St. Thomas’ London Business Semester was ranked No. 23 out of 50 for the best study abroad programs in America, according to Best College Reviews.
As part of the program, two St. Thomas professors accompany students to teach classes and act as local experts. Richard Rexeisen, chair of the marketing department, and Mary Daugherty, an associate professor of finance, will lead the next trip. Next fall will be Rexeisen’s sixth time leading the program.
“We learn just like the students learn,” Rexeisen said. “I get to see through the students’ eyes just how they get to see through our eyes. It’s really a symbiotic process.”
During the trip students can earn 16 credits while attending class twice a week – usually all day – which gives them plenty of time for travel around Europe junior Lydia Swanson said. Swanson participated in the program in 2014 and said the experience allows students to get to know their professors on a personal level throughout the trip.
“We became really close on the trip,” Swanson said. “I feel like they’re my second parents but also my best friends too. We got a better lesson from it all because they were able to connect it to more real life situations because we were all doing the same things.”
As a way of learning about London and fulfilling St. Thomas’ Business 200 requirement, students volunteered within the community. Junior Jon Page volunteered every Thursday morning during his 2014 fall semester.
“I volunteered at a place called Listening Books, which distributed audio books to hospices, old folks homes and people with disabilities within the community,” Page said. “I would put together mini libraries where they recorded audio books and then distribute them to people. I actually met with a guy working for IBM, so you can also do some networking over there too.”
The London Business Semester interviewing process is extremely competitive Rexeisen said. Professors not only look for academically talented students but also those looking for adventure and growth.
“I look for people that are curious,” Daugherty said. “In some respects, I can just tell it’s going to make a huge difference in their life, and I want them to have that opportunity.”
The London Business Semester launched in 1995, led by management professor Phil Anderson. Over the last 20 years, Anderson has made more than 50 trips to England and Ireland, and he encouraged students to choose the semester-long program.
“If you can afford to do a semester, do a semester,” Anderson said. “When you’re there for a whole semester, you can see all the major sights, slow down, and you can start to sink into the culture and get a sense of what everyday life is like.”
Eric Bromback can be reached at brom0030@stthomas.edu.