about exchange experience...help

[peachcat]

I have taken an exchange student in Vienna.
I want write about this experience in my essay. But I am not sure if this is a good idea. Is this too cliche?

and dont know how can i tell it in a more special way, maybe say it is a process where i find more about myself?

and is travelling in Norway by myself a special experience that I can write about??

Need your opinions guys, please help....

[Bryant@VeritasPrep]

B-schools like it when you have international experience, whether it be personal or business oriented, so I would say unequivocally, yes you should include it, particularly if you feel it helped shape who you are today. Understanding other cultures and being able to relate to students from all over the world is a real asset in b-school and will help you form lifelong bonds with a broad diversity of students. Good luck!

[julie_shah]

Hi Peachcat!

I agree with Bryant that b-schools like it when you have international experience, and so you should definitely include this in your essays.

I would add that I think you're right to want to make sure you can write about it in a special way - applicants know that b-schools want to see international experience, and so many applicants will write about international experiences. In other words, you want to make sure that the way you write about your experience helps you to stand out.

You can address how the experiences helped you to find out more about yourself, but as that is a common theme, be sure to be specific about how the experience changed you, the lasting effect it has had on your thinking, your values, your approach, etc. B-schools want to understand your motivations, how you make decisions, how you handle challenges, how you interact with others, how you approach new cultures/experiences, etc., and so your international stories should be a vehicle to share these individual qualities with b-schools.

Let me know if you have further questions, and good luck!

Julie