University: Boston University
City: Boston
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
Preparations
The preparations for the semester abroad were relatively exhausting, as American universities require certain documents such as proof of insurance, transcript of grades, etc. However, MicroEdu was a pretty big support, without which it would have been almost impossible to do the whole thing besides exams etc.! Check liuxers.com to see KPU study abroad opportunities. But once the paperwork is done, you will surely say afterwards that the effort was worth it!
I was lucky enough to already know someone in Boston who I could live with for the time being. I arrived about 2 weeks before the start of the semester, which was pretty tight, looking back. I hadn’t looked at a place to live at all. Since I didn’t want to stay with my friend, I started looking for suitable accommodation near the campus. Easier said than done. After numerous visits to housing agencies and calls, I almost gave up looking until a friend told me about craigslist.org. Within a day I got a room near the campus. But you should definitely take a close look at the apartment, as you can definitely be ripped off. In any case, I got a nice room with incredibly nice roommates, with whom I am still in contact today. You should also not believe what these brokers tell you and just take your luck into your own hands!
To study
The orientation sessions were partly interesting, partly quite boring, since they are sufficient for undergrads, some of whom are underaged, i.e. not yet allowed to come into contact with alcohol…but you get to know a lot of people pretty quickly and there is a lot of food for free too : )
Boston University has well deserved its reputation. It offers you everything. From various sports activities such as sailing, rowing or basketball to theater groups, bands and animal welfare organizations. You can put together your individual program. You will never be bored!
There are various places where you can eat. In the GSU (George Sherman Union) you can actually get everything your stomach desires. From self-served salad, pizza, pasta to burgers and Asian. In the immediate vicinity there is simply everything, whether Starbucks, pizza or Chipotle (burritos). In the small university shops, which are distributed all over the campus, you can also stock up on various snacks.
If you have any problems, you only have to contact a professor, who will help you immediately and will be happy to help.
The courses:
Business StrategyProfessor Silvia is a fairly competent professor who has quite a lot of practical experience. I learned quite a lot from him, even if it was often strenuous and the demands were a bit higher. You have to prepare for each lesson by reading and there is a lot of discussion in the group. You work in a team on a case study, which I really enjoyed.
Project management
I didn’t enjoy it that much sometimes because you had to do quite a lot for the course. The course was not the most demanding, but very time consuming. You have to give a lot of short presentations in front of the group, which can take some of the fear out of it. You work step-by-step on a project throughout the semester, which in turn is quite practical and also fun. In addition, you also get to know things about Boston.
International business management
Professor Lee was by far the most amusing professor. With him you didn’t have to work that much during the semester. Only the various assignments required a little effort. The degree of difficulty is rather low, which may also be due to the fact that I have deepened my knowledge of international business and had already brought a certain amount of previous knowledge with me.
American Management
This course was the most discussed. You get interesting cases from fairly current companies, which you have to work through at home and which are then discussed in the group. You learn more about the history of the USA, which I also found quite interesting. You also have to give a group presentation about a company, which allows you to get to know your classmates better.
The city of Boston
Is probably the most densely populated city in the world with students. You can pretty much do anything. Whether it’s going to a shopping outlet, going whale-watching, taking a city tour of historic Boston, exploring the so-called Freedom Trail (on foot or with the infamous duck tour), sipping chai tea in a bookshop, going to the hippest club or romantically in the harbor eat freshly caught lobster. The proximity to NYC is of course the icing on the cake, as you can be in New York within 4 hours for as little as $15.
All in all, it was the best and most exciting half year of my life and I can only recommend it to everyone. You get to know an incredible number of people from all over the world, with whom you have experiences that you won’t soon forget! Compared to my purely theoretical university in Germany, I have learned a lot in terms of teamwork and presentations, which is certainly a great enrichment for professional life!
