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Tianfeng Sun, London Internship Program—Econ & Finance Track

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This is how, where and when you fall in love with London.

Intern in Finance at Omerta Group, Summer 2012

Internship: In London, I did my internship in the Omerta Group. As an intern, I had several tasks during my tenure including researching candidates, looking up information online and on Bloomberg, answering phones, creating organizational charts, attending candidate meetings and assisting with projects.

I Learned: The first of the two important things I learned from studying abroad is that being humorous is very important in the office, at least in the company that I worked for. Seriously, you should occasionally tell jokes to make people laugh in the office; otherwise, your co-workers will get mad at you. (No, that’s not true, just kidding.) The second thing I learned from work is that initiative and creativity are more important than I thought. Before I did the internship, I thought that as an intern, I just needed to listen to my boss and do my jobs as directed. The truth proved that it was a very wrong assumption. The projects my boss asked me to do required a lot of my imagination. For example, one project was to organize foreign exchange candidates. Since there weren’t pre-established models to analyze the data, my boss asked me to create some straightforward and effective templates that were useful for foreign exchange candidates.

Comparing/Contrasting to Other Work Experiences: I used to work for a real estate company in China and the biggest difference between these two companies was the environment of the office. There was less tension in the English office. In contrast, the staff had more restrictions and rules in the office in China.

Hardest Part: The hardest part of my experience was holding conversations with people from different backgrounds.

Best Part: The best part of my experience was having a drink with my co-workers after work and talking about everyone’s stories. In the end, it is really awesome to walk on a central London Street with a hot Shiwama in your hand at midnight. You have to try it once!

Celestine Mignott, Sydney Management Internship Program

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Sydney Opera House

Intern in Marketing at Top Snap, Spring 2012

Internship: I worked for Top Snap, a property photography franchise which provides realtors, who wish to enhance their visual marketing materials, with quality photos at an affordable price. My responsibilities included researching Australian Territories, planning a conference, organizing an AdWords Chart, updating the franchisee directory, and writing a social media policy.

I Learned: If there are beets on your burger, it’s bound to be scrumptious. Also, there are few things as calming as gazing over a stretch of clear blue waters.

Comparing/Contrasting to Other Work Experiences: In terms of similarities, both corporate America and corporate Australia value the importance of teamwork, although they approach it in different ways. As for differences, corporate America seems to value the idea of working overtime to achieve success whereas corporate Australia seems to value the idea of having a good work, leisure balance.

Hardest Part: The hardest part of the experience was being away from my family and friends. I missed them a lot.

Best Part: I really enjoyed the entire experience, but I’d have to say the best part of study abroad was getting to know the Aussies from Sydney Uni.

Carolina Velasquez, Madrid Management Internship Program

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Intern in Marketing Consultation at Grupo Consultores, Spring 2012

Internship: I worked at a marketing consulting company called Grupo Consultores in downtown Madrid researching and creating presentations about the current state and rankings of marketing, advertising, and media companies in Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and China.

I Learned: I learned a lot about the history, culture, government, and the economy of Spain that I could have never learned from a textbook or otherwise. Without actually being in that culture and in that country, it’s incredibly hard to grasp what it’s all about. I also learned that although we are worlds apart, people live and experience very much of the same things that we do in our daily lives.

Hardest Part: Finding out that the local Spanish university that I was studying at was actually going to be a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. The university setting is much different in Spain than in the U.S., and it was difficult to adapt to all the bureaucracy, teaching styles, and learning styles.

Best Part: The best part was getting the opportunity to explore a completely new world in which you are free to roam and immerse yourself in the culture as much or as little as your heart desires. Being able to say that you know your way around a country and a city that such little time ago was completely foreign to you is a pretty amazing feeling.