Each age has deemed the new-born year the fittest time for festal cheer.
—Sir Walter Scott
Happy New Year from Olin Business School! This is the perfect time for us to extend our best wishes to you for a happy and healthy 2018.
Please watch this brief video for a sneak peek into some of the many exciting things Olin has planned for the coming year.
Cheers,
Guest blogger: Elizabeth Shabani, Associate Director of Global Programs & Advising
It’s the start of the semester, which means new roommate assignments, finally taking that first class in your major, Meet the Firms, and sinking your teeth into some much-missed Seoul Taco. But for more than half our Olin students, the start of the semester means the first time they’ll have seen their friends, faculty, and advisors in nine months! That’s because approximately 60% of Olin students participate in a Global Program, with 121 BSBA students abroad during the Spring 2017 term alone. And that number only seems to be growing each year.
Global awareness and cross-cultural competence are critically important to employers, and studying abroad can have a positive effect on your academics, career goals, and marketable skills. In fact, according to Frontiers Journal, CEO perspectives found that “studying abroad and internationally orientated studies are mentioned as essential and basic requirements for enhancing talent.” That is one of the many reason why studying abroad is so important to us here at Olin (let alone that it is often described as “the best time of my life!”).
But how do you go about studying abroad or knowing if it’s the right fit for you? Well, this is where your Global Ambassadors, Academic Advisors, and Global Programs staff come to help. Here are five quick steps to studying abroad:
Visit the WashU Study Abroad website for details on programs—and destinations— and the BSBA Global Program for the nitty gritty details, like scholarship opportunities, financing your study abroad, and more. Students with second majors outside the business school may also explore opportunities through the college. Meet with Global Ambassadors (past study abroad participants) to get their perspectives from abroad. We will also be hosting several information sessions this fall, so make sure to read the BSBA newsletter for dates, times, and locations!
Meet with your academic advisor to discuss when is the best time for you to go abroad and what kind of credit you can earn abroad. For students seeking a semester program this may often be your sophomore or junior year.
Keep in mind what kind of experience you’re hoping to have. Immersive with engagement with local students? Internship opportunities? Summer programs? What classes do you need and do you want to be abroad in the fall, spring, or summer? Once you’ve narrowed down your choices (or if you need some extra help working through your goals), meet with a Global Programs advisor. You can schedule an appointment or stop by during their walk-in hours in Simon 118.
You should apply online before the below deadlines. Keep in mind you’ll want to start your application early in order to allow enough time for faculty to complete their recommendations or to submit any supplemental materials:
Deadlines:
We’ll review your application and touch base with you if we have any questions. Upon admission to the program, we’ll continue working with you on your next steps such as preparing for a new academic culture, completing host university materials, travelling safely, and making the most out of your experience.
Global Programs advisors can also help you research funding opportunities. Scholarships are available through the Glazer Global Learning Fund as well as external sites (check out our resources online). Additionally, your financial aid, scholarships, grants, and loans go with you on semester programs.
So you’re on your way… what’s next?!
Check out the gallery, below, of amazing scenes from Spring 2017 study abroad trips. Click thumbnail to expand image.
Our business school had a leader named Trump who became dean in 1954. Ross M. Trump came to WashU in 1949 from Tulane University, where he taught marketing. Trump was a native of Ohio and earned undergraduate, masters, and doctorate degrees from Ohio State University.
According to Washington University historian Ralph E. Morrow, Trump “was endowed with bulldog determination, canny judgment, and knew where he wanted to take his school”—which, as it turned out, was abroad.
We may take traveling abroad for granted in the 21st century, but in 1958, “international collaboration” was a new concept for the business school and the University. With financial help from the International Cooperation Agency (ICA), the predecessor to the Agency for International Development, the business school launched a cooperative program with Yonsei and Korea Universities in South Korea to re-establish and update management training in the aftermath of the Korean War.
Business school classroom in South Korea
A contingent of WashU business professors moved their families to Korea during the project while Korean students and professors came to St. Louis to study. In 1960, another project funded by the ICA brought approximately 50 students from Tunisia to St. Louis for two years of study in business.
In addition to international collaboration, Dean Trump worked diligently to cultivate relations with the St. Louis business community, inviting leaders to teach and serve as guest speakers on campus.
Curriculum was also a top priority—both undergraduate and graduate. During Dean Trump’s tenure, the school’s two-year undergraduate curriculum was revamped while eliminating degrees in retailing and public administration. A national trend toward graduate degrees inspired Dean Trump to implement a graduate program in 1958 that offered an MBA and a curriculum leading to a doctoral degree. However, during the first six years of Dean Trump’s tenure, the business school saw the number of graduate students grow almost 80 percent, while undergraduate enrollment dropped by almost 12 percent.
In an effort to reverse the decline of undergraduate student enrollment, Dean Trump proposed the introduction of a four-year undergraduate curriculum in 1958 and again in 1960. Both times he failed to win support. In fact, the policy of admitting freshmen to a four-year undergraduate program at WashU did not become a reality until 1973.
Trump resigned in 1967 to return to teaching and research. In an obituary published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch in August of 1994, Trump was praised by a former star student, Bob Virgil, who later became a dean of the business school. The article stated,
“Robert L. Virgil, another colleague and friend, said Mr. Trump was ‘ahead of his time’ in terms of international education, both in Korea and Tunisia. ‘He was one of the leaders of business education in this country, and made a significant contribution to its development nationally and internationally.’”
Read more about Olin’s first century on the Olin100 website.
Photos courtesy of WUSTL Archives. Top photo: WashU business school professors arrive in Seoul, S.Korea.
