The Study Abroad Advantage is a Linkedin Group designed to help study abroad alumni bring their experiences to the professional market.  Students who have returned from abroad are encouraged to publish a review of their experience abroad and use this to highlight their ability to communicate, to use social media and their new perspective on the world.  In addition to a place to network with other study abroad alumni and alumni group organizers, the Group features postings on career development and advice on how to apply lessons from abroad to the professional world.  Prospective employers are invited to join the group to do some recruiting of the members and promote their firms.

The group hit a milestone last week with the 2,000th member, a student named Alexis Lupton from Brigham Young University.  We asked her to comment on her study abroad experience and she said “I am always willing to embarrass myself a little for the greater good.”  She went on to add more detail about her study abroad experience.

My study abroad experience was quite different than most, in that my study abroad was a travelling one instead of in just one city. We also did not have a traditional classroom. Our classrooms included: the UN, the U.S Embassy, Pepsico, UNESCO, and every where in between. My experience really taught me a lot about myself. I learned how important it is to step out of your comfort zone and really try new things. I saw the world from many different perspectives, from the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral to the slums of Paris. Sometimes plans change unexpectedly and you just have to go with the flow (like our Morocco trip being cancelled and going to Vienna instead). I gained the independence to be able to do things alone even though it may have seemed a little unnerving, and you too, in the end, truly will not be let down. Overall the world is a fascinating place and my study abroad instilled a desire to always continue exploring. 

If you’d like to connect with Alexis, you’ll find her profile on Linkedin:  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/alexis-lupton/26/107/152 

We invite you to get the study abroad advantage by joining and becoming active in “The Study Abroad Advantage”  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Study-Abroad-Advantage-8159424/about