International Experience Broadens Perspective

“Gaining a global perspective is essential to understanding the world in which we live. If we think no further than our own boarders or opinions, we loose perspective, we’re unable to communicate with those outside them or with those who disagree with us and, frankly it leads to ignorance,” said Jessica Schmidt (MAcc ’06). Jessica broadened her perspective by studying at the Institut Supérieur du Commerce, one of the leading business schools in France, as part of her graduate degree program.

During this two-week experience, Master of Accounting students like Jessica and MBA students study international business with outstanding faculty and European business professionals. According to Jessica, the French instructors ranged from “professors who teach at French universities to Americans who conduct business in France, and included a French Count, a wine journalist and several art/culture historians!” Equally diverse were Jessica’s classmates, who came from Purdue University, LA Tech University, Mexico, Australia, South Korea and Holland.

“Taking this trip was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If you love traveling and meeting new people, a study abroad experience is something you definitely should not pass up.”

Jessica currently works as an auditor of Deloitte & Touche in Davenport, Iowa. In this position she has the opportunity to work with people from different countries and found the importance of understanding cultural and individual work habits essential to establishing good working relationships.

“As Freidman puts it in his book The World is Flat, Globalization 2.0 connects businesses, but Globalization 3.0 connects people. It’s at this stage where it’s important to have the ability to interact with people from different places and have a foundation of knowledge that allows an individual to show understanding and respect for differing backgrounds.”

In the future, Jessica would like to work abroad for at least a year; she also plans to teach with a volunteer-abroad organization for at least two weeks every year.

To learn more about studying in France, contact MBA Program Director Leslie Wilson.


Updated 17-Nov-08