Miranda Batterink remembers the last words she heard before she left for her exchange in Ireland.

"Try not to think about the fact that you don't know a single person in the entire country," she was told.

Despite this sobering advice, Batterink went through with her exchange to the University of Limerick and knows that she's a better person for it. She says studying in Ireland gave her the chance to not only advance her academic career but also to become immersed in a new culture in a way that simply travelling would have never given her.

"You only live once, so you might as well collect as many bold life experiences as you can," she said.

With 74 exchange agreements with more than 100 universities worldwide, McMaster students are certainly able to get those experiences. The University's exchange program MacAbroad allows third and fourth year students to spend all or part of a year studying abroad, giving them the life experiences needed to become well-rounded individuals.

"I was able to travel to a new place every weekend, meet students from every corner of the globe and play the Irish tin whistle for class credit," said Batterink. "I learned so much about myself, and there was never a dull moment."