High School Study Abroad
Program in Europe

Reading lists will be posted on your program site in early May. Online pre-departure sessions with your teachers and classmates begin one week prior to departure. These virtual sessions are designed to introduce you to your classmates, teachers, and course work. Our goal is to prepare you to hit the ground running and reduce your workload onsite.

Day 1: On the day of departure, we meet at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Here, we unite as a group to distribute coursepacks, T-shirts and MEI Journals. After a meet and greet, we board a flight to our first location.

Days 2 — 8: We hit the ground running in the City of Light, where we consider the influence of French art, literature, history, and philosophy on English language and culture. The introduction of the French language and culture to England provided not only new words but new ideas and new ways of looking at the world. While exploring the romantic cobblestone streets of St. Germain, picnicking in the gardens of Versailles, and examining some of the most famous art in the world at the Musee D’Orsay and the Musée du Louvre, we take in all that Paris has to offer.

Days 8 — 14: From Paris, we journey across the English Channel to London, where we discover not only how Shakespeare modernized the English language but how that language and worldview was solidified and exported in the creation of an empire. Our study of Shakespeare brings his work alive as we study his plays in close readings before watching a live performance at the historic Globe Theatre. We also try our hand at writing arguments before presenting them in a heated exchange of ideas at the original Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park.

Days 14 — 18: Inspired by the vistas of Ambleside's rolling hills, rocky outcrops, and hidden trails, we retrace the steps of the Romantics in the meadows of England. Our days are spent in masterclasses and BookChats, as well as recapturing the spirit of self-reflection through the study of poetry. In the Lake District, we focus on honing essay writing and literary analysis skills with one-on-one feedback from teachers. Of course, a trip to the countryside wouldn’t be the same without a leisurely hike up the local mountain, which provides panoramic views of the small towns below.

Days 18 — 25: The works of contemporary Scottish writers, such as Irvine Welsh and Jackie Kay, allow us to study the transformation of provincial English literature to reflect the chorus of voices that is the cosmopolitan United Kingdom. After exploring Edinburgh’s haunted castle, we have the opportunity to preview the works of the world-famous Fringe Festival while developing Independent Study Units and other summative assessments. This journey comes to an end with a family dinner, where we reflect on all that we’ve done and seen this summer.

Departure from Edinburgh Airport on Day 25

Upon your return, you have time to complete additional research and pull your work together before your final one-on-one online assessment. This week allows you to reflect on your travel experiences and integrate them into the course material. MEI staff have found this style of evaluation enjoyable and the most authentic way for students to demonstrate their knowledge and academic skills.