For students looking for international business experience, BYU has two programs to offer: the Student Exchange and the Study Abroad programs.
(Photo by Natalie Stoker)
Both programs are meant to give students an opportunity to learn and grow on an international level. To give them international business experience is meant to help the students succeed in their careers.
Naomi Stanfield, a master’s accounting student, said with reference to the study abroad program, “It expands your horizons … there is so much more outside of the US. … Going out and becoming immersed in a different country and a different culture is what it (the study abroad and student exchange) is all about.”
According to William Johnson, a global supply chain major and the student exchange program coordinator, there are differences between study abroad and student exchange programs. The Business Study Abroad program is a much shorter program offering students a well-planned international business experience. Students go as a group of BYU representatives (students and professors) and learn about business on an international level as well as visit (depending on the program) various countries in a short amount of time.
The Student Exchange Program, however, is different because it gives students the freedom to do what they want on their own timetables, without having to work out schedules with other BYU students or professors. Students are there for an entire semester, which gives them liberty to look for their own opportunities while studying in a well-known foreign business school and paying only BYU tuition for it.
(Photo by Natalie Stoker)
“You do your own thing while going to school there,” explained Johnson. It gives the students freedom to have their own cultural experiences, have fun or have a more academic/career-oriented experience.
For those considering either the Study Abroad or the Student Exchange programs, Allison Jardine, a supply chain major, said there are three tips she would give to those who are considering a study abroad or exchange experience:
1. Consider the networking the students will have. This gives students a chance to meet people they could potentially work for and get a lot of information from them.
It’s a great way to learn more about their business and the opportunities there are for students.
2. Learn about all the different countries the students can visit. That way students don’t miss out on anything while they are there. Taking the time to learn about the countries’ art, historic sites and museums beforehand gives students a plan to be enriched culturally as well as educationally.
3. The students can afford it. Some students may get turned away because they think the program is too expensive, but there are so many ways to help students financially.
“It was one of the best hands-down experiences of my life,” said Johnson
For more information, please visit http://marriottschool.byu.edu/gmc/
