Tag Archives: China

Top 5 Places for a Business Major to Study Abroad

Continuing with the flow of how students choose destinations, I’ve been looking into the best places for certain majors to study. My lists and recommendations are based on some fact and some opinion and by no means are presented in any specific order. As a marketing major, I fall into the division of business and therefore decided to start there. Contrary to my last post, which mentions students studying in countries that speak English, only 1 of the 5 countries listed below has English as a national language. In my opinion, the top 5 places for a business major to currently study are:

1. China

2. India

3. Brazil

4. Germany

5. Canada

I know, Ireland is not on the list and those of you who know me are probably wicked surprised at that. If you had asked me about let’s say… 8 months ago, I definitely would have recommended Ireland to everyone. However, with the current state of economy and government, I would hold off on calling it 1 of the top 5 places for a business major to study until the country bounces back. It has a tendency of doing that. Anyway…

1. China

There is a huge influx of American students venturing to China to study abroad. China’s economy is growing consistently and the business sector is also increasing. Students are attracted to the business possibilities and are flocking there. There is also opportunity to learn a new language that will be completely relevant in the future, but it’s not as scary as some other countries because many people do speak English.

2. India

India is another example of a booming business economy with the opportunity of language. Similar to China, a student has to realize the cultural differences aside from language and then decide if it is still something they would like to follow through on. India has a booming business sector full of opportunities that will attract many students, especially business students.

3. Brazil

Brazil is another booming economy with a language barrier that students are interested in. Brazil is one of the BRIC countries (as are India and China), which are expected to be the next largest global economies. Brazil also has access to other South American countries that draws many students

4. Germany

Germany has been one of the world’s largest economies and business areas for half a century. After WWII they went under a complete reconstruction and to this day are still reconstructing and building the economy further upwards. They have huge industries, and allow for students to access the rest of Europe.

5. Canada

Overlooked by many American students because, well—it’s Canada; this country is a great experience for all students, especially business. There is a growing economy and a diverse culture. Different provinces of Canada are essentially different countries and cities like Montréal have aspects of multiple cultures that create a very unique experience. There a many opportunities for American students to study in Canada, and unlike many other countries—there are visas available to students who wish to work there.

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Study Abroad Locations

I always find it interesting where people go abroad and for what reasons. Working in the Champlain Abroad office has definitely allowed me to speak with students to discover their motivations. I’ve heard countless people want to go to Argentina or Spain for the language, Montréal for the gaming programs, Ireland for their heritage, and New Zealand “just because I want to.” I would then be led to believe that the three most popular destinations for Champlain students would be Dublin and Montréal (because we have campuses there) and New Zealand.

I’ve recently read some data from the Institute of International Education about the leading destinations for all American study abroad students. The top 10 places are:

  1. United Kingdom
  2. Italy
  3. Spain
  4. France
  5. China
  6. Australia
  7. Germany
  8. Mexico
  9. Ireland
  10. Costa Rica

These top ten locations account for 58.9% of all American study abroad students in 2008/9. Considering there are “195” countries in the world, 58.9% of American study abroad students only utilize 5% of the world’s countries. 195 is in quotations because the actual number of countries in the world varies depending on the source. Also, 6 out of the 10 countries are in Europe, 2 in the Americas, 1 in Asia, and 1 is Australia.

Knowing this list leads me to ask more questions about majors and locations and if certain majors are attracted to certain locations based on the current state of that location. I know Montréal is the third largest media convergence city and the second largest gaming city so media majors are attracted to there, but what about other locations? I hope to find out more answers concerning this topic very soon.

As a mini-side-note, at my position with the Champlain Abroad office, I decided to publish a poster for campus displaying an inspirational quote by Mark Twain, encouraging travel. I will leave you with that:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

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