Pre-departure Part 1- Background

 

College of DAAP

Ahh! Where to begin? I suppose I’ll give you a little background info. I was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Cincinnati, OH. I graduated from Withrow University in 2007 and I started out in UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). After four quarters in DAAP, I switched to Accounting in the College of Business (CoB). I was considering Fashion, but I am glad I chose Accounting, because it has solid career prospects and my career could go much farther. There is too much competition in the fashion industry, and I do not want my career to be my life. I believe in having a work-life balance.

About a year ago, I decided to study abroad in Egypt. You’re probably thinking I thought this was a blog about Dubai? Well, you’re right, but in order for you to understand how this trip came to fruition, I need to tell you the whole story.

The thought of studying abroad never occurred to me until I saw classroom presentations in a couple of my business classes. I thought studying abroad was something rich people did, and I am certainly not rich! The Associate Director of International Programs explained how anyone could study abroad by utilizing their financial aid and seeking out scholarships. She showed pictures of students in various study abroad programs, and the students looked like they were having the time of their lives. One of her pictures featured a girl on a camel.

Upon until that moment, I had been planning to take a vacation in Egypt immediately after graduation. I planned to be there 1-2 weeks. I thought to myself, why go for two weeks, when I can go for a semester? After viewing the study abroad presentation, I decided to investigate my study abroad options.

I was directed to the UC International programs, and after viewing a scrapbook made by a UC student that studied at AUC, I was convinced. Until I saw the costs….

Tuition for a semester at AUC is about $10000 per semester, and housing is about $2000. After adding personal expenses, a study abroad trip to Cairo would set you off about $16,000. One of the program managers at UC Int’l told me about a student that received $20,000 to study abroad. That gave me hope and from there my study abroad plans began.

The main part of planning required to study abroad is finding an applying to scholarships. (Since I was applying directly to a university, I really only had to register for classes, pay the tuition, and buy an airplane ticket.) I have applied to for the NABA, CWSCPA, E Roman Jones Memorial, OSCPA, ACFE, Benjamin A. Gilman, and the Boren Scholarships. The Boren Scholarship awards up to $10,000 per semester and I was basically counting on it to get me to Egypt.

Fast-forward to 2011. The riots. Ironically, the year I plan to go to Egypt, something bad happens. You see, I’ve been in love with Egypt since elementary school, when I first learned about the pyramids and sphinxs. I’ve been wanting to go since then, and going for a semester would have been a dream come true.

Around the time of the riots, I was preparing to apply to the Gilman scholarship. When applying for the Gilman, I could not apply to go to a country that was on the travel warning list. Since Egypt was at that time, I had to start looking at other options (I was horrified!).

I was determined to visit the Middle East. I figured if I don’t go to Egypt, I’ll go somewhere similar. An accounting professor recommended Morocco (her daughter studied there), but I knew nothing about the country, and there was nothing spectacular about it that made me want to go there.  

Burj Al Arab

So I decided on Dubai. Why Dubai? When I was an Arhictecture major, I had to do a a project on innovative buildings. Architecture in Dubai, such as the Burj al Arab, kept popping up in my Google search, and it made me want to go there. Did I think I would be able to go so soon? Nope. The fact that they had an American University made it even more attractive. Then I found that AUD offered full-rides through The Clinton Scholars Program, I was even more excited.

When I applied for the Gilman Scholarship, I was planning on applying for Dubai, but changing my program to Egypt once it got off the travel warning list. Then I got bad news: I didn’t receive the Boren Scholarship. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I had to start looking at more affordable options (AUD costs about the same as AUC). I looked at exchange programs in Belgium, Australia, and France. UC Exchange Programs are the most affordable since UC tuition is paid for the study abroad program. I also looked at external programs in India, Spain and Chile. From these programs I decided to apply to Australia and Belgium(as a back-up).

I was pretty happy to go Australia. It’s a modern, free country (compared to the Middle East), and the landscape is so pretty. I wanted to go there since I saw the movie Australia, with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It’s a wonderful movie. You should see if you haven’t already.

Anyway, I applied to go to Australia, which would have cost about $10,000, based on the budget that was given me. Then I got a summer internship! Although I was excited about going to Australia, and really didn’t want to go to Belgium, gaining experience in my field is more important than studying abroad. I would like to get a job after graduation…

The American University in Dubai

Egypt-strike 1. Australia-strike 2. Where the heck am I going to go? Finally some GOOD news: I got a full-ride to go to AUD!! Phew! Then I got the Gilman Scholarship which was enough to cover my flight! Now all I have to worry about are personal expenses: visa, meals, etc.