Long Term Study Abroad – Global & Experiential Education

Re-Opening the Door

gglancyAugust 20, 2021August 20, 2021

The past year and a half has been very tumultuous to say the least for international mobility around the globe. As the facilitator for international initiatives that foster global engagement and expand GWSB students’ global knowledge network, Global and Experiential Education (G&EE) has been very challenged during this global pandemic. That being said, this was also a time for self-reflection and tremendous innovation. From our individual homes, we found ways to remain engaged and present in global conversations and create opportunities and spaces for students and faculty to make new connections. G&EE remained very active and engaged throughout the pandemic by rethinking and revitalizing international mobility and education abroad initiatives.

As the GW community prepares for a relative return to “normalcy” during the upcoming fall 2021 semester, G&EE is very excited about the prospects of international travel for the upcoming academic year 2021-22 and the ability to host programs around the world once again.

LTSA APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!

Applications for the spring 2022 long-term exchange programs are now open for our partner institutions located in 17 countries across 6 continents. Consult each partner’s brochure on our website for more details on each program.

Our partner institutions are world-renowned for their excellence in research, global initiatives, and business.

TESTIMONIALS

Alumni of Global & Experiential Education’s Exchange Programs iterate the impact their experience has made on their time at GWSB.

“My experiences in traveling and gaining knowledge about a variety of cultures and tourism patterns definitely affects my professional career in the tourism industry. I believe that to work in the tourism industry, you need a deep understanding of traveling in different situations and countries, their culture and language, and the challenges during traveling. I definitely gained a lot through my travels.” – Shirin Jafarinasab, Master’s of Tourism Administration (Bocconi University, Fall ’19)
“This is a pivotal point in a student’s life because it opens their eyes and gives them more of a world view”- Edward Bouldin, Master’s of Accountancy (EBS, Fall ’19)
“The course content was exemplary. The professors worked in industry and were able to provide case studies on how they used theory in practice. All the cases were projects the professor had worked on with big designers including strategies all the way down to ad campaigns”- Beenish Malik, GMBA (ESSEC, Spring ’18)
“Working in interdisciplinary, international teams was an invaluable experience for anyone looking to work in the multinational corporate space”- Bryan White, GMBA (CBS, Fall ’17)

G&EE is looking forward to once again connecting GWSB students to global engagement opportunities and supporting their journey to study abroad. Check our website in September for the full list of short-term offerings for the winter and spring breaks.

Please contact sbintl@gwu.edu to request further information.

Settling Up

marielbaloNovember 27, 2019February 25, 2020

Written by Edward Bouldin, Master’s of Accountancy, ’19

“Settling Up” is what Professor Deschow calls our last class before our final exam. It’s a culmination of all that we learned so far and what we may see on the final exam. After this class I’ll be moving on to another class in in the marketing sections called “Products and Services Marketing.” I am looking forward to what it is going to offer me.

As usual, I woke up and caught the train from Wiesbaden to Hattenheim. I had been looking forward to waking up late, as initially the class was going to take place an hour later, but last minute (two days before) the school changed the scheduled time back to the original. No big deal.

The summary of the class was as one might imagine – some parts lecture and other parts very participative and alive. I was able to focus my thoughts on the parts that I especially liked (which was most) but the parts about risk compliance I struggled with. However, the interactive case study that we participated in at the PWC building in Frankfurt some weeks before helped me get through that section. The case study made the lesson more real for me. I think Dr. Deschow knows that the students and I got a lot out of that experience.

Fast forward to last Wednesday when I took my final exam for the class. It was relatively stressful but in a good way because the questions were well thought out. After the test, is was time to go have some fun in order to get my mind back on track. Me and another student I’ve been studying with decided to take the 45-minute trip from Ostrich-Winkle to Frankfurt and have lunch before strolling through the outdoor flea market. Anyone who knows me knows I will do anything for a good outdoor flea market!

There are two categories that I use when describing all flea markets. First you have your bonified outdoor markets. These have good quality items (albeit used and old) that will last a lifetime. This category is the one I travel far and wide for. The second type of market is filled with individuals selling badly worn out items or stolen items. Luckily, the market in Frankfurt fell into the first category and I was happy.

Afterwards we took the Eisener Bridge (foot traffic only bridge) back to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhoff. Before getting on the train I took the time to take a picture of my friend with her back turned to me in front of the Frankfurt Opera Haus.

A Week With a Twist: My Third week at the European Business School

marielbaloOctober 21, 2019February 25, 2020

Written by Edward Bouldin, Master’s of Accountancy, ’19

I woke up early for the second straight day in a row preparing myself for the over 30 minute trip to Ostrich Winkle. At this point I was thoroughly exhausted from the Initial Public Offerings, Audit Review processes and Risk Management Matrices that were being taught in my courses. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of each day, right after lunch I began fading fast since we talk for nine hours each class period.

I arrived to the campus and found a breakfast spot, as I usually do, and began looking for student activities that interested me. It seemed like that particular Friday was a bit slow in class as well. The weather was overcast and I couldn’t help but think about what else was happening around me while the lecture was taking place. I thought it would be cool to do something spontaneous. I knew that class would be over around 1800 and it would take me about one hour to get to Frankfurt. I thought that Frankfurt for the weekend would be an awesome get-away and just what the doctor ordered to rejuvenate me.

It would be a much-needed weekend since on Tuesday, only five days away, our next class would be at Pricewater Copper (PWC). That would be an experience that I needed to be rested for. PWC is one of the “Big 4” accounting firms and a very prestigious place from which to receive an invite. A weekend getaway would be just what I needed. At 1700, literally one hour prior to the lecture ending on Friday, I decided that I would ride the train to Frankfurt and…BUY A TICKET TO PARIS!

The plan was to leave early Saturday morning to Paris and return Monday. The trip to Paris from Frankfurt is approximately 3 hours. When you factor in a round trip ticket that gave me a six-hour block to review the case study that was to be presented on Tuesday for the PWC lecture. I arrived at 11:30am on Saturday in Paris and decided I would walk absolutely everywhere I planned on visiting. Time spent on the metro was less time I could have been seeing things. Because I am a natural extrovert, I decided to make this experience a street photography/street portraiture trip.

So for the next three days that’s what I did. Parisians are some of the best people I have ever encountered. Since this is the city of light I decided to make all of the pictures in color and not the typical Black and White that I usually use when I tell a story with my camera.

Paris was great but I was determined to have an even greater experience at PWC in Frankfurt. I put on my Sunday’s best and prepared for the 35-minute train ride. The PWC building is one of the (if not the…) tallest buildings in Frankfurt.

we all decided gathered for a group photo and then went up to the 48th floor of the building where we were treated with a view unlike I have ever seen over the great city of Frankfurt. It was a high-class affair from PWC. They provided refreshments for us as we sat through the lecture and worked through the case study. Mr. Anderson (one of our instructors and full time employee at PWC) divided the class into seven groups that had the responsibility of designing a Risk Management Strategy for a company with aspirations to become publicly traded. We had a lot of fun doing the case study. Next class we will wrap things up and prepare for our final exam!

The Daily Duty: My Second Week at the European Business School

marielbaloOctober 3, 2019February 25, 2020

Written by Edward Bouldin, Master’s of Accountancy, ’19

On a typical day, I travel from Wiesbaden to arrive at the Ostrich-Winkle but on this particular day I stayed with some friends in Frankfurt. The train from Frankfurt to Ostrich-Winkle takes some 45 minutes to arrive. Surprisingly tons of people actually travel by train from the Frankfurt “Hauptbahnhoff” towards Ostrich-Winkle everyday. Frankfurt is a busy city not unlike DC.

I arrived about an hour early to the European Business School and walked around it. It’s not a big campus at all. In total, it may be a bit bigger than Funger and Duques Halls put together. However, it is very historic. Class started this week everyday at 0900. Breakfast was not provided so I walked a short distance from the campus and picked me up a cappuccino and croissant before we started class. There is a very small coffee machine that dispenses coffee for a 25-cent Euro piece but I just couldn’t figure it out!

As I walked around the University for the first 30 minutes before class I peaked in just about every room. Old chandeliers and cabinets adorned the sides and rear of each class. It looked like New York Library meets West Minister Abbey. Adjacent to our classroom I found a grand piano so I began to play a little bit of John Legend. Within 30 seconds the smooth melody of “We’re Just Ordinary People” filled the old halls of the school. It was only me there at the time. A tree fell in the woods and nobody heard it. Once that was out of my system I continued my observation outside.

The school has a large courtyard where students can gather and hang out during breaks in the class. There are a few tables there for people to sit and eat as well as lunch is offered at a very small fee. The food was generally pretty good. I think I might have paid five euro or so for everything, including a Euro Snicker bar. I say Euro because it’s just not as sweet as I remember from back home.

About 30 minutes elapses and the class begins. Dr. Niels Deschow is now about to stand in from of us for almost eight hours teaching us about Auditing and its future. He talks in front of us until he is almost out of breath. The general rule in the states is for every hour or hour and a half you teach comes a ten-minute break. Not here. It was a little something I had to get used to. Good thing I had the cappuccino from earlier! Homework for the week consists of four separate articles on the future of Auditing practices and two case studies. I look forward to what the next few weeks bring.