I still remember the first email I received as an Elon student. The director of our Business Fellows program sent us a message the summer before classes started saying, “Hope you guys are excited for your trip to Poland!!” Timeout. Poland? Needless to say I was surprised by the message, but I had no idea how exciting the adventure I was about to embark on would become.
The Business Fellows program at Elon’s Love School of Business is a unique opportunity for students to gain valuable business and professional development experience. From day one, students are introduced to leadership opportunities on campus and encouraged to challenge themselves academically and professionally. Business Fellows take two classes each semester as a cohort for the first two years of the program, which I believe helped our group grow strong friendships.
Each year of the Business Fellows program has a unique theme. Students spend their first year developing their teamwork and study skills through their classes and a first-year study abroad experience in Winter Term. Our class spent nine days in Krakow, Poland, but other recent groups traveled to Ukraine, Cuba, and Mexico. Our trip to Poland was an awesome opportunity to learn about Polish culture, history, and business. To this day, we all talk about our great memories on that trip.
During sophomore year, students focus more on professional development. We learned valuable skills such as resume writing, interviewing, and relationship building that are essential to success in business. During junior year, most students study abroad, many for a full semester. Our group of Fellows studied in Argentina, Singapore, Denmark, and China, just to name a few. I spent a three-week Winter Term traveling to Cuba and the Cayman Islands to study accounting and economics. We also traveled to New York City for a three-day weekend where we visited the New York Stock Exchange and major companies in accounting, finance, and marketing.
Finally, senior year students work in capstone projects. Finance, accounting, and economics majors invest a portion of Elon’s endowment in different stocks and mutual funds, while management, marketing, and entrepreneurship majors work with local businesses to develop marketing strategies and business plans. It’s essentially like having a full-time internship, which is really helpful during job searches.
Overall, my experience in the Fellows program has been fantastic. It’s a great program with great rewards for students who are willing to work hard and challenge themselves. I’ve made so many great friendships with fellow students in the program, and I encourage hard-working business students to apply and challenge themselves. Who knows, maybe you can travel to Poland as well.
Denis Dotson ’15