My study abroad journey in Canada

Nicole Artigas is a Filipino studying business administration at Centennial College Canada. This is her study abroad story.

All of us have a dream. Something that we aspire to have or someone we want to be. For me, I had two -- the first is to be a successful surgeon someday and the other is to manage my family’s Agrivet business.

Torn between the two, I decided to give my first dream a shot by studying Medical Technology at Cebu Doctors University. However, after one semester, I came to realize how passionate I was about business, and so there goes the start of my international journey!

Why Abroad and Why Canada?

I chose Canada as the pathway to achieving my international studies because I find this country very suitable for both learning and living. Moreover, I have relatives living here and from what I have observed, they also enjoyed the lifestyle in this country; thus it made me inspired to pursue my studies here.

I understand that leaving home to go to a country very new to me would be quite challenging, but I have always been the type of person who was willing to take risks and step out of my comfort zone. I also knew that studying abroad would help me get opportunities and acquire more skills that could help me hone my passion on a global scale. More than that, I believe that studying abroad would help me practice more of my independence and decision-making skills for the future.

As daunting as it seems, I did not feel alone in this whole process. Aside from my relatives who helped me quickly adapt to the lifestyle and culture of the country, I had IDP who accommodated all my needs before I embarked on my journey.

My Study Abroad Experience with IDP

Ever since high school, I already heard a lot about being an international student. My relative, who is also an international student in Australia referred IDP to me, and from then on, I started the whole international student journey with them.

I am grateful to the whole team for being so accommodating to me – giving me all the assistance, advice, and help, and for making this dream of mine come true! When I received a confirmation that my visa application was granted, I couldn’t contain my happiness. Taking up a business management course at Centennial College in Canada has been, by far, the greatest decision I made in my entire life, and I would like to thank IDP for embarking on this journey with me.

My Study Abroad Experience in Canada

I never really imagined that I would go on this adventure in the middle of the pandemic, but I thank the Lord for this opportunity and for guiding me throughout this journey. So far, I have been enjoying my life here in Canada. I was able to quickly adjust to this country and adapt to their lifestyle. It only took me a few months to fall in love with this country. My journey may not be the usual one, but it surely was an exciting one - moving into Canada and starting my life here in the middle of a global crisis.

Learning is truly a lifelong process, and so far, I’ve been enjoying my international study experience despite me being in full online classes for two semesters now. How are the lessons, you may ask? They are superb! I am enjoying every second of it. The 13-week duration of my courses seems like just a week to me. In these challenging times, I realized that opportunities only come once in a lifetime, and I want to make use of this opportunity given to me to focus on improving myself. This privilege has been a blessing to me, especially since it happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I plan to make the best of it. I plan to continue my studies here in Canada once I complete my current program. This pandemic made me reflect on myself, and since I was able to pursue my passions now as a business major, I plan to build on what I started back in the Philippines and pursue something medical-related in I the future.

If you want to be an international student like Nicole, IDP is here to assist you throughout the process. Fill out the inquiry form on this page to get started.