Shahid Shamshu, Graduate Student at Texas A&M University and Former IXO Peer Advisor

Shahid Shamshu

Shahid Shamshu is our former Peer Advisor who graduated from AUS in Spring 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Since then, he has become a graduate student at Texas A&M University, TX, USA. According to Shahid, his Fall 2012 study abroad has helped him in his graduate school application, in professional settings, and in his personal life.

Shahid studied abroad at North Carolina State University, NC, USA, and this experience helped him develop mentally and personally: “Having grown up in the Middle East and not really travelled much earlier, my study abroad experience left a huge impact on my personal life. It was a major step outside my comfort zone and exposed me to people from different cultures. This really helped me explore my independence, develop a broader mindset and increase my confidence."

His study abroad has also helped him in interviews. "Having a study abroad experience on my LinkedIn/résumé has always been a great conversation starter in a lot of professional settings like interviews or networking events," he said. "People are always interested in learning more about your study abroad experience."

Additionally, Shahid gained professional skills from his study abroad. "I think some of the skills that my employer values that I’ve gained from my study abroad experience would be the ability to work well in a team setting with different people from different backgrounds."

Another pro of his study abroad was having it on his résumé when he applied for graduate school: "I do believe it gave my graduate school application a push towards the right direction and it definitely took up a good chunk of my statement of purpose in the application."

"I think the biggest and most significant gain [from my study abroad] would be the exposure to different people and cultures, which in turn makes a person more open-minded," he said. "Additionally, it is a huge step out of one's comfort zone, which is very essential for the growth of a person on all fronts."


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist