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Roshni Patel, Sydney Internship—Hospitality Track

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Australian BeachInterned in revenue management at Hilton, Sydney, Spring 2014

I studied in Sydney, Australia on the Hospitality Track as I am pursuing a dual degree with both SHA and SMG.

Internship: I was the Revenue Management Intern at the Hilton Sydney and concentrated in their Food and Beverage operations. One of the main projects I had was to develop a SWOT analysis for their five food and beverage outlets. I also worked closely with the Assistant Director of Revenue Management to help develop Excel templates that would help forecast F&B revenue and covers more accurately as well as identify need periods for potential marketing opportunities.

I Learned: I’ve always placed a high priority on academics, but studying abroad showed me how to balance both life and academics, having fun while working hard. I found that learning another culture is just as important as learning in the classroom. I’ve realized that my perspective on life has changed, and I now remind myself not to stress over the little things and am better at enjoying life in the moment.

Also, studying abroad opened my eyes to a new world of different perspectives. Living in the USA, we often get caught up in our own lives and view work, life, and many other things with a perspective similar to that of our peers’. We forget that there are billions of other people living their lives just a little bit differently than we do, people who have different priorities in their lives than what we’re used to. Although it seems like common sense, the realization is hard to come by unless you experience a new culture first hand. The realization that there is so much more to life than just going to college or work is very important nowadays, particularly in a world as global as the one we live in today. There is so much to learn on this planet: its people and their cultures.

Australia Groupat HarborWhat Surprised Me: How much culture Australia has. It may not be as diverse as the States or be considered a melting pot, but the lifestyle is still very distinct. I was surprised at how difficult it can be to understand Aussies even though they are speaking English. They also have many slang words, and it can feel overwhelming trying to keep up at first.  For example, their language is different. They have slang words for everything from afternoon (arvo) to breakfast (brekkie) to McDonalds (Macca’s).

Hardest Part: I think the hardest part to deal with was how expensive Sydney was. It’s so easy to fly through your budget because you want to do everything and try new things, and everything starts to add up very quickly. It definitely helped keeping a budget and keeping track of all my expenses.

Best Part: Queenstown, New Zealand. I also went sky diving and bungee jumping (Nevis Bungy) here and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.

Another amazing part was the scenery of Sydney; there are lots of coastal walks and beaches to go to, so make sure you take advantage of them, especially in the during the summer months (towards the end during fall semester and the first few months during spring semester).

My Tips: 

  • Keep a budget! It will help you space out your spending appropriately.
  • Shop at Coles for money-saving grocery trips.
  • Take out is a few dollars cheaper than actually eating at the restaurant.
  • Take advantage of the weather in the first few months and with your long weekends. It gets much harder to do things in April, especially with the weather and working full time and taking a class.
  • Use backpacker’s world or other backpacker travel agencies for your trips! They give pretty decent deals, especially when going with a group of friends.

Stephanie Hill, Shanghai Internship

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Stephanie at WorkInterned at Ringier AG as an Events and Marketing Intern, Spring 2014

Internship:  Ringier AG is a multinational integrated media company that distributes three magazines that cater to expats in Shanghai: City Weekend, Shanghai Family, and Home and Office.  At my internship, I primarily helped research, prepare, and execute events for these publications.  I worked for the branding manager, who provided me with insight on the strategy behind upholding a strong brand reputation.  The marketing department was extremely small – which was great because I was given so much responsibility.  I was given several cool creative tasks because of my familiarity with advertising to Westerners, such as designing advertisements for upcoming events or creating slogans for marketing campaigns. Many highlights came from my internship experience, some of which included dressing as the Easter bunny for Shanghai Family’s “Easter FunDay,” or being in charge of the VIP section of City Weekend’s “Readers’ Choice Awards.”

What I Learned: I learned so much about Chinese culture that goes way beyond textbooks.  For example, I got to really experience and understand the long process of building and maintaining relationships.  Whether it’s just a friendship or conducting business, having a genuine relationship is fundamental in Chinese culture.  I also learned that cheese is impossible to find.

