Spending the last six weeks living in London has given me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop professionally, academically, and personally. It seems like just yesterday I was pacing around the airport before boarding my first ever international flight. However, since then I have found a home in London, completed two classes and an internship abroad, and took six more international flights to visit Paris, Dublin, and Venice.
Being in London for a few weeks, I love to reflect on all of the lessons I have learned along the way. I am so grateful for this unique opportunity to grow and understand my strengths and weaknesses coming into this journey. Here are three pieces of advice that I would share with anyone interested in studying abroad in general or in London specifically:
Hello from London! My name is Hannah Oliver, and I am a junior majoring in accounting and finance, minoring in economics, and pursuing a certificate program in international business. I currently serve as the Vice President of Finance for the Lambda chapter of the co-ed professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, and am an associate in Pitt Smart Women Securities. Outside of the classroom, I work as a Finance employee for the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). As you can probably tell, I am a finance fanatic!
I experienced a lot of growth personally, academically, and professionally throughout my time in Berlin in a short period of time. For me, I learn best when I’m put into new situations. Although stressful at times, I almost like that feeling of being “thrown into the fire”. This program was the perfect balance of being thrown into an uncomfortable foreign environment without feeling like I was completely on my own. Sure, I was in Europe the furthest I’ve ever lived from home working my first ever internship, but at the same time, I was with a group of students all in similar situations.
My Berlin accommodation is a cozy European-sized apartment at the Citadines, an apartment hotel located in Kurfürstendamm. If you go on Google Maps, it’s southwest of the word Berlin. Our in-country advisor arranged for all IIP students to stay here, and so far, it’s been great and I absolutely love the area that we’re in. There are lots of restaurants and small shops, and it’s close to bus stops and train stations that can take you anywhere in the city. It’s on a street we call the “Rodeo of Berlin,” so we’ve seen a ton of supercars. I have one roommate who is also in the IIP program.
Throughout my time studying abroad in Berlin, I encountered many challenges I had never faced before. This was my first time in Europe and my first time living in a foreign country so I had to work to adapt to the culture. Overall, I feel like I did a good job overcoming the challenges I faced in Germany. I went into the program having completed cross-cultural training which helped with the cultural challenges, and it sounds dumb but my positive attitude helped me with all the other challenges.
For the past few days, I shut off my phone, lived with no electricity or soap, and opened my heart to the amazing Waorani People. When preparing for Ecuador, the concept of being a flexible traveler was stressed above all else. With almost no itinerary, my expectations for the trip were formed off of my own imagination. My group is the first ever to take the Plus3 program to Ecuador, so our advisors could not exactly tell us what to expect either.
Here’s some things you should know about this life changing trip.
Ecuador is known for its biodiversity. There are four “regions” with four different climates in just one small country! So, it only makes sense that I travel around to experience all that Ecuador has to offer. Travelling this way in a group has way more positives than negatives. My favorite part is being able to explore different living styles alongside other students.
Studying abroad has made a big impact on my career goals and how I see my future. Staying in Austria was such a great experience, and it made me want to go back for a longer period of time. I had always wanted to go to a German-speaking country for at least a few weeks to experience the culture and practice German, but I thought that would be good enough. I stay very busy with my academic pursuits and have a lot of plans for myself once I graduate, so I thought this might me my only trip to Europe for a long time. This study abroad experience, however, has made me prioritize going back.