How
does it work?
For those unfamiliar with the USC
International Business (IB) undergrad program, all students pursuing this major
are required to spend the spring of their junior year abroad at one of a select
number of partner schools. As sophomores, IB students apply for their preferred
programs, writing essays to explain their top four choices and listing seven additional
top choices. While most students are accepted to one of their top four choices,
each school only accepts up to four students, so it is a competitive process.
In early August, students receive their assignment via letter.
My
experience
When I began researching study
abroad schools, I focused primarily on schools in Spain due to my Spanish minor
and interest in traveling in Europe. USC has partnerships with four schools in
Spain, so I evaluated each school based on a number of factors. The main factors
I considered were course offerings (both in English and Spanish), the city in
which the school is located, the cost of living in each city, and the amount of
tourism in the surrounding area. For me, it was preferable to live in a less “touristy”
area in order to have a more authentic experience in whatever country I was
studying in. This led me to rank UNAV as my first choice due to the lack of
tourists in Pamplona outside of the San Fermin Festival held annually in July, diverse
course offering in both English and Spanish, and affordable cost of living. However,
I was also enthusiastic about the other two Spanish schools that I ranked, as
well as one Belgian university.
After I submitted my application,
the waiting game began. The first week of August was tense as I waited for the
mail to arrive each day, hoping to receive the letter with my school
assignment. When it finally came, I was so excited and immediately started
researching northern Spain. In that moment, all of the stress and anxiety that
came with the application process became totally worth it.
My
advice
My first and most important piece of
advice to IB students completing their study abroad application is not to
stress. I know that it’s easy to fall in love with one particular school, but
the reality is that all of the IB exchange schools are fabulous. Every school
will provide a great education, a life changing experience, and plenty of
opportunities to travel. That being said, working hard on the application is a
must in order to be assigned to a top choice, especially among the more popular
universities. I recommend doing thorough research on the schools’ websites,
including course listings and international pages. In addition, do some
background research on the city where the school is located and on the local
culture. It can be helpful to read blogs written by students who either are
currently studying abroad in the country that you are interested in or who
studied there in the past. Even better,
reach out to the IB students who were assigned to your top choices in the past
to get firsthand information. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice
from the IB department-they are very familiar with all of the programs and are a
great resource!
Adios
for now and best of luck to everyone applying!
