Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary
One aspect of the Kelley Business experience that attracted me was its study abroad programs. Not only are there semester and summer exchanges, but also opportunities to do internships in different countries. Through Kelley, Indiana University, and the Hutton Honors College, students can receive grants and scholarships to reduce the cost of studying abroad.
Originally, I did not even know that there were classes that had a study abroad component to them. I went to an X272 information session during the fall of my sophomore year because one of my professors displayed the flyer for it during class – and I am so glad that I did. At the end of my sophomore year, I took BUS-F272: Hungary in Transition, an 8-week class on Hungary followed by a 10-day trip to Budapest. Richard Shockley, the professor for the course, is one of the most motivating and inspiring people I have ever met; he is my favorite professor I have had at Kelley to date. The experience was made even better thanks to Ben Taylor and Fruzsina Szabo, who were the other Kelley staff members on the trip, and the 25 other amazing sophomores in my class.
View from our Dinner Cruise on the Danube River
A CHANCE TO SEE WHAT YOU STUDY
My favorite part of the class were the two group presentations we did during the 8 weeks. Put randomly in groups of 2-3 students, we gave presentations on a variety of topics relevant to Hungarian culture. There were presentations on popular artists, important places, and relevant dates in Hungarian history. Getting to learn from these presentations made me knowledgeable going into the trip. It also made the study tour so much more memorable because we got to see and visit the places that all of us knew something about. I was very excited to see the Chain Bridge because of the impact it had on Hungarian life by uniting Buda and Pest.
One of my favorite memories from the trip was the Danube River dinner cruise that we did as a class. This dinner cruise came after we had done extensive walking tours of Buda and Pest with locals that my professor knew. It was extremely meaningful to get to go on these tours with people who had grown up in Hungary and lived there throughout all the changes the country had experienced. On the dinner cruise, we passed many places that we had discussed in class. This enabled us to point out different places along the river and their significance, which was very rewarding.
2024 Kelley School of Business X272 Hungary Class
AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE
During a few days on the trip, we spent some time at Corvinus University hearing from professors on topics ranging from ‘The Instability of Politics in Central Europe’ to ‘Hungarian Identity’. One professor had been born in the U.S. before moving to Hungary to live for many years. He talked about being an entrepreneur in Hungary. It was inspiring to hear how he navigated a new career and became successful in a place where originally did not speak the language or know any of the customs.
Getting to be a part of this trip was an experience I will never forget. It showed me just how much there is to be learned from other countries and cultures. It also showed me the capacity that we, as individuals, have to learn from others, internalize that knowledge, and grow from it. If it is financially possible for you to go on some sort of study abroad, a semester or a smaller 10-day trip like the one I went on, I think you will find it to be something you look back on fondly, with so much new knowledge about the place and yourself.
Shireen Sahrawat
I want to thank Richard Shockley, Ben Taylor, Fruzsina Szabo, and all the students in my class for being kind and motivating people that I feel grateful to have crossed paths with at Kelley.
Shireen Sahrawat is an undergraduate student at the Kelley School of Business, studying Finance with a minor in Creative Writing. Shireen is involved with Kelley’s Capital Markets & Banking Workshop and Indiana University’s WTS as a Writing Tutor. She is excited to combine her love for writing with the experiences she’s had at school to give you a glimpse into the community she is grateful to be a part of at Kelley.
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