My name is Greg Marzilli and I am entering my senior year at Louisiana State University studying finance. I attended the Summer Europe seminar that spanned across 6 different countries throughout the course of 23 days. I chose to attend the IBS abroad program because I believed it to be the perfect opportunity to learn about and experience different aspects of international business while still being able to enjoy Europe as a tourist. It’s difficult to pinpoint one favorite city but if I had to choose it would be Innsbruck, Austria because of its location in the Alps, the outdoor activities it offered and the youthful atmosphere of the city.
Hear more directly from Greg:
Why did you choose your IBS seminar vs any other study abroad program?
I chose IBS over different study abroad programs for a variety of reasons. I think the two most pertinent ones are based more on logistics than experience because in the early stages that’s what you’re looking at. The first is that it aligned with my major (and offered credit towards it) and the second being the timing. The idea that I would see the operations of international business firsthand was intriguing but receiving credit for it really sweetened the deal. Timing was perfect as well because it was right after the semester ended and finished right before I started my summer internship which I know a lot of business majors participate in.
If you had 60 seconds to convince a friend to attend an IBS program, what would you say?
If I had 60 seconds to convince someone to join this seminar, first I would tell them it was the best experience of my life because being able to see 6 countries in 23 days in this capacity is rare. I’d add that it was extremely easy to meet and become friends with people and that there is a ton of free time to experience Europe in your own way. Perhaps show them some pictures of how much fun it really was.
Do you intend on interning/working abroad in the future – if so, what did you learn from your seminar that will help you work/live abroad?
Prior to this seminar, I didn’t have any intention of working abroad but after seeing all of the opportunities abroad I have definitely opened up to the possibility. This seminar made me understand how important language skills are to working abroad so I would definitely need to improve in that area.
If you have any questions email me at: gmarzi1@lsu.edu