Every year, third-year students in the Bachelor of International Business program leave Ottawa and the Carleton campus to spend an entire academic year studying abroad at one of our partner institutions.
During the first two years in the program, BIB students take intensive language courses in a language new to them. During this year abroad, students are fully immersed in a country and culture where that language is spoken, developing language fluency, cultural awareness and cross-cultural skills.
Let's meet this year's Sprott BIB bloggers who are sharing their experiences with us!
Erica is our very first blogger in Japan! She's looking forward to immersing herself in Japanese culture and finally being able to communicating with her extended family, including her grandmother.
Laura is very involved in theatrical arts and many different sports here at Carleton. She's looking forward to spending her year in Germany experiencing the culture, food and of course, travelling!
Su chose to go Shanghai for a few reasons – the main one being able to communicate with over 1.3 billion people in the world! She's also looking forward to exploring Asia with her fanny pack!
Larisa is a seasoned traveler who has already been to 14 countries! She was lucky enough to complete high school with a travelling school and is ready to perfect her French while in Brussels for the year.
Cason is spending his year abroad in Spain! His advice is to pack light so you're ready to explore your host country and experience the distinct practices, food and dialects!
Sarah grew up on a farm east of Calgary raising beef cattle and growing barley, wheat, and canola. She's most excited to go beyond her comfort zone and really experience all that Madrid has to offer!
Our Sprott students who have decided to study in South America (where the academic year usually runs from March to December) won't be leaving for their exchanges until the new year, so keep an eye out for their blog posts beginning in 2017!
Isaac has been fortunate to visit Europe several times and but has never been to South America before! He's excited to hiking and camping Patagonia during his year abroad.
Zachary is ready for the warmer temperatures of Santiago for his year abroad. To make sure he doesn't miss Ottawa or Calgary too much, he's bringing along some Canadian necessities: maple cookies and beef jerky!
Kevin almost went to flight school instead of choosing the BIB program, but he is very excited for his year abroad in Santiago!
Charlotte is ready for her year abroad in Bogota! Expect a lot of photos and posts she explores Colombian culture in her Sprott ball cap!