Office of Study Abroad

Profile: Maxie Phung '21

Majors: Economics

Study Abroad Program: University of Oxford – St. Peter’s

Current Job/Graduate School/etc.: Investment banking

Why did you originally choose to study abroad in the UK? Regarding studying abroad in general, I realized that I could learn a lot from the people and about myself through traveling to a foreign place. Regarding the program, one year sounds like a long time, but I cannot imagine myself understanding a culture in less than a year. The people at St. Peter's are very welcoming and I have the exposure to the University as well. Lots of good times!

What have you been up to since graduation? I was debating between working and applying to grad schools as I love financial economics. At the end, I decided to work in the financial industry to see what niche of economics is the most interesting to me — then figure out my next steps. I believe that I can learn at either work or school!

What lessons or skills did you learn from studying abroad that you still think about today or still impact you today on your current path? Besides academic knowledge, I think the ability to adapt to a new culture really helps me with my current path. When it comes to work, I meet people from all over the world, and trust me if you study abroad often enough it gets easier for you to talk to people (especially be understanding about the differences between cultures). I have become a lot more open-minded and share lots of experience with people working with me (maybe they used to travel in the place I studied abroad as well).

One memory from abroad that still feels like it happened yesterday: It was my first day moving in the dorm. I had an interview in New York City, so I had to skip the entire orientation period at my abroad college. It was a rainy day, and I had no idea where my dorm was — totally lost in the heart of Oxford. Luckily, a current student helped me out with the directions and sent me warm regards. That moment I saw my room for the first time was unforgettable. It was a mix of excitement and nervousness, like "Oh, wow, I will spend an entire year here!"

Your message to students thinking about studying abroad: Think about who you want to become in the long run. Do you want to see people from different cultures? Do you feel like you don’t know what you want and need an escape to find out? This is the opportunity. To be honest, I wish I studied abroad more during college or at least travelled more during those studying abroad years. Now that I started working, it is hard to schedule a long traveling trip.