Weaving a Web:
Linking education abroad with career exploration
CIEE 2014
Andrew Law, Ph.D.
Director, Off-Campus Study, Denison University
Eleanor Lucas
Public Health Studies Major, Johns Hopkins University
Mieka Smart, MHS
Public Health Studies Program, Johns Hopkins
University
Director, Uganda: Childhood Health & Safety
Malene Torp
Executive Director, Danish Institute for Study Abroad

“Stories are wondrous things. And they
are dangerous .... For once a story is told,
it cannot be called back. Once told, it is
loose in the world .... So you have to be
careful with the stories you tell. And you
have to watch out for the stories you are
told.”
Thomas King, author, scholar & broadcaster

“Change happens; transformation is intentional”
Higher education is not, per se, about mastery.
This is because neither liberal nor professional
education is a magical elixir that, once ingested,
guarantees a student success in navigating social
and cultural difference, in engaging professional
roles and responsibilities, or in living a morally
and ethically informed life.

The recent book How College Works, a
longitudinal study of Hamilton College, makes
the simple but crucial points that “personal
relationships are the prerequisite for learning,”
and that “personal cennections are often the
central mechanism and daily motiviators of the
student experience.” In short, learning is a
relational activity, dependent on teaching,
advising, and mentoring.

Listening to
Learn
and
Learning to
Listen
“The Duke”
“Mumbles”

Weaving the Web – at DIS
• Pedagogical Philosophy
– Experiential learning
– Problem-based learning
– Interdisciplinary approach
– Teamwork
• Faculty – teach what they do
• Career resources
• Alumni research

Combining Theory, Practice, & Reflection

Student Video – Faculty Teach What They Do

Making Study Abroad a Career Advantage
• Workshop 1: Resume building,
work culture, job sites
• DIS CareerGate: GraduateLand
partnership
• International Career Night
• Workshop 2: Resume building,
interviewing, and applying for
graduate school

Recognize: What did you do?
The Basics - Outside the Comfort Zone: Lived with a homestay,,
Adapted to a new academic style, Engaged with a new culture
In the Classroom: Learned about European and Danish ways of
thinking and acting in a professional context, group projects
Outside the Classroom: Presented at Carlsberg to their Head of
Marketing, Pitched a start-up idea on study tour, Met key players in
Danish industry

Reflect: What Did You Learn? Be Specific!
Yes, you lived in Denmark with a Danish Family
Yes, you heard key speakers from multinationals
Yes, you presented at Carlsberg
…but

Workshop Example
3 interviewers and 1 candidate (then roles are swapped)
• Help students to articulate the study abroad experience
• Students see the interview methods and techniques of their peers
• Gets students to think from the employer’s perspective
• Feedback round focuses on strengths and weaknesses

DIS Alumni Survey
95% or more of the students “strongly agreed/agreed:”
More than 9 of 10 DIS alums “agreed/strongly agreed” with an additional two items:

DIS Alumni Survey – 12 month after study abroad (2013)
“There is a certain tenet of the
Danish mentality that had a
profound impact on my mindset.(...) I
think what living in Denmark did for
me was allow me to accept the many
outcomes of life, knowing that even if
they don't seem like a power move
up a career ladder, they are all
valuable and have much to offer”.
DIS Alumni 2013.

”Preparing business students for the
global workplace through study
abroad”
Journal of International Education in Business,
vol. 6 No. 2, 2013
Samantha Brandauer
Gettysburg College (now @ Dickinson College)
Susanne Hovmand
Danish Institute for Study Abroad
References

Career Exploration—A Priority in Study Abroad?
Mieka Smart, MHS
Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
Public Health Studies Program
Director, Uganda: Childhood Health and Society
Eleanor Lucas
Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
Public Health Studies Major

So, you want to study abroad?
• Answers come in various forms
• Sometimes loaded with GPA, mental health, financial issues
• Can be a perfect opportunity/springboard for otherwise
dreaded conversations about career exploration.
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.

What do you want to get out of it?
• I want to learn {insert language}.
• I want to get out of the “Hopkins bubble”.
• I want to figure out whether I really have a future in global
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.
health.

What are your competing priorities?
• Double major versus study abroad
• Go away for summer versus during semester
• Study an extracurricular interest versus completing major
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.
requirements
• Study somewhere completely foreign versus pursuing
deeper exploration of established interest

© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.
Problems
• Study abroad is increasingly becoming the standard.
Students who are financially disadvantaged are left out of
the picture.
• Pre-requisites for post-bac goals leave little time for study
abroad.
• The sometimes paralyzing “Paradox of Choice”.
• Students see study abroad as either social/cultural,
sometimes career-building; rarely do they see both.

QUESTIONS:
What are the perceived career benefits of study abroad
for your students?
What are the biggest obstacles to students gaining
valuable career-building skills while abroad?
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.

Benefits
Eleanor Lucas
Senior
Public Health Major
c/o Dec 2014
Working in Drug Safety/Effectiveness at JHSPH
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.

Faculty outside of academia
Professor worked for a pharmaceutical company
discussed advertising and patient engagement
Able to ask “what education did you need to get where you are?”
Met the woman who works to negotiate what doctors in
Denmark are paid.
New fields were introduced
Municipality research thru case studies
Health systems research thru site visits
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.

Where do I want to work?
Location
Colleagues
Atmosphere
Subject/content area
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.

Exposure to various agencies and
people from different cultures.
● Interface with professionals; came face to face with
potential future professions.
● Learning aspects of several career possibilities.
● Homestay with family in rural Uganda & 4 months in
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.
Denmark
● Cultural immersion--helps to make decisions about what
aspect of Public Health is best & location for future
career.

Recalling course material and
seeing it in the real world
Global PH Since WW II
Learned about welfare states. I saw one in Denmark.
Study abroad corroborated what I was taught and filled in
the gaps about why it could work there but not in the US.
Exposure to several models/systems:
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.
US
Uganda
Denmark
Latvia
Finland

QUESTION:
On which do you and your
students focus?
Building career-targeted credentials?
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.
OR
Gaining social/cultural experience?
BOTH?

© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.
Afterwards
Vison/Storytelling
Memories
Job
Internship
Coursework
Independent Study
Fellowships/Scholarships

Outcomes: Critical Thinking
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.

Outcomes: Sustained Service/
Engagement
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.

Outcomes: Touchstones for related
future endeavors
© 2014, Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.

Weaving a Web:
Linking education abroad with career exploration
CIEE 2014
As education abroad professionals, have we
prioritized consideration of broad-based skill
development as a key outcome for education
abroad? Should career development be an
important priority for every student going
abroad? What are effective ways to help study
abroad students integrate their thinking about
their educational and career development
trajectories?