Center for Global Business Welcomes 21 Exchange Students and Sends 12 Smith Students Abroad

This fall semester, the Center for Global Business welcomed 21 incoming exchange students to the Robert H. Smith School of Business, providing them with invaluable study abroad opportunities. These experiences empower students to develop essential skills such as building a tolerance for ambiguity, how to develop relationships, and increasing their self-awareness.

In the first two weeks, incoming students were introduced to the University of Maryland campus through a series of orientation activities hosted by the Education Abroad and International Student Services Office. During the semester, these undergraduate and graduate students will take business and non-business courses and bring new perspectives to classrooms while also experiencing an entirely different culture.

Fourth-year student Cristina Navarro from Universidad de Navarra says, “I chose Smith because I heard good things about the teachers and the university itself. I wanted to learn more about US culture and how to study in a US university. I'm hoping to enjoy my courses and make good friendships, and get to know more about the state of Maryland and Washington, D.C.”

This semester’s exchange students come from 12 universities, spanning three continents and 11 countries. These partner institutions include: the University of New South Wales (Australia); the University of Melbourne (Australia); Singapore Management University (Singapore); Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong); the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University (Netherlands); the Copenhagen Business School (Denmark); the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (Belgium); the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Austria); the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany); the School of Economics and Business Administration at the University of Navarra (Spain); the IE Business School at IE University (Spain); and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain).

While incoming exchange students have been settling in at Smith, students in outgoing exchange programs have been settling into their host universities as well.

The Center for Global Business partners with a total of 23 universities to provide study abroad opportunities. Maryland Smith students earn transfer credits towards their degrees via exchange programs while immersing themselves in a new environment and developing their global mindsets. This year, twelve Smith students were sent abroad to eight different schools: the Bayes Business School at City, University of London (United Kingdom); University of New South Wales (Australia); the IE Business School at IE University (Spain); Bocconi University (Italy); Vienna University of Economics & Business (Austria); Singapore Management University (Singapore); Copenhagen Business School (Denmark); Lund University (Sweden).

“Exchange study abroad is an affordable way for students to go abroad for a semester while taking business courses. Our business exchanges allow students to take courses that help them stay on track for graduation all while gaining global skills.” says Rachel McCloud, assistant director at the Center for Global Business.

For more information on BMGT semester exchange programs, read: Study Abroad Start Here.