When it comes to choosing a school to study at there’s many factors to consider. There’s breadth of program and course options, class size, location and of course, tuition. But after deciding she wanted to pursue a career in the music industry and hearing about Toronto’s Harris Institute from a family friend, there was only one option for Jasleen Kaur.
“After doing my own research, Harris seemed like a unicorn school where you are being taught by passionate people resulting in driven graduates,” she says.
Enrolling in the 20-month combined Arts Management and Audio Product programs, Kaur was quickly impressed with the school’s structure and experience of her teachers.
“The overall format of Harris Institute is the greatest experience I had and cannot be replicated,” Kaur explains. “Harris Institute tests each students drive — the long days, plethora of assessments and the real-world attitude of the instructors tests your work ethic like no other and only the strongest survive.”
She also praises the accelerated programs, saying, “They teach you how to work your hardest and divide your attention, as well as being so focused on the industry that you feel ready to step in to the real world.”
Kaur is now completing her master’s degree in Music Industries at the University of the West of Scotland, on a scholarship made possible through Harris Institute, just one of the Toronto school’s many worldwide partnerships. Over the last 14 years 117 Harris graduates have earned degrees at UWS on full scholarships. Since 1989, international students have come from 142 countries and in 2018, Harris students came from nine U.S. states and 19 countries.
“The principles taught at Harris Institute — the importance of good relationships, hard work and collaboration are tested when in new waters, and what Harris Institute is doing is allowing the students to practice these principals with the act of studying in other countries,” Kaur explains.
After she finishes her master’s degree, Kaur hopes to enter the industry as an entrepreneur, focusing on how expanding technology is used beyond production. In the meantime, she sees her international studies as a chance to soak up knowledge from as many different individuals and situations as possible.
“As people functioning in a globalized economy, studying abroad allows students to expand their horizons through the stories of people and places,” says Kaur. “In a world that seems divided, connection is what is most needed — and that is the importance of studying abroad. We learn how to connect with the truest aspects of people and places.”
