By Niveen Sidarous,
University of Houston

For my first study abroad experience ever, I joined a group from Oklahoma State University for a month in London the summer after my graduation. I learned about the opportunity through my Beta Alpha Psi chapter at the University of Houston.

I probably had the best time of my life, and gained knowledge and experience I never could have learned from a textbook. Even though I had previously traveled abroad, I was still a little hesitant about staying and actually living in another country for a month — and with people I had never met before. In a matter of hours my hesitation turned into enthusiasm. We were a group of 23 students, ranging from freshmen to graduates, and 4 professors staying in a dorm at Regent's College. Hundreds of other study abroad students from around the world were also at Regent's College.

Classes were held 5 days a week for 4 hours a day. Occasionally, we would have a speaker from London's business sector or a class fieldtrip to places such as the Houses of Parliament, the Bank of England, Lloyd's of London, and the London International Financial Futures Exchange. Besides the General Business class that was required, I chose to take the International Accounting class. We had speakers from the Institute of International Accountants and from Big 6 Accounting firms come to our class. Our accounting class of 7 was also invited to attend a reception with the Chartered Accountants who were interested in starting a Beta Alpha Psi chapter in London, and maybe even other European cities.

After classes and any afternoon activity we had scheduled, we were free to sightsee on our own. Besides the normal tourist sights in London, we took weekend trips to Scotland, Paris, Cambridge, and Warwick Castle. We also attended 10 famous Broadway shows including Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and Miss Saigon. I made friends for life on this trip, and gained invaluable firsthand knowledge about life abroad and international business.