What can a group of business students from a mid-size city in the middle of the United States possibly contribute to the debate on European Union expansion?
Plenty.
As part of a semester-long internship in London and Paris, students from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis will have the chance to present their ideas and debate possible outcomes to the European Commission in a mock-parliament in Brussels on Feb. 1.
The deputy head of mission from the Croatian ambassador to the EU will give introductory remarks at the mock-parliament. Officials from the EU and the City of London will be in attendance as well as professors from the Cass Business School.
The event takes place after the students will have spent a week researching the issue of EU expansion and acquiring first-hand data. They will travel in pairs to 19 different capital cities where they will meet with government officials and other experts who can address the issue. During the mock-parliament, the students will represent the views and interests of the countries they have visited.
The aim of the tour is twofold: First to immerse the students in the financial aspects of the EU and its future development, and, second, to give them the opportunity to develop primary data collection, interviewing and debating skills as part of their research skills base.
The European tour is part of a study-abroad semester for undergraduate finance students at Washington University in St. Louis. Unlike other semester-abroad programs, Olin Business School students are completing research papers and working hard in internships. The semester in London is considered one of the most transformative events of their academic careers.
“They leave as college students, and return as young adults,” said Mahendra Gupta, dean of the Olin Business School and professor of accounting.
During their semester stay in the UK, students enroll in Olin’s partner, the Cass Business School. The students are also placed in internships at major multi-national companies including Goldman Sachs, Rothschild, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, Jones Lang LaSalle, Sotheby’s, London, Metal Exchange, Yahoo!, Edward Jones and WPP, just to name a few. The internships frequently turn into job offers upon graduation.
The EU tour takes place the week of Jan. 27, culminating with the mock-parliament on Feb. 2.
For more information on the program, contact:
Nick Hugh
European Programs Director
+44 20 7692 6322 (office)
+44 77 1116 1377 (mobile)
nhugh@wustl.edu
In the United States, contact:
Shula Neuman
Director of News and Information, Olin Business School
(314) 935-5202 (office)
sneuman@wustl.edu