Dinete Kollanur and Vishnu Narayanan are two of our former Peer Advisors who have recently been admitted to graduate school in the USA and Australia, respectively. They have both spent a semester abroad and started working at IXO after returning to AUS. Dinete and Vishnu told us about how their experiences abroad have given them the skills and opportunity to attend their graduate schools of choice and how their work at IXO has helped them prepare for graduate school and the professional world.
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| Dinete at a football game in South Carolina |
Dinete is an accounting and business/management alum who studied abroad at the University of South Carolina, SC, USA, in Spring 2016. He will now be pursuing a Master of Tourism Administration with a concentration in sustainable tourism development at George Washington University, DC, USA. Dinete said his semester at the University of South Carolina gave him the motivation and skills to pursue graduate school abroad: "Studying abroad at USC instilled in me the desire to go abroad and study further in another country as I had a wonderful study abroad experience and it made me learn to be more independent, responsible and most importantly, to adapt outside my comfort zone. Some skills that I would say I picked up were being organized, sticking with a routine every day, cooking skills which I thought I had none of, and the ability to talk to a stranger and have a conversation, as I was often an introvert."
For Dinete, the perks of study abroad when it comes to graduate school started as early as the application process: "While I was applying for my study abroad application, I developed the skills to do research on the university that I was interested in," he said. "[These skills] helped me shortlist some good universities [for graduate school] like GWU. After I got accepted into GWU, the process that I had to do of filling in forms and documents to the university was similar to what I had to do once I got accepted into USC [for study abroad], such as [filling in] immunization forms and forms for a student visa, payment types, course registration, orientation about studying in the USA, and so on. I had previously completed such forms while studying abroad and it came in handy when submitting my forms to GWU for graduate school as I knew the process beforehand."
Moreover, his study abroad directly helped him in getting graduate school opportunities: "To begin with, I did get admitted into USC's graduate school program, but I thought it would be nice to try out a new university where I hadn't been before," he said. "But yes, studying abroad in the USA [allowed] my character to develop in a new country and this was highlighted when I did an interview call with GWU's representative. Also, by now, it's [well-known] that the more international background you have, the more likely it is for people in schools or even at companies to accept you, as we are all moving towards a diverse and globalized world. For me, showing that I had studied abroad in the USA helped me get into graduate schools in the country, but I'm sure even if you had studied abroad in Europe or Asia and applied to the USA or vice versa, your chances of getting accepted would be better than if you hadn't studied abroad."
When Dinete returned to AUS from his study abroad, he started working as a Peer Advisor at our office, and he said this experience gave him an advantage in the professional world: "[At IXO], I was able to demonstrate great team work and communication skills," he said. "As a tour guide for visiting delegates, I was able to present myself and converse with higher level managements with more confidence and courage. Time management was another skill that I picked up working as a Peer Advisor at IXO and I was also able to improve my Microsoft Office skills by doing certain projects at the office. In terms of whether it helps in graduate school, I'm sure that working in IXO will definitely help me settle down in a new city and new university. This is because the experience we Peer Advisors had in settling other incoming study abroad students at AUS will come in handy, such as some of the tips we gave them regarding being responsible, adjusting to a new country and so on. Being around a diverse faculty and students will also help me have no barriers when it comes to making friends at GWU. I have also been in contact with some former GWU students who had studied abroad at AUS, and they have been quite friendly and welcoming to their university."
Dinete has long-term goals that he would like to achieve through obtaining a Master of Tourism Administration at GWU: "After working for two years in an e-commerce tourism company called Tajawal in Dubai, I preferred to stick in the same industry and I have certain goals that I would like to achieve in the next 10 years. As I have a passion for travelling and exploring new countries, I would like to help others also achieve my same passion in developing countries in South Asia, South America, Eastern Europe and other areas of the globe where tourism is still not fully developed. I would also like to encourage people from these countries to explore more from outside their boundaries by making travel cheap, safe and convenient for everyone so that the people from these countries can bring different ideas from outside their countries and help develop their economy."
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| Vishnu in the Netherlands |
Vishnu studied abroad at Maastricht University in the Netherlands in Fall 2017. He worked as a Peer Advisor at IXO ever since returning to AUS until he graduated in Spring 2019 with a major in finance. Vishnu will now be pursuing a Juris Doctor (J.D), a postgraduate law degree, at Sydney Law School at the University of Sydney, Australia. He said studying abroad at Maastricht University was one of the most enriching experiences he's ever had: "I can always go on about the number of things I got to learn and the different perspectives it's given me on various things. However, what I would cherish the most from my study abroad experience, and what I think would help me the most as I leave for graduate school, is the self-belief I gained with respect to taking care of myself. Growing up as an only child, especially in a city such as Dubai, I always doubted my capabilities to live the independent life. During my semester abroad I was able to gain the skills and capabilities necessary for taking care of myself. These skills are what I believe have made the aspect of doing graduate school in a place I've never been to, such as Australia, less daunting," he said.
Like Dinete, Vishnu's experience with filling out an application for study abroad helped when the time came to apply to graduate school: "The application process for graduate school was a bit more sophisticated than the study abroad application," he said. "However, having done the study abroad application, I was able to understand the importance of being patient with applications, as it's important to take your time and complete the required forms without any mistakes. This made my graduate school application a lot easier."
Vishnu's time abroad had a significant effect on his decision to go to graduate school in Australia: "My study abroad experience led me to meeting students from across the world, and a handful of the friends I made happened to be from Australia," he said. "Before meeting them, I was quite unaware of what life was like down there, but thereafter, they changed my perspective on what it's like in Australia. It was through them that I got to know how inclusive, diverse and exciting life is in Australia and I do believe this had a huge impact on my decision to choose my destination for graduate school."
Through his time working at IXO, Vishnu got a glimpse of the professional world: "Working at IXO was a great experience, one that I'll always be grateful for. I joined the office so that I can urge others to have the same experience as I did. But working in this office let me do so much more than just that. It gave me a chance to meet and interact with people from different parts of the world, every semester. The people I met through working in this office helped me understand things from a different perspective. Moreover, I was able to build wonderful relationships with my colleagues, to the extent that this office had become my home away from home. Hence, after working at IXO, I was able to gain great insight into what working at a professional environment may be like and the importance of keeping the relations with your colleagues."
Vishnu is thinking internationally for where he wants to go from graduate school: "Sydney Law School is considered as one of the most prestigious law schools, not just in Australia, but across the world. The course is meant to last three years, and during these three years, I look forward to learning, entering the field of law and hopefully working full time in Australia by the end of it. I would also be keeping an eye on international opportunities that would allow me to travel around the world."
With the skills and experience they gained from their study abroad and their time working at IXO, Dinete and Vishnu were able to earn their spots at graduate schools which will help them immensely in furthering their academic and professional careers. Thank you for your contributions to IXO, Dinete and Vishnu, and warmest congratulations for your success! Here's wishing you good luck for a bright and prosperous future!
Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist
