I was researching potential roles in line with my career aspirations and many of them had desirable requirements that involved international business acumen. I then researched what it entailed, the benefits and drawbacks (struggled to find any of those other than being away from family). I was aware of how competitive the graduate marketplace was becoming and really wanted to give myself an advantage when applying for jobs as well as undertake some personal development past the scope possible at Northumbria.
I researched three potential institutions and the final choice really stood out for having a diverse culture where extracurricular activities were vast and greatly encouraged. I wanted to put myself out of my comfort zone and network as much as possible and I felt my final choice would help facilitate that due to this. The institution is also notorious for being results driven and pushing students to be autonomous learners so group work etc would be more balanced and regulated, which it was.
Undertaking a class that was added on as an area of weakness that I was not really interested in around entrepreneurship. I went on to get 100% in the class and it turned out to be my overall favourite. A marketing video I created was used as a benchmark for all future students on what they are looking for. That gave me confidence I had not expected and stopped self-doubt about my capability during final year and beyond.
No - not as expensive as I thought. Fees are not paid (to the host institution) due to reciprocal agreements and there is additional funding available from student finance if studying abroad with grants available for some students to help cover travel costs. Obviously if you live with parents or somewhere that you do not pay rent there is the added cost of accommodation. But the benefits far outweigh any slight increase in cost to if you were at your home university. From personal experience, the role secured after graduation due to the skill set gained during studying abroad far outweighs any small initial investment.
Undoubtedly! My comprehension in final year of my studies was much more advanced due to a different way of thinking and open mindset that was developed through studying abroad. Without studying abroad, I doubt I would have been successful in securing such a good placement as part of my degree as all of the competency based questions were answered around experiences when studying abroad due to the broad nature of skills developed.
Do it! Try not to sit on the fence. Think holistically about how it would make you stand miles ahead of other candidates when it is such a competitive environment for graduates in the marketplace. Interviews can often leave you with afterthought and self-doubt. But when an experience gives you such a huge scope of things to discuss, it becomes easier to answer questions and be comfortable discussing a time that brought you so much pleasure!
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