Make the most of your 2022 spring break by studying abroad. We have programs – and scholarships – for both graduate and undergraduate students.
Here, Prof. David Audretsch shares the benefits of studying abroad with a spotlight on Berlin. Interested? Submit your application by October 1.
What makes studying abroad in Berlin so special?
AUDRETSCH: Berlin is a city like no other. It is the feel, the culture, the people that make Berlin so special. It is a city of vivid and puzzling contrasts. Recovering from a tortured history, Berlin celebrates freedom, diversity and heterogeneity, like nowhere else I’ve been. The city has learned that the only way to overcome the past is to learn about it, acknowledge, embrace it, and own it. Destroyed by the devastation wrought by National Socialism, divided by a Wall, occupied by four contentious powers, Berlin has struggled to regain its freedom and not only celebrates but leverages it to make the city not just one of the acclaimed entrepreneurial hot spots in Europe, but in the entire world. It is a city with vast culture, functional infrastructure, and green spaces. There is nowhere else in the world like Berlin.
Why should students study abroad?
AUDRETSCH: Jobs. Overseas and international educational experiences provide a host of valuable learning outcomes. You’ll gain international and inter-cultural skills, along with competencies that are highly valued by employers — not just overseas or in international organizations, but in almost every organizational and geographic context, spanning the public, non-profit, and private sectors.
Volumes of research back this up. An overseas study experience ranks among the best investments that a student can make in terms of their job prospects and long-term career achievements. Study abroad provides students with a clear competitive advantage moving into the post-COVID pandemic global era. Students with the requisite inter-cultural and international skills, as well as capabilities to succeed in a globalized society and economy will thrive; those that do not will be left behind.
What skills do students gain from studying abroad?
AUDRETSCH: Studying abroad gives students the skills to thrive in inter-cultural contexts and with people from diverse backgrounds. Students acquire vital communication skills and the ability to make decisions in new, complex, and uncertain situations. This research highlights a set of specific competencies students gain with an overseas educational experience: experiential learning, cultural awareness, courage, thirst for learning, problem solving skills, self-sufficiency, perspective, advanced social skills, appreciation of diversity, and initiative.
What is one fun fact about you?
AUDRETSCH: As a young assistant professor, I played acoustic guitar and sang in a student band that won the Middlebury College talent show contest. Our best song was “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (The Who).
What types of students should apply to study abroad in Berlin?
AUDRETSCH: An authentic interest, curiosity, and commitment to the learning experience in Berlin — along with an openness to intensive immersion for a week — makes all the difference.
For a closer look at the program, check out this video discussion between Professor Audretsch and Kaitlyn Lattimer from O’Neill’s International Office.
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