High School Study Abroad
Program in Europe

English Through the Ages

Summer 2023

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Dates

Program Dates*

Early July — Early August, 2023

Travel Dates

July 5th — July 29th, 2023

*Program dates include online sessions to prepare students prior to travel and synchronous interviews to complete final assessments after travel. Dates are subject to change.

Locations

  • Paris
  • London
  • Lake District
  • Edinburgh

Courses Offered

English

Choose One

Contact us for course equivalencies in your school board.

Staffing

9:1 Student to Staff Ratio

Refunds and Cancellation

We've made it easier to plan your education while minimizing your financial risks.

Scholarships

Up to $5,000 in Scholarships Available

Availability

Open

Why Take this Program?

Take a voyage with some of the world’s greatest English writers of all time. If you love connecting great stories to locations, then this is the program for you. Watch a live performance of a Shakespearean play at the Globe Theatre and experience the feeling of being an Elizabethan commoner out for a night of entertainment. Grab your pen and journal and find inspiration to write poetry in the ambience of the streets of Paris and rolling hills of England, as you enjoy a summer creating your own epic story.

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Program Photos

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What People Are Saying

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The places we went, the people I met, and the adventures we had will be things that stay with me for the rest of my life. I love going to school, but this summer I learned that even more than that, I love being able to learn in the real world.

Kiersten Mikkelsen

Student, English Through the Ages, 2019

Program Itinerary

Explore this program's detailed itinerary for a sense of the journey ahead!

Student journaling
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Online Foundation Work

Program Preparation

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.

Plane leaving Toronto
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Departure

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.

Students in Versailles
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Paris

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.

Class at the Globe Theatre
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London

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.

Students posing for photo
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Lake District

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.

Edinburgh Castle
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Edinburgh

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

Studying for Finals
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Online Final Evaluation Week

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.

paris

london

edinburgh

lake district

What's Included

Fee Breakdown

Program Costs

  • Ministry-approved credit(s) upon successful completion of the course(s)
  • Custom course pack
  • Student Login
  • MEI journal
  • MEI T-Shirt
  • Digital yearbook

Travel Costs

  • Hotels and accommodations
  • Breakfast and dinner daily
  • Entrance fees to all course-specific sites
  • Return airfare from Toronto's Pearson International Airport
  • Approximate airline departure taxes, surcharges and fees
  • Airfare between countries
  • Transportation between hotel locations via private coach
  • Transportation for all listed program excursions

Program Fee Does Not Include

  • Lunches
  • Insurances
  • Gratuities
  • Local Transportation
  • Course texts
  • Medical Insurance and Cancellation Protection†
  • Non-refundable $95 Registration Fee

† All students travelling with MEI Academy are required to purchase Medical Insurance.

**Program cost does not include non-refundable $95 registration fee or any airline taxes or fees. Please note the possibility of increases in airfares and land costs prior to departure. Any increase must be borne by the individual participant.

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