When accountancy graduate student Lauren Jacobs signed on to be a part of the College of Business’ International Business Seminar (IBS) last summer, she was not sure what to expect but was determined to try something new.
“My overall seminar experience was extremely positive,” Jacobs said. “I made memories that will last a lifetime, and I gained valuable insight into the cultural differences that exist across Europe both in everyday life and in business practice.”
Through the college’s IBS program, Jacobs was able to experience international business practices and the excitement of traveling outside the U.S. The program is co-sponsored by more than 25 universities, so students can make lifelong friends from across the U.S. With this unique offering, students make multiple business visits to both small, local firms as well as large, multinational enterprises. Each visit usually includes a combination of lectures, panel discussions and plant tours followed by a Q&A session. Nearly all presentations are conducted by senior management personnel.
For Jacobs, the biggest takeaway of the trip was the friendships that came out of it.
“I didn’t know anyone when the trip started, but I left the trip with people I still keep in touch with. I even visited one of the friends I made this fall for a football game at the University of Mississippi.”
“Another big positive that came out of this trip was the confidence I gained in my traveling abilities,” she said. “I had never been overseas before this trip, so I was really glad I got the chance to do it for the first time under a guided program with a group of people my age. It was much easier to navigate each city and plan for activities there when it was alongside friends than it would have been if I had tried to take a trip on my own.”
Over more than three weeks, Jacobs and her group visited Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France and England. Visiting global companies like BMW in Germany, Swarovski in Austria, Caillier Chocolate Factory in Switzerland and Galleries Lafayette in France allowed students to witness firsthand how business is done in other countries. Stops with cultural significance, such as the Dachau concentration camp in Germany and the World Trade Organization, helped to provide historical context to the business experiences the students observed.
“The cultural differences in each city were very cool but sometimes overwhelming when being experienced for the first time, so I was especially happy I wasn’t navigating it alone,” she added. “However, now I feel much more confident in my ability to travel to an unfamiliar place by myself in the future, because I know I have done it in the past.”
As Jacobs reflects on her travels, she always comes back to the people.
“One of my favorite experiences in Germany was my last night,” she said. “Abigail, one of the friends I made on the trip, is an Arabic major and speaks the language fluently. One of her goals was to find a Middle Eastern restaurant while we were abroad so she could use her speaking skills. It turned out that Munich has a very large Middle Eastern immigrant population, so we quickly found an area near Marienplatz where there were a lot of Middle Eastern restaurants and shops. I didn’t originally think of Germany as a very diverse country, so it was cool to see how the culture had blended into Germany’s culture.”
Once the women found a restaurant, Abigail was able to order for them in Arabic, which really surprised their waiter, but he was very appreciative that an American had taken the time to learn the language.
“I ended up eating some flat bread with fresh hummus and tabbouleh for dinner,” she said. “Afterward, we headed back to Marienplatz for dessert and wine at a restaurant in the Rathus-Glockenspiel. It was kind of funny to come from a dinner place that was loud and family-oriented to a German restaurant where it was quiet and reserved. It was cool to come to Germany and experience a whole other culture that I didn’t expect to find.”
As for whether Jacobs would suggest this program to other Huskies? Definitely.
“I tried unfamiliar foods, interacted with a wide range of people and had many new experiences,” she said. “It also felt like a mini college orientation because most people on the trip were from different places, so I had to push myself to get to know people because we had a limited time together. Overall, this seminar was a phenomenal experience that tested my limits and better informed me about Europe as a continent. If my time in school wasn’t coming to an end, I would gladly take the opportunity to do one of these seminars again.”
For more information, please contact Chih-Chen Lee, Ph.D., at cclee@niu.edu or 815-753-6205 or visit the IBS homepage, the IBS Facebook group or the NIU Study Abroad Office.
