Culture & Business in India : Reviews (Agra)
The following program review responses have been selected for publication by Study Abroad & Global Engagement
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Samuel Hurst Logan,
Winter Break 2013 Participant
Hanging out with American students and Indian students at the same time was truly eye-opening. Complimenting this by being surrounded by some of the most exotic landscape anywhere made it all the more exciting.
Winter Break 2013 Participant
My favorite part of this program was the culture experience. I enjoyed learning all different aspects of the Indian culture by participating in numerous events, activities and exploring the cities of Trivandrum and Bangalore. Some of my favorite activities were; the house boat tour, riding an elephant, getting to know the ASB students and shopping throughout the city.
Winter Break 2013 Participant
The best part of the India program is being able to work with the students from the Asian School of Business.
Megan Renee Reesing,
Winter Break 2013 Participant
Even though this might seem entirely cliche, my favorite part of the program was riding an elephant on the last day in Trivandrum at the Asian School of Business. You can't go to India and NOT ride an elephant! The elephant was beautiful and gigantic (nearly 8 or 9 feet tall, I'd say), and adorned with a decorated face plate. We fed it entire bunches of bananas and took about 1000 pictures.
Winter Break 2013 Participant
This program allowed all the students to engage in a completely new experience. The cultural aspects of the program were awesome. I was able to really learn a lot from the Indian students at the Asian School of Business.
Winter Break 2015 Participant
My favorite part of this program was getting the chance to see the view of Indian business management and professors, and how it varied with the views within the US.
Kirsten Helena Belt,
Winter Break 2017 Participant
The time we spent at GIM with their faculty and students was invaluable as well as our ability to spend a lot of time at the Taj Mahal
Winter Break 2017 Participant
Seeing the Taj Mahal firsthand was absolutely breathtaking. Getting to meet the other students at GIM and learn that we have so much in common was a very rewarding experience.
Winter Break 2017 Participant
My favorite part of the program was having such a wide variety of activities. We were able to learn things in class from the professors at the GOA institute of management, had the chance to visit a spice farm, went to visit Wal Mart India, and more. There was a lot we did in the two weeks which made it so great.
Winter Break 2018 Participant
My favorite part of this program was the cultural experiences we were able to have during this short break. I loved getting to walk the streets and haggling with people in the markets.
Winter Break 2019 Participant
I really enjoyed speaking with the students at the Goa Institute of Management. Hearing their perspective on India's growing economy and their opportunities in India was fascinating.
Winter Break 2013 Participant
Getting to know the professors and students at the Asian School of Business. They live a very different lifestyle and it was rewarding to get to know them and learn from them.
Samuel Hurst Logan,
Winter Break 2013 Participant
The most rewarding parts were developing relationships with foreign students and teachers while traveling in a totally new location.
Megan Renee Reesing,
Winter Break 2013 Participant
The most rewarding experience of the program was making friends with the students at the Asian School of Business. At first, both the KU students and ASB students were hesitant to be open considering the cross-cultural differences. But after bonding over a talent show, tug-of-war competition, fireworks, and a brief dance party, we quickly realized our similar interests and dropped any previous hesitations. I know that I will always keep in touch with the friends I made in India.
Winter Break 2013 Participant
I really liked getting to know the culture of India and not just sit in the classroom setting. We did a lot of business visits.
Andrew E Chang,
Winter Break 2015 Participant
Visiting companies gave me a whole new perspective on how business is conducted in India.
Stephen Dewey Godfrey,
Winter Break 2015 Participant
Talking to business executives and employees gave me knowledge that I would have never known without this program
Winter Break 2015 Participant
I enjoyed getting the chance to talk to business management, learn from Indian professors, interact with the ASB students, and getting the chance to see renown sites.
Winter Break 2015 Participant
The company visits were a rewarding experience. Being able to see the inner workings of companies gave me a better understanding of business operations at the international level.
Winter Break 2017 Participant
I enjoyed being in two different parts of the country. We were able to see a small part of the diversity of India by being in the Northern Part and the Southern part. We also had such a wide variety of experiences we got to see a good amount of culture in India.
McArthur Hall,
Winter Break 2018 Participant
Learning about India's culture and history was amazing. I also enjoyed the interactions with citizens and the negotiations when shopping.
Bethany M Thomas,
Winter Break 2018 Participant
I feel like I came back a different person. I was more aware of the world around me and more comfortable. I gained experiences from this program that I never would if I travelled by myself.
Winter Break 2019 Participant
The opportunity to have site visits at big companies like Walmart and Colgate Palmolive underscored the need to understand the culture of a market in order to use best business practices. For example at Colgate they explained why they market smaller tubes of toothpaste in India and include brushes with the paste.
Aaron Wesley Goad,
Winter Break 2013 Participant
Don't be scared of India. The people are friendly and helpful, but they can be shy. You need to make the initial effort in most cases.
Samuel Hurst Logan,
Winter Break 2013 Participant
I learned that there is so much more to commerce and business outside of America that so much of us don't realize. It's amazing to see new opportunities in a place I didn't ever think they could exist.
Winter Break 2013 Participant
Take it all in because it flies by when your having fun!
Megan Renee Reesing,
Winter Break 2013 Participant
I learned on this trip that I had a lot of previous misconceptions about Indian food. If India Palace in Lawrence is your idea of Indian food, then you are severely mistaken. I stepped outside my comfort zone and learned that I love the spicy, exotic flavors of India! My advice to future students - go to India with an open mind. Not all Indian food is extremely spicy, and the chefs at ASB cater to our adolescent American pallets. Don't be scared to try the food with the name you can't pronounce, you might be pleasantly surprised!
Brian John Ivanuska,
Winter Break 2014 Participant
I learned the value of studying abroad. If you are on the fence about studying abroad, make the leap and just do it.
Kirsten Helena Belt,
Winter Break 2017 Participant
Read the textbooks beforehand!!
Winter Break 2017 Participant
Attend and participate in all the activities. You may be tired and suffering from jet lag, but you'll be so happy later that you did.
Winter Break 2017 Participant
I learned a lot about Indian culture and the country as a whole. This is important because India is going to be a very important country in the future as things are beginning to change. I also learned a lot about being out of my comfort zone.
Winter Break 2019 Participant
First and foremost just experiencing India is an amazing opportunity. Seeing the Taj Mahal and other historical sites was great. Attending lectures at GIM and visiting corporate and manufacturing sites was probably the most helpful.