Did YOU study abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?
Petra: I have studied abroad many times in my life starting with going to boarding school for a year in England. In college I spent a semester in Erasmus Denmark in a program that brought together students from EU countries to explore social policies in EU. I continued to study abroad throughout college because got a taste of what it was like to interact with people from other cultures when I went to international boarding school. I found it fascinating. My main goals when studying abroad were to advance my career and draw on exciting experiences.
What about the future of the industry? How do you think study abroad and international education will change over the next 10 years?
Petra: I think that we will see a further push for immersive and reflective experiences. There will be a move away from academic tourism. There will be a push toward providing experiences students can use professionally in their careers. I suspect that there will be a focus on assessment to make sure students are getting what they need out of a program.
Overall, I think in the future, study abroad will be overall more purposeful. Rather than just expecting that study abroad will make students more well rounded, there will be more strategic and specific goals for these students. Study abroad will get even better at helping students interact with other cultures, which will in turn help with their employment.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
Petra: Creating a successful study abroad program is a combination of factors. First, you need strong academics. You also need to make sure the students are taking advantage of the local environment by providing guidance through coursework and extracurricular activities.
The strongest study abroad programs are the ones that immerse through coursework, host family stays, and carefully designed activities, while maintaining small class sizes where students can interact with local instructors. High impact experiences like internships and research projects are also important in helping students to get the most out of their experience.
Why is language learning and cultural immersion important to you?
Petra: Research shows that students who study abroad are more ambitious and creative. Furthermore, the world is becoming more interconnected. We are interacting with people of other cultures. You are always running the risk of applying your own standards and customs and interpreting their behaviors through the cultural lens of your own culture, which does not benefit relationships.
To have solid working and non-working relationships with people from other parts of the world you might not need to know their language or culture. Nevertheless, you need to be exposed to another culture to know how these differences may work in another culture. Finally, I know first-hand how important it is to know multiple languages. Personally by knowing multiple languages, even if I do not know a certain language, I am able to relate it to other languages I know, which has really helped me in my career and overall life.