Hello monkeys,
I've been recently accepted to a master's program in Europe. They offer exchange programs with multiple schools around the world and I was wondering why people choose to go.
Also, are there any benefits to study abroad if one is interested in finance?
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They choose to go because it is an interesting and potentially fun experience to study abroad. I'm from Europe and I decided to go on an exchange semester to the U.S. during my undergraduate, not so much for the academic part (I found studying in Europe to be harder and more demanding than in the U.S) but because I considered it an interesting and valuable experience. Also, some people go in order to enhance their language skills.
When it comes to benefits, a part from the social aspect, I guess you could build a network if you are interested in working in that country.
I did my master in an European target school and, while there, I went for 4 months on exchange to another semi-target business school in Europe. I decided to go mainly for 3 reasons: 1) put something interesting on my cv. Although I was studying in a target school and had top notch grades, I was asked during some previous interviews why I only had one international experience (summer internship in London). Therefore I decided to go on exchange to extend my international experience. Please note that going to "interesting" countries (ie South America, Asia, Australia) will also put something on your CV to talk about which will be less boring than discussing about WACC and DCF; 2) Have some fun while there meeting new people, visiting new places, etc.; 3) Improve my foreign languages.
From a pure academic point of view, there is no reason in going on exchange. People use it to have some fun, learn new things and acquire a more "interesting" profile.
Exchange programs (Originally Posted: 02/23/2009)
I'm wondering if exchange programs make any difference on the resume for careers in business - finance or otherwise. From what I understand, they're mainly for the experience of going abroad and the quality of some schools can be questionable.
My school currently offers exchanges to the following UK institutions: University of St. Andrews (Scotland) Lancaster University City University Sheffield-Hallam University Southampton University University of East Anglia Norwich University of Leeds The University of Plymouth International Study Centre
Can anyone confirm if these are reputable schools? From briefly looking at the rankings, Lancaster, City and Leeds seem alright. Would it be worth transferring to any of them?
Look into LSE-London School of Economics.
St Andrews is also considered reputable, generally considered the best school in Scotland. Not familiar with the others but that is probably the best of the lot
I'm not an expert on the UK / Europe, so I can't speak to whether or not those are "credible" schools. In all likelihood, if you interview in the US or anywhere outside the UK, no one else will know either (unless they happened to go there as well).
Most interviewers know that study abroad is usually a take-the-semester-off type of arrangement, but that doesn't mean it's not valuable - it's a great talking point and goes a long way toward helping you pass "the airport test" and coming across as more interesting.
There are some study-abroad programs that are more rigorous, but if it's just over 1 semester you might be better off doing something less intensive and getting a better experience outside school... at least from the perspective of having something good to discuss in an interview.
As dosk said - it's always good to have something to talk about and something extra on your resume to make it stand out. If you do choose to study abroad, make sure that you don't just go there. See if there are relevant student groups or activities that you could partake in to include on your resume.
Thanks for the input. I was actually thinking about doing an entire year abroad (rather than just a semester), but I'm unsure if the quality of learning I would receive there will help or hinder my progress once I return to my own school (in terms of having the content of the classes prepare me for the following year). I agree, there are definitely more opportunities than this to partake in abroad, but an exchange just seems like the most straightforward.
The_CEO: Unfortunately my university doesn't have an exchange program set up with LSE, otherwise I probably wouldn't even think twice about the exchange. Transferring seems out of the question as well given the limited spots available.
You can always go through other institutions.
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