My time in London studying marketing and business with Professor Harrell was the absolute best week and best way to understand the MKT 300 course. Professor Harrell perfectly combined academics with plenty of time to explore the city of London and truly learn about marketing with specific regard to international techniques we do not see in the United States.

This program opened my eyes to international business, especially how realistic it is to practice in the future. I never thought working internationally was a real possibility before this program. I admired the way Professor Harrell broke up our 14-person group into three smaller groups each day which gave me the opportunity to really get to know each of the other students on the program. It was valuable to work with different peers each day for our projects and presentations. These peers had a variety of majors which was especially interesting to learn about their internships and career pursuits. Everybody offered a unique perspective on how to outline our projects and presentations, which was rewarding to learn from each other to effectively communicate information through video or skit presentations.

It was so much fun to spend a week in London, especially with pleasant weather. It was extremely mild and did not rain much, which made sightseeing and walking around easy and enjoyable. Something my peers and I picked up on early about the English culture is their patience. Nobody was ever in a rush, anywhere. In the United States we were so accustomed to doing everything quickly and adjusting to the slower time of the locals was definitely unexpected and a nice change of pace.

Professor Harrell’s dense schedule allowed us to see and do so much in the seven days that we were there. My favorite part about the program was our business-professional visit with two Spartan alumni at Google. It was awesome to hear from two recent grads now working at Google. They were both extremely enthusiastic about their roles and talked with us informally about their journeys. While at Google, we participated in a case study where we were tasked to come up with a potential add-on to an existing Google application. My group focused on YouTube and how difficult it can be to find educational content. After we presented about adding something to YouTube to help this issue, it was awesome to hear their feedback and how they tackle similar projects they are asked to solve.

I am more aware of the marketing techniques in the United States now, especially the way companies target certain regions differently and the way certain age groups are presented with different information about the same products. I definitely recommend this program to other students, regardless of intended major. While I surely learned a lot about marketing, listening to my peers' career pursuits helped me figure out directions I can go for my future internships and talking with Professor Harrell strengthened my confidence about my career path.

Name: Mariah Bonfiglio
Status: Sophomore
Major: Supply Chain Management
Hometown: LaGrange, Illinois
Program: Marketing and Business in London