Motivation
I wanted to learn more about international commercial arbitration, which was already a great interest area of mine. I also wanted to experience new cultures and landscapes, as well as make friends from across the world.
Personal Development
I made many close friendships with both students from my own institution, but also others from around the world. This experience really helped me develop my ability to work with those from different backgrounds who have different cultures and ways of thinking, while also to be more understanding of others and why they hold certain beliefs and values.
Academic Development
I learnt a lot about international commercial arbitration and really enjoyed the environment. It was difficult having classes for very long periods everyday, but I managed to stay engaged by asking questions in class, organising study groups with other students and discussing content in breaks between classes, as well as ensuring I had a big breakfast beforehand.
Professional Development
I developed many leadership and teamwork skills through this experience where we had group activities with members from all over the world. This included students from across Europe and Asia, all of whom had different backgrounds and varying levels of confidence in their English. I observed that students from non-English speaking countries were more hesitant to participate, and that some cultures were more immediately expressive than others, which made it difficult to all work together and complete tasks in small timeframes. As such, I learnt to step up more as a leader in breaking up the group into smaller groups to help students feel more comfortable while also forcing others to engage with other students. I delegated different tasks and asked certain team members specifically for what they thought to include them. I can see these skills being useful in the workforce where there will also be many diverse colleagues, especially as interstate/international travel increases over time.
Costs
I mainly just dedicated a certain amount of money to be used for the trip as a budgeting technique. Overall for the 2 week duration, I spent around $8065: $2450 on the course, $1315 on accommodation, $4200 on transport on transport (flights, trains, buses) and $200 on food.
Funding
I used the entirety toward transport, accommodation and tuition.
Accommodation
I lived on campus.
Highlight
Highlights included meeting inspiring professionals, making friends from across the world and swimming in the lake between classes everyday.
Advice/Top Tips
Make the most of all activities offered at the academy (e.g. ballroom dance classes, windsurfing classes, karaoke).However, on a more negative note unfortunately, students should definitely be cautious when interacting with locals (especially students of colour or the queer community) since the countryside is a slightly more conservative area. I heard several anecdotes from fellow students during the exchange who had some negative experiences. Overall though, the people were great and the environment beautiful.
