By: Anna Bruick, BS’17
In the first semester of my freshman year, I heard about amazing opportunities the Kelley School of Business offers, including study abroad programs that will enhance the knowledge and skills we have learned at IUPUI. I knew before coming to college that I wanted to utilize any opportunities that are possible to see the world while furthering my education, so I began searching for study abroad programs that sounded interesting. After hours searching iAbroad, reviewing programs from other IU campuses and meeting with Eric Raider about study abroad programs, I was overwhelmed with choices. Then one fateful day in Intro to Business Honors, I heard a personal testimony from Ryan Eldridge, who participated in the Strasbourg program. As I did more research, I decided that I wanted to also study in Strasbourg!
As the February 1 application deadline approached, it struck me that if I was chosen, I would spend my summer overseas. The application process was very simple, but I knew it was not to be overlooked, as the program has become increasingly competitive. One lengthy essay and a short interview later, I was eager and nervous at the thought of who would be chosen to attend the program, as there were more than 40 applicants! I received an acceptance email on a Friday night while I was at work and was overwhelmed with emotions (including tears of joy). I was going to study in France for four weeks in the summer!
Overcome with an array of emotions, I knew that the next few months would be full of anticipation of a summer abroad. As with any study abroad program, there is a cost to attend. While my on-campus job sufficed to pay for a majority of my living expenses, I picked up a second job to save up for expenses for France. There are also many scholarships available for study abroad programs as well that I applied for. The Kelley School of Business offers RISE scholarships, which may be applicable to study abroad programs because it satisfies the “I” or “International” component of the RISE initiative. IUPUI and the Study Abroad office also offers scholarships, one of which is the International Experience Scholarship. Both of these scholarships helped tremendously with the costs of the program and are allowing me to even take extra weekend trips to the French Riviera, Switzerland, Prague, Germany, Amsterdam, and Spain! Even though scholarship applications can be stressful and overlooked, always apply, because you never know what the outcome may be!
It is absolutely beautiful here, and our first day in Paris was quite adventurous! After sleeping for one hour on our 13 hours of travel to Europe, we decided to venture the streets of Paris. First stop was the summit of the Eiffel tower that overlooked all of Paris. From Notre-Dame to Arc de Triomphe and Palais du Louvre, we saw all that was to be offered in Paris. We also took a bus tour of the city to learn more about the history of Paris and the famous buildings. After a quick nap, Stephanie and I met former IUPUI French exchange student and my Delta Sigma Pi brother, Hélène, at Brasserie Gallopin for dinner. It was so nice seeing her in France, and trying snails for the first time as well!
Over the weekend, we traveled to Saint-Tropez to meet with Chad and Josh, the other Kelley students studying abroad. Check out some photos from our trip at the
KelleyIndy Instagram page, and stay tuned for a highlight of our first week taking classes at the EM Strasbourg Business School!
Au revoir!
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