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Not just a number:
Students find a unique university experience

After a mediocre experience at a university in Ontario, Mike Mercer traveled abroad to Taiwan. When he decided to return to Canada and pursue his graduate degree, he considered attending Saint Mary’s.

“When I was thinking of coming to Saint Mary’s, it was Dr. Dodds who I e-mailed,” says the International Development Studies student. “We corresponded about six times over a two or three month period, culminating in my girlfriend and me choosing to come to SMU. When we thanked him for his time and advice, Dr. Dodds simply explained that it was his most important function as President, to promote and strengthen Saint Mary’s in all capacities.”

Mercer would’ve been equally surprised to get an e-mail from Prime Minister Stephen Harper. A personal relationship with the president of his university was an experience he never expected.

“I have personally seen him repeat this type of behavior with many prospective students and parents, even stopping lost tours in the halls and helping them find their way around campus,” Mercer says. “He is, above all else, dedicated to this university and its students, and that’s something I learned well before I had even stepped foot on campus.”

Graduate Shane Cunningham had a similar experience on campus. A Bachelor of Arts student majoring in psychology, Cunningham took a course with Dr. Jim Cameron. Little did she know that the class would turn into a plane ticket to Scotland.

“Back in one of his classes, we studied an experiment that was originally aired on the BBC,” Cunningham explains. “It was conducted by a professor in the UK and was very innovative. Jim really seemed to enjoy this study, and we talked about it a few times in the years to follow.”

When she later started to research graduate school opportunities, Cunningham discovered that the study was conducted by Dr. Steve Reicher, a social psychologist at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. 

“Had I not learned about his study and further discussed it with Jim, I likely would have not recognized Dr. Reicher as someone I would want to research,” Cunningham says.

Looking back, she feels that she spread her wings in many different ways during her four years in Halifax.

"My experience at Saint Mary's has taught me to take chances, both academically and personally," Cunningham says. "The things I've learned have given me the confidence to think outside the box; ask questions and be creative.”

Cunningham was active with SMUSA, involved in a variety of sports, and she also served as a Residence Assistant.

"I know I'm only 22 and plenty of other things will happen in my life, but my experience at Saint Mary's has shaped me into the person I am today. I came to Halifax not knowing a soul — some people tell me it’s because I was brave, but I think it’s because I intuitively felt safe there. Coming to Saint Mary's was undeniably the best decision I have made thus far in my life."

Adam Harris' university experience has taken place all over the world, not just on campus. Harris traveled to Dubai for the World Without Borders conference, to Northern Ireland as part of the Conflict Resolution Society, to the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities conference in Baltimore, and that's just to name a few.

"Saint Mary's framed learning in a multicultural environment, which sets us up for the real world," he says. 

No matter where he is in the world, he feels a connection to campus.

"Some of best memories I have of Saint Mary's are hanging out with friends, having really great discussions about what it all means and where we want to go next," Harris says. "I don't think I would be in Seoul if Saint Mary's hadn't made me think about the bigger world around me and display all the cultures of the world in one little city block."

Sarah Horne won't graduate from Saint Mary's until 2010, but she's already had her own opportunities to venture out into the world.

In 2008, Horne got to travel outside of North America for the first time and visit Ghana for the WUSC International Seminar. She didn't stop there.

"This summer, I jumped at the chance to go abroad again and was ecstatic about the chance to return to Ghana and experience another corner of the country. Ghana is a beautiful country with amazing, friendly people so it's definitely a country that you always want to go back to.

Having an up-close and personal view of education in another country and culture has given Horne a unique perspective.

"I've learned that quality education depends on so much more than material aspects," she says. "Such worldly experiences are extremely important because the classroom and the real world are two very different places. Without the opportunity to travel abroad, your global perspective is extremely limited. I've had the opportunity to learn so much from so many people that I no doubt would never have learned had I stayed home."