Program Abroad:
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Semester Abroad (SA): London School of Economics and Political Science, England
Ask me about...
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Taking classes limited to the management department allowed me to foster close relationships with peers interested in the same fields.
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Going to a university without a campus, unlike at Penn.
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Studying abroad with a small cohort. There were two other Penn students, and around 15 students in my exchange program total.
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Completing virtual group projects with peers from around the world and coordinating between multiple time zones.
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Planning trips to other locations during time abroad.
My Experience Abroad:
I studied abroad at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the Management Department. Working on strategic business decisions in groups with international students to analyze a potential acquisition opportunity allowed me to form close relationships with peers from Kazakhstan to Cyprus. It was insightful to apply different business frameworks not learned in Wharton. For example, I took a class on decision making which was similar to OIDD290; however, LSE focused more on applying theories, while the Penn course focused on analyzing decision-making errors and biases in real life examples. I also took a Simulation Modeling course, similar to OIDD321 offered at Penn, where our final project was to create a Monte Carlo simulation of the number of hospital beds, ICU beds, and ventilators needed in a UK hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I took advantage of LSE's breadth of resources, including competing and being a finalist in the inaugural Management Consulting Competition, participating in LSE's women empowerment summit, hearing insights from the CEO of Hermes, and joining various student societies. Given that I'm also a management concentration at Wharton, I was able to broaden my major knowledge, and gain a global and UK-focused approach in leading corporations.
Other Highlights:
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Hearing strategic insights from the CEO of Hermes
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Gaining independence by living alone off campus in Southwest London
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Attending the Brexit day rally in Parliament Square, where UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a speech
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Besides falling in love with the city of London, travel within the UK was also a hallmark of my experience. I was able to visit Stonehenge, Bath, Dover, and Canterbury
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Riding the Amsterdam canals with friends
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Traveling to Africa for the first time! I visited Rabat, Marrakech, and Casablanca in Morocco
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Meeting up with a British student who studied abroad at Penn previously
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Although my semester on LSE's campus was unexpectedly cut short due to COVID-19, I learned so much and have met so many amazing people in just 2 months
