International exposure... is it valuable?

mjjking

Hi Stacy,
thanks for your advices first of all!
Secondly, I'd like your opinion. I'm trying to gain admittance to a medium-ranked MBA (Willamette, LSU, Baylor). I'm an italian stdent, and I'd like to know if having had international exposure will help my admission request - and my job hunt in the future also!

I was born in a border town between Italy and France, and I've always been in contact with these two different cultures and way of life. I've travelled a lot for tourism, which brought me visiting as many as 30 different countries so far (I'm just 24 y/o). Travelling - and being an anthropology student! - helped me understanding different cultures and different values, from Western Africa to East Asia.

Furthermore, I've done volunteering for about 14 days in Romania (construction of a orphanage) and I participeated in a homestay program in a rural village in The Gambia. Furthermore, I've studied as exchange student in Finland for one academic year, and I've studied english in Canada for 6 weeks.

Do you think these international experiences would help me gain some points in the admission process, and do you think they would help me finding a job in International Busienss/Finance once graduated? I'd like to add I speak fluently Italian, English and Spanish (I have TOEFL certifications and I passed a university exam stating my knowledge of Spanish); I speak a moderately good finnish (level 3 out of six certification) and I speak basic mandarin chinese (two years course) and Indonesian.

Thanks Ms. Blackman for your help!

Roberto CUsato

Stacy Blackman · Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject:

The present applicant pool has a ton of international experience! A huge percentage of applicanst have lived and/or worked internationally. So these types of experiences are not terribly unique but will certainly not hurt you. You will craft a personal story that highlights some of these experiences and shows off your interests and activities, and the international aspect will be a big part of it. I do believe that your background and language abilties will be a asset when you look for a job. Good luck!

mjjking · Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 2:14 am Post subject: Advice 2

Hi Stacy again,
I have another question, and I hope you can answer me. I would like to find - after my MBA - a job which woud allow me travelling a lot. What do you think should I go for? What specialization do you suggest?
thanks again!

Roberto