Banking, Finance & Social Responsibility Program in Switzerland

I learned more about myself from this experience abroad.
- I learned more about the different financial institutions and structures. I learned more about Corporate Social Responsibility. I learned more about sustainability and how the UN is working toward its goals along with different institutions.
- Growing up, I was not too exposed to the nature and activities related to that. In Switzerland, there are so many opportunities to explore not only the places that are party focused, but also the places where your mind, body, and soul could all come into a symbiosis. I constantly was in awe about the things that I saw, and (that may sound cliche, but truly !) started feeling a little more recognizant of my role as a steward of the earth in protecting these riches given to us by nature.
- I did an internship in Switzerland, and the internship I did there was a testament of how different people in other countries view work and life balance: there physically going to eat daily with your coworkers or managers was a ritual more than it was a luxury. I have always found myself eating in front of my computer during lunch. It put into perspective the value of relationships at work.
- I was faced with making very harsh decisions for myself, and I am proud to say that though they were difficult having been abroad in an environment that was completely unknown, but still being able to figure life out was a testament to myself that the sky is truly the limit and staying in your comfort zone is never going to make you grow to your highest limit.

My experience was amazing and wholesome despite the fact that it was cut short because of the pandemic. It was stressful but SIT handled it well.
The workload in this program is as extensive as you want to make it, this is not to say that you can slack off but that there is still enough room to explore the country and make use of the swiss pass. However, if you choose to spend more time exploring one of your projects you can still arrange for that depending on the circumstances. There are also some opportunities to interact with the locals to understand the culture and build a network for the future. If you enjoy being in a host family to practice your french and build a long-lasting relationship, this is it! Overall, it is a great program and you can make whatever you want to make out of it. Our program included people from many different fields of study, interests, and future goals and that made the program more interactive and unique as each of us was gaining new perspectives.

I really enjoyed my study abroad experience! The academic coursework was interesting but not stressful, so students were able to take a lot of time to explore the local culture and travel. My favorite part of the program was the 2-week excursion in Greece, during which students were able to interact with Greeks, explore the country and culture in detail, and otherwise have fun! Overall, would highly recommend this program for students who are looking to explore Switzerland, learn more about sustainability in finance, and take a break from coursework in the United States.