Where Awesome Happens
Bauer College of Business University of Houston
  • Menu
  • Home
    • About
    • Prospective Students
    • Current Students
    • Corporate Resources
    • Parents
    • Alumni
    • Visitors
    • Staff Resources
    • Faculty & Research
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate
      • Future Business Students
      • Current Business Students
    • MBA & Graduate
      • Full-Time MBA
      • Professional MBA
      • Executive MBA
      • Energy MBA
    • MS Programs
      • MS Accountancy
      • MS Business Analytics (STEM)
      • MS Finance (STEM)
      • MS Global Energy Management
      • MS MIS (STEM)
      • MS Marketing
      • Online MS Management & Leadership
      • MS Supply Chain Management
    • Online
    • Doctoral
    • Executive Education
      • The Bauer Mini-MBA
      • Earn a Certificate
      • Custom Programs
    • Centers
      • Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship (WCE)
      • Real Estate Program
      • Stephen Stagner Sales Excellence Institute (SEI)
      • Gutierrez Energy Management Institute (GEMI)
      • AIM Center for Investment Management (ACIM)
      • Decision Sciences Institute
      • Institute for Health Care Marketing (IHCM)
      • Institute for Regional Forecasting (IRF)
      • UH Small Business Development Center
    • Student Success
      • Advising
      • Emerging Leaders Academic Success Program
      • Leadership & Engagement
      • Bauer Honors
      • RED Labs
      • The SURE™ Program
      • Learning Abroad
    • Departments
      • Accountancy & Taxation
      • Decision & Information Sciences
      • Finance
      • Management & Leadership
      • Marketing & Entrepreneurship
    • Offices
      • Office of Digital Learning
      • Office of Experiential Learning
      • Office of Global Initiatives
    • Apply for Scholarships
    • Apply to UH
  • Career Center
    • Students
    • Alumni
    • Employers
  • News & Events
    • News Center
    • Events Calendar
    • Latest News
    • Where Awesome Happens
    • Inside Bauer
  • Administration
    • Office of the Dean
    • Bauer College Board
    • Strategic Initiatives
      • 2020-2025 Strategic Plan
      • Digital Learning
      • Experiential Learning
      • Global Initiatives
      • Inclusive Leadership Initiative
    • Bauer Division of Technology
    • Leadership & Engagement
    • Bauer Excellence Scholars
    • Office of Communications
  • Invest in Bauer
    • Invest in Bauer Home
    • Your Investment
    • How to Invest
    • The Bauer Excellence Initiative
    • BauerMerch.com
    • Contact Us
    • Invest Now
Skip to content
Posted on October 10, 2018November 1, 2018

Learning abroad helped fill in the gaps while studying supply chain

Scroll down to see more content

Learning abroad with Semester at Sea profoundly impacted my professional and personal life and changed the trajectory of my education, in ways that only a semester abroad can do. In each of the places I visited, I had first hand application of supply chain logistics, marketing, international business, and business ethics. I saw with my own eyes the domestic, global, and local impact each of these specialties has on the world, as well as how the world and its different people are changing business practices, or forcing business organizations to adapt. I like to say learning abroad ‘rounded out’ my education; meaning, I now have a better understanding of how the environment, politics, and all these different subjects seemingly unrelated to business all work together in the real world. Learning abroad ‘filled in the gaps’ and connected things like history, science, journalism, etc… and showed me how it is all relevant to me and my passions.

Not only that, but I developed strong soft skills such as time management, communication, teamwork, and problem solving skills in real world, tactical, and realistic ways. For example, consider managing a personal budget in 12 different currencies for four months? Or traveling through every time zone in the world, while still making travel plans and turning in course work on time? I didn’t have a working phone for three months, and therefore strengthened my communication skills without technology distracting me, sometimes with people who spoke a different language from me.

When I say that I learning abroad completely transformed me and showed me my fullest potential, I say it with every fiber in me. I owe the entire University of Houston a debt of gratitude for the chance to pursue a semester abroad and one through Semester at Sea. From the Scholarships and Financial Aide Office, professors in the C. T. Bauer College of Business (and those not in the business school at UH) my academic advisors, the Learning Abroad Office, the list goes on. Absolutely every person I came into contact with at the University of Houston in terms of planning and preparing for my semester abroad was excited, supportive, and did everything they could to remove obstacles from my path and make the process as easy as possible for me. I feel incredibly blessed to be at the University of Houston, because I know that they put me in the best position possible to leave for a semester abroad and my experience would not have been the same without their incredible support.

With that being said, I strongly encourage every student at the University of Houston to look into spending a semester abroad. It is possible, it is easier than you think, and it is cheaper than you think. There is a program for you that caters to your interests, needs, requirements, and budget- you just have to look (on their website, so it’s easy!) I had roughly half of my expenses paid for via scholarships from the University of Houston and Semester at Sea; I got more scholarships to go abroad for a semester than I do to attend the University of Houston for a semester here in Houston. Furthermore, learning abroad created opportunities for me that I would not have otherwise, so you could say the experience pays for itself.

Simply put, spending a semester learning abroad is an investment in you and your education. It is not a vacation, it is a time to really explore who you are, challenge what you know (or think you know), and see your education in action. Now that I am back home and reflecting on my experience, I feel an obligation to do something more with my life and my education, but I also have a clearer vision on how to do that. I have come from a place of opportunity, in just the ability to receive an education, much less in other terms, and now it is my responsibility to create that opportunity for others through business practices.

-By Lois Hamburger

service project 2
internationl business field class, groot constantia
groot-constantia-ceo-new
morroco service project 2
DSC02964
morocco service project
international business field class
Marketing field class; kobe beef in japan
coogs taj 2

 

Categories Submitted

Search this site

For Members of the Media

Media Alerts

Media Contact

Jessica Navarro
Director, Communications
713-743-4348 (office)
713-419-5486 (cell)
jnavarro@bauer.uh.edu

On YouTube

Archives

Bauer College of Business University of Houston

Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Twitter YouTube Pinterest Snapchat Google+

©2021 The University of Houston. All rights reserved. Privacy and Policies

4750 Calhoun Road, Room 334, Houston, Texas 77204-6021. (713) 743-2255 suggestions@bauer.uh.edu