Last summer, Poole College of Management sent 14 students to the city of Adelaide for the inaugural Australia: Entrepreneurship summer study abroad program. From visiting local entrepreneurs’ businesses to making friends with marsupials, these members of the Pack Abroad had an astounding time learning about Australian culture.
Through both simple changes and major cultural differences, the students enhanced their understanding and appreciation of foreign communities and their welcoming inhabitants. Poole student Thomas Armstrong mentioned that the thing that most surprised him about the culture and habits of his country was “people walking on the left side of the sidewalk,” since that is “very strange” for Americans. Other notable adjustments the students had to make included learning some of the Australian “slang” and warning cashiers that Americans do not yet have their convenient “tap to pay” credit cards, but rather ones with chips in them that must be inserted in the machine.
Business Opportunity Analysis and Entrepreneurship courses were taught by NC State professors at the University of Adelaide, and the students studied Doing Business in Australia through corporate visits and lectures from local professors. To push their immersive studies one step further and see more of the native wildlife and environment, the group also visited Cleland Nature Park and Kangaroo Island. The program based in Adelaide included additional visits to other Australian cities such as Sydney and left free weekends for students to travel independently to places like Melbourne.
This program presented the opportunity for Poole and non-Poole students alike to delve into the paramount elements of a new culture while developing an entrepreneurial mindset that will help them in their future careers and business endeavors. Students like Thomas have chosen to study abroad in order to “give [themselves] an additional perspective that many people never have a chance to attain,” and we are proud to say that this has been more than accomplished for every student in our Pack Abroad.
- Categories:
