Written by global ambassador Emily Vondrak, Master of International Business student, Boston campus, class of 2017

Did you know that Germans start with their thumbs when counting on their fingers? Or that more than 1,000 languages are spoken in India?

Upon completing my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to continue my education with a graduate program specific to international business, and that I wanted to travel. So, I started searching online for Masters of International Business and eventually came across Hult. Between the high percentage of international students, the global campuses, and the year-long program, logically, Hult seemed like the perfect choice. I planned on moving to Boston for the first 8 months, rotating to different global campuses during the summer, and increasing my business knowledge and network. All of this would mean I could find a job when I graduate. In my head, the next year of my life was pretty much planned out.

But, Hult changed my way of thinking pretty quickly. See, Hult is different. Like any other top business school, it offers all of the traditional classes to prepare you for a career in the business world, like accounting, marketing, and management. These are the so-called “hard skills” I came to school to learn.

However, as a Masters of International Business candidate at one of the most international schools in the world, I’m learning far more than how to make an income statement or produce a sales forecast. On any given day, I can easily hear at least 5 different languages being spoken in the school halls. My classmates, teammates, and friends come from countries that I had barely even heard of a few short months ago before school started. Now, I am getting to learn global economics with people from all over the world

I also get to learn how to work with people from a myriad of countries. From the day I started at Hult, I have been encouraged to have a “growth mindset”. To me, that means being willing to learn new things and improve new skills. One of the biggest, most rewarding challenges I have faced was working with my Module A Team. Our 6 members were from 6 different countries; The USA, Netherlands, Italy, India, Peru, and China. To say we encountered culture barriers was an understatement, but we all shared the same goals of wanting to learn and succeed. As we got to know each other better, the we realized that we were far more similar than different. Despite our incredibly diverse backgrounds, experience, and plans for the future, we all wanted to become better business leaders. Our similarities motivated us to work hard. Our differences taught us how to really listen to each other and compromise to find a common solution. Team meetings gave us all a chance to be leaders. Feedback and mentoring sessions helped us identify personal strengths and weaknesses and improve our “soft skills”. And, ultimately, we learned more about ourselves, how to work with others, and gained some amazing new friends.

Hult has showed me that I can learn just as much from the people sitting next to me in class as I can from the professor teaching it. This unique learning environment has opened my eyes to different cultures and ideas I never thought possible and I am excited to keep learning throughout the year.

If you would like to find out more about Hult’s business programs, download a brochure here.

Kickstart your career in this education and innovation hotspot by studying at Hult’s Boston business school. To find out more, take a look at our blog Life in Boston: Introducing Hult House. Download a brochure or get in touch today to find out how Hult can help you to learn about the business world, the future, and yourself.