I realize I have completely focused my blog on the "Abroad" part of my experience and have neglected to explain the "Study" part. I wanted to wait until after I attended the first half of my intensive course, which was this past week, to give a full assessment of my courses. So what is the verdict? LOVE.
My first course of the week is Business German 1a, which is full of about 40 exchange students who want to learn how to get by in German. The first day of class, my impression of the course was not good as the professor failed to attend it! The next week, however, she did make it to class and we found out that there was an emergency change of teachers and that she would make up for the missed class by taking us to a Heuriger after class the following week and help us catch up. For those of you who don't know, Heurigers in Austria are like small, locally owned vineyards that serve their local wine and Austrian specialties made from local products. There, we learned the basics of ordering and food vocabulary, and got to know our classmates and professor on a deeper level. This is definitely unheard of in the United States! Aside from our field trip, we have 3 hours of class every Monday where we learn basic German vocabulary, verbs, and phrases. We are often told to break off into groups and practice speaking about certain topics, which aside from helping us learn German, also helps for making new friends! She is a very quirky lady, but I love her openness and enthusiasm!
 |
| Us with our German professor at the Heuriger! |
My next course is International Marketing. I was practically giddy after attending the first lecture when I realized that the only word I could use to describe the lecture that day was "fun!" We are learning about doing business and marketing with other cultures and how to go about examining international markets. It is a detailed course, but because it is a topic I find incredibly interesting, I really enjoy learning about it. I feel like I am finally learning to do what I want to do with my life, instead of what UF tells me to learn. I also really enjoy the way of learning here at WU. The class I am in is only about 24 students, so I feel like I am getting private tutoring compared to the UF classes of 600 students. The lectures feel less like lectures and more like discussions. I enjoy speaking up in class here, answering questions, and giving my opinion on various topics. I feel like I am finally in my element and finally getting what I want out of my education. Aside from lectures and readings, we have been broken up into groups and given the semester task of picking a product and developing a marketing strategy for introducing it to a foreign market. I am so excited to get started! My group members were all excited to have me in their group, and decided our team name should be "Florida." I was flattered.
 |
| Globalization in Vienna! |
My final course is called Consumer Behavior in International Tourism. It a "block course" which meets for 2 full days in March and then 2 full days in June. Between the course blocks we have the independent study task of writing a research paper on a specific consumer behavior trait of a specific consumer segment in a specific tourism destination. I was worried that I would die having class from 8am to 4pm two days in a row, but I was pleasantly surprised when I actually enjoyed it! Again, the number of students in the class is small, so I feel much more engaged in the lecture. The course is focused a lot on the psychology of consumer behavior, which is quite interesting. I am also learning a different aspect to the tourism industry by examining it through the behavior of the consumer and how to develop a business strategy to make use of their behaviors. At the end of the first day he had us work in groups to develop and explication on the current trouble with tourism in Egypt. I loved that he used such a relevant topic. Each group then met with him individually to discuss what we came up with and I presented the work to him for our group. I really enjoy it! I also appreciated that he took the time to ask us where we are from and tried to get to know us a bit. I feel like the professors really care about students here... it's really nice! :)
So clearly, I am learning a lot and enjoying my courses at WU. Don't worry Mom and Dad, I am still a student!!!
Perhaps Graduate studies here in the near future??? One can dream... :)
 |
| Building my own path :) |
No comments:
Post a Comment