move to Seattle for work after graduation became less intimidating—it became an opportunity to continue my adventures in Seattle that began at UW through the Corbett exchange.
Joey Li now lives and works in Seattle as a software engineer at Amazon.
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The Corbett British Columbia-Washington International Exchange Program, housed at the Canadian Studies Center, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, provides an opportunity for undergraduate students at the University of Washington to spend two semesters at the University of British Columbia or University of Victoria; and for students from the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria to spend three quarters at the University of Washington. More information about the program and how to apply is available here.