What Surprised Me:  I was actually shocked by how convenient everything was.  Cabs were always available and incredibly inexpensive.  Food was dirt cheap and delicious.  Not to mention, McDonalds delivery is 24/7.

Hardest Part: There are numerous difficulties that come with living in China –censorship, ambiguous meats, Wi-Fi that’s slower than 1999 dial-up, everyone constantly staring at you.  It takes a lot of adjustment but at the end of the day that’s what makes the experience so unique.

Best Part: Becoming friends with the locals and learning about the hidden gems in the city.  On the surface, Shanghai is pretty incredible, but locals can show you where to find the city’s best pork buns or the most beautiful spot to see the Pudong skyline.

My Tips:

  • Do NOT eat snake
  • Take the giant slide down the Great Wall
  • Brush up on your Chinese before coming
  • Be willing to play basketball or badminton with Fudan University students – they are incredibly friendly and welcoming
  • Order eggplant at any and every restaurant.

Jana Amchin, Sydney Management Internship Program

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Jana Australia KangaroosInterned at L&A Social Media and studied Marketing at The University of Sydney

Internship: I was an intern at L&A Social Media during my first two months in Australia. L&A is a small business that specializes in social media strategy and implementation. The company helps brands to use social media effectively on a daily basis in order to grow their communities. It was an extremely creative environment, which was what really intrigued me. As an intern, I helped to find and create content for an assortment of social media accounts. It was fascinating to learn over time what the followers of different brands are interested in. I had an excellent time working with the L&A team, and I definitely learned a lot. It was great to get some experience in the social media field since it plays such a huge role in business/marketing nowadays.

I Learned: Interning and studying in Australia taught me that it is possible to mix business and pleasure. Australians have the perfect balance between work and fun. I found that people you work with aren’t simply your coworkers, and other students in your lectures aren’t simply your classmates. From my experience, everyone there really seems to make an effort to become friends. Aussies love to go get a drink and socialize after class or leave the office early for a Friday “arvo” beer. It was nice to be immersed in a culture where life doesn’t only revolve around work. Having a good time is also important!

What Surprised Me: Sydney is very diverse. I had no idea how strongly influenced the city is by various Asian cultures. Chinatown and Thaitown are two of the coolest parts of the city (and also have some of the best food)! One of my favorite things to do was go to the Asian market to buy all sorts of exotic fruits and veggies you would never find in America! Australia is not all beaches and surfers as I originally thought. It’s a country with a mixture of all different types of people with all different lifestyles, which makes it a very unique experience.

Hardest Part: The Sydney SMG program is longer than other study abroad programs due to the Australian school year. Classes start in the beginning of March and finals end in mid June. Therefore, while all my friends back at BU were finishing their courses and making summer plans, I still had half of my semester left. It was difficult to focus on my schoolwork when everyone back home was already done. However, the hardest part was leaving Sydney at the end since I really came to love it there!

Best Part: Since the program was a bit longer than others, I really feel like I had the opportunity to explore all that Sydney has to offer. I got to know the city and all of its neighborhoods (my favorite is Surry Hills!) so well because it was my home for six months. My roommates and I took advantage of every spare second we had to try out new restaurants, cafes & bars, attend the numerous festivals held in the city, and of course travel. For me, I would say that the best part of my study abroad experience is knowing that I made the most of my time there. When I came back home I had checked everything off of my Sydney bucket list!

My Tips:

  1. Travel as much as you can! Explore Australia- there are so many beautiful places to go within the country. (I was lucky enough to go to the Whitsundays, Cairns, Melbourne, Tasmania, Hunter Valley, and the Gold Coast. I also went to New Zealand!) They were all fabulous!
  2. Make a checklist of everything you want to do, so you can budget your time and money wisely!
  3. Take advantage of all the cultural offerings in Sydney. Because of the city’s diverse population, there are so many different things to see and do!