COSMOPOLITAN OUTLOOK: DECIDING TO STUDY ABROAD
As you learned about me, I love international travel and have studied abroad several times during my years at University of Maryland. I would love to gain another international academic experience as I complete my final year of undergratuate study. In order to do so, I have decided to apply to the "UMD-Winter: Dubai and Hong Kong: Two Powerful Cities" program. N
ot only was completing my application a requirement for admission into the program, it was also a great exercise in developing my global intellectual capital as I questioned my motivations for study abroad, researched local issues, and created a plan for maximizing my in country experience. The application effectively asks me to "create a plan before... [departing] to learn about local culture in meaningful ways", one of the strategies for enhancing cosmopolitan outlook.The following are the answers I have crafted for submission to Education Abroad.
1. Program Goals How does participating in this program serve your long term personal and educational goals? Why is studying abroad important to you?
Studying abroad is very important to me as an International Business major and International Development minor. Being able to build my understanding of business, especially in recently industrialized countries would greatly enhance my studies and give me valuable skills to take into my professional career. In addition, traveling to Dubai and Hong Kong would give me cultural and historical insight into a region I have never yet visited, the Middle East. I would look forward to enhancing my studies, fueling my passion for travel and culture, and preparing myself for a successful career in business strategy consulting through this program.
2. Career Interests & Study Abroad What skills do you hope to enhance or develop while studying abroad that are applicable to your career interests?
Arabic is a language of increasing importance in our global world, especially in business and development. While in Dubai, I hope to develop Arabic language skills that I can use in my travels and my career. As a strategy and operations consultant, I hope to work with multinational clients and language skills would definitely prove an asset to this work.
3. Host Country Issue Identify a current issue in your proposed host-country (social, political, environmental, etc.). Review 1-2 newspaper or journal articles to learn more about how these issues are currently affecting your potential host city/ country. How does this topic relate to your individual study abroad plan? Please provide a citation for your sources.
According to UBS, growth in Hong Kong could slow to 1% next year. This slowdown, analysts say, could be attributed to a strong currency, making Hong Kong exports more expensive and less competitive to its global trading partners. The possible ramifications of stunted economic growth include reduced tourism and unemployment. While studying abroad in Hong Kong and learning about the city state's rise to global economic prominence, I will be interesting to learn the city's path to success and how those factors affect the state's current trajectory. Zheng, Anjie. "Hong Kong Growth Could Slow to 1% in 2016, UBS Warns." China Real Time Report RSS. Wall Street Journal, 23 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. .
4. Coping Strategies When studying in another country, you can expect to face some frustration with unfamiliar cultural situations. Please describe a recent situation that caused you significant frustration and the strategy that you used to manage it. What strategies might you use to handle challenges while studying abroad?
I have studied abroad three times during my time at the University of Maryland. When I participated in the Maryland Social Entrepreneur Corps in Nicaragua, I often grew frustrated with my inability to communicate effectively in Spanish. In order to manage this frustration, I remained calm and sought other ways to communicate, such as through body language and gesturing. Additionally, I sought to improve my Spanish through independent study. I could apply these same techniques while studying in Dubai and Hong Kong, where I have no experience in the local languages.
The Takeaways:
Preparing to study abroad required me to asses my motivations for studying abroad, think about what I wanted to get out of the experience, and create a plan for extracting that value from my experience. Through thinking about these things and developing a concrete plan of action, I have risen to the challenge of moving beyond sight-seeing to "experience gathering", and am poised to have an enriching and impactful study abroad experience, should I be accepted to the program. Wish me luck!
