1. What motivated you to take a course abroad? How did you learn about IBS Americas?
Since I entered college, I have always wanted to be able to study abroad, either through an exchange program or through an institution that promotes this type of course, because I consider that this type of opportunity allows you to broaden your horizons, as in the development of your professional career, taking you to a higher level.
During the development of my professional career, I focused exclusively on studying and performing my pre-professional internships to gain experience in the legal area that most related to my profession, leaving this dream in the background.
In 2021, when I accessed my university’s fanpage, I noticed that they shared an opportunity from IBS Americas that promoted the development of short courses in the months of January and July for the years 2022 and 2023, in countries such as Italy, the United States and the United Kingdom. That was when the desire to study abroad was reborn and I did not think twice about applying for the selection process.
2. How did you choose the course and the university? What factors contributed to your decision?
When reviewing the information in the notice, I came across the course “Contemporary Topics in Business Strategy”, which is taught by Pearson College in London. This course was quite interesting for me considering that, currently, if someone works in the business sector, they should have a solid knowledge about the business world, and not just focus on the legal sector (in my case being a law student), because having a broader view and greater knowledge allows us to stand out as professionals.
Likewise, the knowledge that can be acquired at the end of the course can be applied in your daily life, whether working in a company or independently.
3. What were the main challenges you faced being in another country, with another language and colleagues of different nationalities?
I think the main challenge when arriving in another country is to ask yourself if you can organize yourself and have enough time to be able to study and, at the same time, enjoy the trip. Faced with this first question, I believe that the key to this is to be able to organize yourself to the extent that you know the time it takes to develop a certain activity.
Similarly, the development one can have in carrying out everyday activities, which may seem very simple, but when one is alone and in another country sometimes requires a certain degree of concentration.
On the other hand, being able to adapt to the different customs and rules they had in London, for me, was something that I could constantly value and internalize.
4. How do you assess the quality of teaching, infrastructure and resources offered by the university?
I consider that the pedagogical factor provided by Pearson College London during the three weeks of course development was more than excellent.
Regarding the faculty, I must point out that they were prominent professionals who not only taught a subject, but also worried that we could understand them, in the same way that they shared their experiences in the business world and removed all the concerns and questions we had as their students.
On the other hand, in terms of the infrastructure of the university, it was a very welcoming environment, as it had a number of resources that we, as young people, could use to study and in turn be able to have fun. It is also worth noting that the college staff was very kind at all times and always awaited us with a smile ready to answer any questions we might have.
Finally, I must point out that weeks before the start of the course in the United Kingdom, we had access to several platforms, which were used by the course teachers to share the course content and material. They also gave us access to wi-fi during our stay on the premises of the institution, which was quite useful, as it allowed us to be connected to be able to seek information about what was discussed during the development of the classes, and various group projects for our final presentation.
5. What about the routine, how did you organize studying and enjoying your free time? What did you do during those times?
It is often believed that taking a study trip is just spending time in an educational institution and then coming home and resting.
However, this experience was quite the opposite, because the very dynamics of class development allowed one to enjoy the content shared by teachers, constantly intervening and sharing our point of view on the topic discussed in class. This allowed me to find friends with whom I could enjoy pleasant moments at the end of classes, as normally during the week we planned to do some sightseeing in emblematic areas of London, as well as go out to eat and/or drink, enjoying the evening.
On weekend mornings, I would organize my time to shop at the supermarket, as well as to wash the clothes I wore during the week and in the afternoon I would coordinate with my friends to go out and get to know life in the UK a little more.
In addition, I took advantage of a weekend to be able to travel to Paris and learn more about its culture, which I really enjoyed, as I also met some friends of the course there.
6. How were the experiences of lectures and/or visits to companies?
As students of the course, we had the opportunity to meet the CEO of Paysme, a British company that seeks to make space in the world of Fintech. It was quite inspiring to meet a person who started from scratch by creating a project with a strong value proposition, which is now a very useful tool for anyone in the UK who uses their services.
7. Were you able to network during the course? Could you share some interesting experiences?
I consider that networking during the course was the best part, because not only was I able to have contact with students and/or professionals from other countries, but I was also able to meet incredible people who actually became my friends at the end of the course and to this day we keep in touch. I get a lot out of this kind of experience, because not only do you gain new knowledge in a certain subject, but you also learn how to function socially and professionally.
An interesting experience was that, during the development of the course, I was able to meet a colleague who works in the same consultancy as me, but in her country of origin (Brazil) and in a different area than mine; with her, we were able to exchange ideas and different points of view about our work.
8. What were the key skills you developed during the course?
I believe that the main skill that I reinforced during the development of the course was teamwork and leadership, because, due to the dynamics and development of the classes, in most of them we were required to develop teamwork, which required our concentration to develop and present our task efficiently.
Also, to be able to improve my level of communication in the English language, since the whole course is developed in this language and allows us, as students, to be attentive to fully understand the content and also to be able to express ourselves appropriately during the development of the class.
9. How do you think this international experience will contribute to your career?
As I mentioned at the beginning, having international experience as a student and/or professional allows me to take my professional career to a second level, I can reaffirm that the knowledge acquired during the month of January this year in London allowed me to grow personally and professionally and to be able to apply the knowledge acquired in my current work. I work in a business consultancy, developing projects from different companies with different business models.
Likewise, the prestige of the university for being an important institution in the business world allows us to have a certification from it, we can stand out professionally, bearing in mind that nowadays the job market is very demanding with professionals and they are always looking for the best prepared.
10. What message would you leave for other students and professionals who wish to take a course abroad with IBS Americas?
Take a risk and seize the opportunity! It often happens that we do not take the initiative to live this type of experience out of fear or insecurity. However, I can reaffirm that this type of experience allows us to open our way of thinking to a world of opportunities that we have in front of us and that we do not fully understand.
IBS Americas offers you the opportunity to make that international leap and acquire the right knowledge with quality courses and professors to apply in your professional life.