UCLA Study Abroad | International Education Office | Asia (Virtual)

By Julia Andborn

This is my last post about my experience attending the Asia Travel Study during Summer 2021. In this post I will summarize the entire experience of my Travel Study in Asia, especially the actual course work. I hope that the things I have mentioned about Travel Study have already convinced people to enroll in future travel studies at UCLA. But, if that wasn’t enough for you, I will also highlight why the course work shouldn’t intimidate you.

The first two weeks we had the Business Leadership course where we had a lot of lectures on the material. However, we also had a lot of discussions regarding the material and to get to know each other better. If you are a person that is stressed about public speaking and discussions you shouldn’t be anxious about this course as it is a tight knit group that is also very nice. You will become comfortable with your classmates almost right away and the professor also made the classroom environment feel very safe. I, myself, am not the most comfortable with public speaking, but I felt very safe and comfortable. The classes were not stressful at all and I feel like this came from the professor being so understanding and friendly. Professor McCann really wanted his students to improve their communication and leadership skills and I think he did a great job by creating a safe environment for us to do so.

The same thing goes for the last two weeks of this Travel Study, which was the Business Communication course. I definitely believe that it was a smart move to have the Business Leadership class the first week and then the Business Communication course the last two weeks because, at that point, we all already knew each other and were even more comfortable in each other’s company. I know that this class might sound terrifying to some people, but it was honestly one of the most fun and informative classes I have ever taken. We learned so much about public speaking techniques and how to structure presentations, which I believe is a really important tool to have.

Overall, don’t let the name of these courses scare you away. Even if there are some public speaking elements the classes are not at all anxiety inducing. On the contrary, you will meet many new friends and gather information that will be useful in your future university or work career. I am so grateful that I signed up for this Travel Study because it was truly one of the best experiences I have ever had in university. I can’t even imagine how amazing it will be when it is in-person again!

Thank you for reading my blog posts and please reach out to me if you want further information!