Coleman Armes

Staff  Writer

As the school year’s end is rapidly approaching, most seniors are preparing to go to college in America. This, however, will not be the case for Harrison De Wulf as he ventures to further his studies in a new land— Canada.

De Wulf will be attending McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. McGill University, founded in 1821, was ranked in 2010 as the 18th best university in the world and currently has 36,531 students.

College in Canada will be a big adjustment for De Wulf, who has lived in Texas for most of his life. The average temperature at this time of year in Montreal is between 34 degrees and 52 degrees. Because of this, De Wulf is in the process of buying a ton of heavier, winter clothes in preparation for Canada’s colder daily weather.

Another cultural change is that the drinking age there is 18, so De Wulf, like many other college students, will have to face this with responsibility. Even though college means much more responsibility and lifestyle changes, especially when you are going to college in a different country, De Wulf is looking forward to many of these new aspects without much anxiety.

“I am a little nervous about being in a different culture and living in a different country,” De Wulf said. “I might feel a little lonely for a while being a long way from my family and friends, but I am really looking forward to the city life, the people I will meet and the unique college experience.”

De Wulf’s parents seem to be excited about the opportunities their son will have at McGill University too, even though he will be further away than most American college students.

“The day Harrison was accepted to McGill University was a great day for our family, I was very proud of him and, more importantly, he was very happy about it,” Harrison’s father Jan De Wulf said. “Everyone who we have spoken with has told us again and again what an exceptional school McGill is and what a tremendous experience it is to attend a university located in downtown Montreal. Getting accepted at McGill was no easy task, being one of the top 10 schools in North America. We will miss not having him within a few hours drive from home considering that it is a 29-hour drive to Montreal. However, we are grateful for the top-level education he will receive there.”

Harrison’s parents are also excited about the $3,500 tuition they will be paying, which is significantly less than what most students pay for a college education.

There is a reason for this lower tuition, though— Harrison has dual citizenship. Both of his parents are from France and because of his French citizenship, the French government is paying for $23,500 of his college tuition. He also speaks French, which will help in Montreal, where a large number of the population speaks a combination of French and English.

As for Harrison’s friends, they say they will miss his outgoing personality, but are happy that he is going to a great university.

“I’m excited for him, he got into Texas A&M University and the University of Oklahoma, which are located in the country whereas Montreal is in the city. I think he is more of a city person,” Harrison’s girlfriend Jordan Hagan said. “I think it would be funny if he came back with a Canadian accent.”

It seems that wherever Harrison goes, he will make new friends and be able to adjust well with the full support of family and friends and the confidence they have in him.

“One thing that stood out for me was that Harrison didn’t apply to McGill lightly, he understood that getting accepted would mean the added responsibility of taking on an outstanding and rigorous curriculum and the work load that comes with it,” Jan said.

It is definitely not the normal path, or an easy path for most American teens, but Harrison is up to the task of taking on a new, very prestigious college in a new country.