Book me to speak

Question from a college Sophomore about locations for study abroad programs

by | Dec 11, 2013 | Business, Education, international business | 0 comments

The message below is an excerpt from an email that was sent to me by a college Sophomore who is hoping to select a country to complete a study abroad program in the coming school year. He’s wondering which location would be most beneficial when it comes to studying business.

—–
MK wrote:

Traveling abroad is still something I would love to do for school. In your opinion, what country do you think would be the most beneficial in a business study abroad program?

MH

—–
My response:

MH,

Your study abroad question is a really good one because, while it’s always good to get an international experience of some kind, there are definitely places that are more useful to do it in than others.

  • China: If you want to experience what many people say is the next frontier in business, then you might want to target China. Not knowing Mandarin could be an issue for you, but it is hard to find another experience that would be more different than what you’ve seen in the US while also getting a completely different perspective on the business world.

  • Brazil or Mexico: Next to spending time in China, doing a study abroad in Latin America could expose you to a region that is considered as a huge source of growth in the business world going forward. You’d get the benefit of a different culture while not being as far away as China and, while English isn’t the dominant language, you may find that English is very prevalent in the business community across the region.

  • UK or Germany: These are the two of the strongest economies in Europe and offer the benefit of the English language being ever-present. Also, because there are so many other countries close by, you’d have the chance to see a lot of Europe at little cost over the course of your time there.

Of course, this will end up being a very personal choice for you and the ultimate decision will be based on what you’re looking for in a study abroad experience. A few questions that you should ask yourself are:

  • Is there a particular culture that you’re interested in learning more about?
  • Are there particular industries that interest you and, if so, are there geographies that have a unique spin on those industries?
  • Do you care about the reputation/brand of the university that you attend in another country?
  • Does it matter if the country that you choose is close enough to other interesting locales for you to do mini-vacations during your study abroad program?
  • What kind of academic and social experience are you seeking in the foreign university itself?

I hope the points above are helpful as you think through this. Since you’re a Sophomore, there’s still plenty of time for you to get a great study abroad experience, but I just want to make sure that you’re selecting the one that’s right for you.

Marquis