Exchange Programs

J. van den Dries (25) resized.jpg [1]

Exchange photos.jpg [2]

J. van den Dries (17) resized.jpg [3]

J. van den Dries (12) resized.jpg [4]

Inbound Student Information [5]

Outbound Student Information [6]

International Partnerships [7]

Contact Us [8]

"[My ending] up in Germany has everything to do with the exchange I did in my third year at Brock in Rouen, France. That experience changed my life and opened my eyes to a different world. I met many interesting people, many of whom I keep in regular contact with 5 years later and visit often.[...] It stands out on your resume for future employers and is always an interesting topic of conversation in the interview. I found that it has made me a better-rounded candidate and the skills/experience developed during this time are attractive to future employers, as not everyone has them.

Now, not everyone has to take their exchange experience to the extreme that I did. After completing my Bachelor's studies, I still had a major travel bug that I needed to deal with. I messaged some of my European friends who I met on exchange, to see if I could land an internship somewhere in Europe. A German friend of mine gave my resume to his manager, and they were actually in need of an English speaker. I landed an internship at Sal. Oppenheim, a major Asset Management Firm, in Cologne, Germany for 6 months as a Financial Controller. I did not have any knowledge of the German language before coming to Germany, but I was determined and developed the language skills fast (I am now business fluent). That 6 month contract was extended another year at Oppenheim, and I decided to stay. After Oppenheim was bought out by the Deutsche Bank, I applied for other positions within the bank and landed my current position. I am currently the Global Business Analyst for the Private and Business Clients Global Collections and Recoveries Department at the Deutsche Bank. My colleagues sit in Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland and India. My job requires occasional travel to these countries for conferences and meetings, as well as many telephone conferences, where the business language is English. Working in an international environment with colleagues from around the world is extremely rewarding and a lot of fun, and I owe the ability to do my job well to the skills learned during my exchange.

My original plan to stay in Germany for 6 months has changed a bit, as 4 years in Germany have passed. I am currently completing an Executive MBA in a joint program between European Business School (EBS) in Germany and Durham Business School (DBS) in England, partly sponsored by the bank. It looks like I will be staying here a few more years and am loving it. Every day is a new adventure and it has not become boring yet!"

-John Calandriello, Brock BBA Grad