Business & Politics in the E.U.: An Experience Which Could Only Happen First Hand

A Study Abroad Program Review For

AIFS: Traveling - Business and Politics in the European Union

Program Information

If you can’t decide on one location to study in this summer, maybe you’d like to go to six or seven? Study in London, Paris, Brussels, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Prague and Berlin.

4-week comprehensive introduction to the European Union for business, finance, marketing and political science students

Provider:	AIFS
Location(s):	Traveling, Multi-Region
Year Founded:	1964
Website	Take me there!

Review By:

Alexandra P. (International Business, Rhodes College) on September 12, 2011

Overall Rating

Personal Information

* Start Date:	2011-06-10
* End Date:	2011-07-05
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The workload was intense but manageable. What made it hard was wanting to experience the culture but finding a way to balance out studying and exploring. The teacher was great since he has first hand experience in UK politics and could give us an insider opinion on both UK and E.U. matters.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	When located in London during the beginning of the trip, the program provided great resources and people to talk to about the program, local happenings, and various other helpful orders of business. The program was not able to provide as much of these sorts of things during our stay in other countries though due to not being in a home location.
* Housing:
* Food:	Most meals are at the students expense and were found on our own. Helpful restaurant suggestions were given in most cities though and any meals provided by the program were accommodating with vegetarian options and of good quality.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Trips included: The European Central Bank in Frankfurt, The Louvre in Paris, the British Parliament in London, The European Commission, The Bank of England, and many many more.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	While in London, a British police officer was brought in to talk to the group about safety in Europe. Safety advice: do not go off by yourself at night (especially women), watch your purses and bags on the tube, and know your limits if you are drinking alcoholic beverages. All safety problems are avoidable as long as one errs on the side of caution and remembers that you will be mostly located in big cities where crime rates tend to be higher.
* Home Institution Advising: How well did Rhodes College prepare and support you for your time abroad?

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Hotel
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same program?	Yes
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	The time on the program flies by! Although at first a month seems to be a long time, it turned out not to be. Be ready to go non-stop and take advantage of every opportunity. Get out of your bubble and meet locals and get a first-hand cultural experience (find out where they eat, see how they feel about political issues, etc.).
* What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?	I have a much greater understanding now of what it takes to conduct Business with European countries and also have gained much knowledge on the workings of the E.U. Visiting several businesses and E.U. headquarters aided in this understanding, and I would not have had the chance to see such places if I had not been on this specific program.