February 19, 2004
For Some BBAs, Prestigious Scholarships Support Study Abroad
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Business is global, and so it is only natural that many students at the McCombs School of Business choose to add an international dimension to their business education. Approximately 20% of all business undergraduates study abroad during college.
This semester, dozens of intrepid McCombs undergrads are stationed around the globe, and several of them have won prestigious scholarships that will help them on their way. In a sense, these scholarships benefit the undergraduate community at large. “I think that with my education background in Hong Kong, I can bring a new perspective to class discussions when I come back to McCombs,” says Nathanael Sutanto, who is currently abroad in Hong Kong.
For Sutanto, who was born in New Jersey but raised in Indonesia, the international experience is not new. He elected to study at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and was awarded one of the National Security Education Program’s David L. Boren scholarships, which encourages U.S. undergrads to gain experience in countries critical to the future security of this nation.
The decision to go to Hong Kong, Sutanto says, was easy. “I just knew that I wanted to spend at least one semester here,” he says. “Hong Kong is the third biggest international financial market after New York and London, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has one of the biggest trading floors in the world. It serves as a bridge between the Western world, with its investors, and Asia, particularly China.”
“My passion is also to be a bridge between the United States and Asia, maybe by working for the government, or for one of the international NGOs, like the World Bank or IMF, based in Asia,” continues Sutanto. His time abroad, he thinks, will prove integral to understanding China’s business environment as it goes through a time of great change due to the trends of globalization, the rise of democracy and civil society, and regional transformation.
Ty Nguyen, a finance major, shares Sutanto’s interest in Asian business. “I feel like Hong Kong is the best place to study the Asian business culture and how things are done here in the Asian market,” he says, noting that Hong Kong is also a good base for travel around Southeast Asia. His study this semester at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is being supported by the Freeman-ASIA Award.
In addition to the educational opportunities, Nguyen is glad to have a chance to travel. And while his activities in Austin are mostly fast-paced—playing sports and acting in the Silk Mangos theater troupe—he takes time in Hong Kong to relax and enjoy the view. “The country is beautiful,” he says. “My dorm room and walk to class have a view of the blue sea with islands and hills and the sun setting and rising.”
Aimee Seligstein, a junior majoring in Business Honors and International Business, is studying abroad this semester at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. She is a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and administered by the Institute of International Education. “I wanted to learn French, but I didn’t really want to go to France,” she says. “And the school offers some business classes in English, so I knew I could easily get classes to transfer back.”
With practical considerations like course credits taken care of, Seligstein is free to appreciate the cultural highlights of her new location—traveling around Europe and enjoying the local cuisine.
Like Sutanto and Nguyen, Seligstein expects that her experience abroad will result in permanently expanded horizons. “I’m not really sure what I want to do when I graduate, but I know that working abroad will definitely be included in my career plans,” she says.
Of course, study abroad is not all transcontinental larks. Although most students, while abroad, study the language of their host country, communication barriers can, obviously, be frustrating. The administrative procedures of a new institution may be difficult to catch on to quickly, and Seligstein expressed annoyance at the unfamiliar layout of keyboards.
However, these students would probably agree that if you stack
these hassles up against the benefits of the experience, the
latter would be more impressive. “I will be a richer person when
I return,” predicts Nguyen. “My understanding of the world will
be broadened. My appreciation for communication and differences
in people would increase. I will know that we are such a small
part of what is so much more and so different in the world.”
For information on specific programs at the McCombs School, consult our contacts page. For media information, contact the Communications Director by phone at 512-471-3314 or by email at CommunicationsDirector@mccombs.utexas.edu.
