Beth Shimmin

Can you tell us about you short-term experience abroad?

I travelled to Marseille in the South of France to undertake a Short Term overseas experience in June/July 2017.  It was an incredible experience, one I will never forget. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity as part of my Master of Marketing. I was very fortunate to receive a Global Mobility Grant and also a High Achiever Grant to attend the Kedge International Business School.

I studied 2 x intensive business courses over 3 weeks; one with a professor from America and one with a Brazillian professor living in France.  My fellow students were from countries around the globe – Italy, the UK, America, Canada, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea and others.

Each week of the course was peppered with business trips and social activities with my fellow students, the larger international KEDGE cohort and local French students as well.  We hiked to hidden beaches in the national park that our campus was located in, sailed on the Mediterranean, went on trips to beautiful regional areas and ate plenty of local cuisine.

It was my first time in Europe and I was able to bookend my exchange with trips to Spain and Venice, Italy. I learned to speak some French and visited countless museums and galleries across the three countries. I made many fun memories with plenty of wonderful people that I am still in touch with.

Can you see any benefits from this experience to your future career?

Within 6 months of undertaking this exchange I have enrolled in a second Masters degree (Arts and Cultural Management) and successfully applied to undertake an internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice for the months of February/March 2018. I would not have applied for either of these career development initiatives had I not been so inspired to pursue an international career in arts administration and cultural tourism by travelling to Europe for this exchange opportunity.

It was incredibly valuable to be taught by international professors and be forced to work in cross-cultural teams with people you didn’t know. As well as learning about International Business, I learnt a lot about patience, team dynamics, compromise, and most importantly, about myself. As a result I feel I have increased my emotional intelligence and am better equipped to work at a management level in a professional setting.

Why would you recommend this experience to other students

Travelling overseas is one of the most exciting, humbling, challenging and valuable experiences you will ever undertake in your life. Travelling for the purpose of study allows you to meet like-minded people from around the world who are open to different experiences, knowledge, and to change. It was great to have some activities planned for you that you would never undertake if you were travelling solo.

By undertaking an overseas exchange you will learn so much; probably just as much outside the classroom by living in a foreign country and being outside your comfort zone than you will inside the classroom.

What advice would you give to a student who was hesitant or considering joining the short-term exchange program?

At the time I applied, I was a 30-year old external post-graduate student with only two subjects remaining in my second degree. I had always wanted to undertake an overseas exchange but had found plenty of reasons not too, including: it’s too expensive; I have sporting commitments; my boss won’t support me going; and, in recent years: I’m too old and everyone will be younger than me.

My advice is this: there will always be reasons not to go. There is never a ‘perfect time’. When I went to France I was one of the oldest there and I did have sporting commitments in Adelaide, but I was brave enough to approach my coach and my boss and discuss it with them and I was delighted when they supported me going. I put my hat in the ring and applied for two grants and it worked out. In short, if you don’t ask, you will never know. You make it work if you want it badly enough. And it absolutely is worth it.

Also, there are so many people and resources to assist and support you – both in Australia and overseas. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.