So, you have already made the decision of studying abroad? Great… congrats. I bet, it would be one of the best decisions of your life that will define your entire career and life.
Quite often students and parents feel confused with study abroad destination. After all, there are so many popular destinations that international students can choose from. Every country has got its own uniqueness and advantages. How about getting to study in more than one country while pursuing a single degree program?
Even a huge number of traditional (single location/campus) study abroad programs offer the opportunity of optional study abroad term (semester) or year. But, currently, there is an increasing number of program that will allow you to study abroad in multiple countries (cities) as a part of the curriculum.
My Own Multi-Country Experience
Even studying in a single country provides a wide range of advantages. If you make it to more than one country, the advantages and career opportunities are limitless. I was lucky enough to live in three foreign countries. I studied and worked in the UK (Aston University & University of Oxford), Netherlands (Utrecht University), and Australia (University of New South Wales) – thanks to my research career. However, I didn’t live in those countries as part of a single program. But, I can tell about the advantages – from my own study abroad experience and what I learned from other students.
Career Benefits of Multi-City Study Abroad Programs
Multiply Your Career & International Job Opportunities
Adapting from one culture to another is another challenge. But, have you thought that how beneficial this could be for international job opportunities?
While studying in different countries, you will get to interact and/or intern at different companies in those countries.
Not only you will gain a network of other students who are also enrolled in the program, you will also benefit from the interaction with faculty members, business professionals, and other people from different backgrounds and cultures.
Even if you decide to settle down in your home country, your multi-country experience will surely impress the potential employers. You might even get an edge over other qualified candidates if you apply to top MNCs.
In big corporations, and even at start-ups (or your family business), you might have to travel frequently to foreign destinations. The network of friends and associates that are frequently built in this type of study abroad program is typically one that can enhance a student’s career and overall life.
The ability to see things from a global perspective is important to the majority of businesses today. Your multi-location study abroad experience will certainly make you more attractive during the hiring process.
Cultural intelligence is a valuable skill due to the global economy, in which most companies are now involved. Exposure to a wide variety of cultures, opinions, and beliefs are just what international businesses are looking for.
This in-person cross-cultural experience may be a wonderful way to prepare you for a global career, especially if you are interested in business, finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship.
Gain a Greater Diversity of Experience
One of the top advantages of studying abroad is the rich diversity of experience. Sneak peeks into multiple cultures in quick secession provide a look at how each country (or city) is similar and dissimilar.
Students who experience a traditional study abroad program may be able to gain an in-depth look at how two cultures compare. But, the ability to add in 3 or 4 different locations, countries or cultures is vastly different.
Exposure to different cultures, ideas and diverse ways of thinking, will make you learn more about who you are as an individual. The reprised self-awareness can be seen by other students, professors, and future employers as well. After all, a study abroad program is one that helps students find who they really are, then build on those findings.
Instead of maintaining beliefs and concepts only from the country in which one was raised, such students are able to take the best parts of each culture and the favorite parts from each society as they work to shape themselves for the future.
Improve Your Ability to Adapt Continuously
Adjusting to a foreign country as an international student is itself challenging (but rewarding). You arrive in a foreign country; learn the who-what-where-when-how of surviving on a daily basis, and juggling with both classes and cultural experiences in short amount of time (the first term will just fly by).
If you enroll in a multi-country degree program, the stress, uncertainty, and challenges of adapting to one country will multiply.
It will definitely be challenging. But, it’s exciting and rewarding too.
Moving from country to country can be very stressful, even in a guided multi-country study abroad program. Daily activities like connecting to a foreign phone network, ordering dinner or even taking a taxi to a venue can be daunting in multiple countries. But, stress, if responded to correctly, can make students grow stronger. You just need to look at the brighter side.
Greater things happen only when you push yourself to the extreme limits, of course in a well-controlled & supervised environment.
Few Top Multi-City Study Abroad Programs for Reference
MMS at Duke Kunshan University – Ranked Within Top 20 in the World Rankings for Master in Management Programs
Duke Kunshan University – a partnership between Duke University (USA) and Wuhan University (China) – offers a Master of Management Studies (MMS) program aimed at new college graduates and young professionals. The 10-month program offers an opportunity for international students to live and study on two campuses in two countries and experience American and Chinese culture through various social and career engagement activities.
The US and China are two of the most powerful economies in the world. MMS students get the opportunity to experience both the US and Chinese cultures first hand. They learn and connect with local alumni and business contacts in both regions. These experiences position them for success in any part of the world.
When at Duke (Fuqua Business School) in the US, students have opportunities to meet and connect with the MBA students who are taking courses in the same building as they are.
In China, students socialize with members of other DKU graduate programs and networking with both Duke and Duke Kunshan alumni in the region.
Students also get the opportunities to learn about businesses in the region through corporate visits, guest speakers, and mini-consulting projects in both countries.
Master of Science in Global Hospitality Business at EHL – Ranked among the Top 10 in the World for Hospitality Management
It’s a 16-month intensive program during which students will study in three locations – Houston (USA), Lausanne (Switzerland), and Hong Kong.
Built for today’s global hospitality industry, this degree ensures your professional success by giving you the ability to manage the complexity of worldwide operations, with the local touch that makes great hospitality managers.
What awaits you are three semesters packed with an exceptional blend of classes, cultural and business immersion periods on three continents, with industry seminars delivered by world-class speakers, a real-life business project, and three professional certifications. Learn more about Hospitality Management Studies at EHL.
Global BBA at S.P. Jain School of Global Business – Ranked Among World Top 20 (Forbes) and Top 100 (Financial Times & The Economist)
While studying BBA at S.P. Jain, students will study in Mumbai/Singapore, Dubai, and Sydney – all are major financial hubs of the world economy.
The undergraduate courses open you to the various opportunities – encouraging you to be part of a global ecosystem that inspires you to contribute, lead and succeed. Additionally, the tri-city design is an excellent opportunity for any student of any nationality. In all the three countries, students embed themselves within the campus environments, local communities, and networks.
World Bachelor in Business (WBB) at USC Marshall, HKUST & Bocconi University – One of the top undergraduate business programs in the World
The WBB curriculum is rigorous and provides a solid foundation in business and economics. It also encourages a well-rounded education, requiring liberal arts courses with an emphasis on writing, science, and humanities.
The first three years are composed of required courses that focus on a variety of topics according to the country of study and the special strengths of each school.
According to Benjamin Floyd Rubin, a WBB alumnus, a good job after doing this program is not an issue, despite its infancy. Graduates have been placed in companies such as Google, EY, CapitalOne, Amazon, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, UBS, NASDAQ, and IBM.
The courses are taught by world-class professors. You are in the flagship program of each respective business school and are treated as so.
However, the value of this program lies outside the classroom.
On a social level, you will meet individuals from all over the world and cultivate an invaluable network to call upon in the future (this is particularly valuable should you start your own global business). I have made many friends that live in major cities all around the world, from Bangkok to Copenhagen to Buenos Aires, and am confident I’ll work with some of them in the future.
Living for a year in an entirely foreign country (two or three years consecutively) will fundamentally change your character – this is much different from a regular semester abroad. You will become much more independent, open-minded, and knowledgeable about the world. It will not be easy, and a good handful of those that started with me dropped along the way – this program is not for everyone. If you are a proactive and curious individual, there is a place for you in the WBB.