Year Aboard as UK Undergrad

Hi everyone, I am a first year student (class of 26) at Warwick looking into year abroad opportunities, and I don't know if going for a year abroad will be worth it. My goal is to land an IB/S&T/ER - possibly PB - summer in London/APAC and convert to full time, and don't plan on doing a master degree unless I fail to land any summers/grad schemes. 

Pros of year abroad:

  • Reapply for Spring Weeks (only received one low-tier bontique/MM spring this year)

  • Ability to apply to Summer Internships 2 times (once in 2025, once in 2026)

  • Possibly better market with greater dealflow when rates go down

  • Possibly better schools for resume (I can go to Bocconi / HKU / Tsinghua)

  • The experience (quite obvious)

Cons of year abroad:

  • Risk of wasting a full year if Spring Week applications go south again next year

  • Unable to speak the local language (native in Mandarin, but at best beginner in Italian)

  • Cost (international student at Warwick - additional 30k + living expenses for the extra year)

Would taking a year abroad be worth it, and which school should I pick out of HKU, Tsinghua, and Bocconi? (I am a Chinese national with right to work in PRC only)

Looking forward to hearing what people here think!

 

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