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Pamplin School of Business: Meet David

July 1, 2012

London Reflections

Being home in San Diego, already re-accustomed to life here, it is a bit of a reality trip to realize that just about a week ago, I was in London, on another continent. Already, I am a bit nostalgic about some of the places I frequented a lot there, such as Alpha Pizzas, a little food shop with the best chicken wings on earth, and Regent’s Park, the park near our flats where I would usually do push-ups and pull-ups. What I will miss most of all is the feeling in the morning when I would wake up and anxiously await the new adventure for the day. Every day in London, I discovered something new about their culture. I will be honest, I would not settle down in London for a lifetime, but with its past and many historical land sites, I felt privileged to experience what it had to offer through a study abroad program.

As a freshman, one of the first questions I was asked at the business office was whether I wanted to do study abroad or not. At that time, that possibility did not even occur to me and I said no. I did not have an urge at the time to go international. But when I heard other people going on study abroad programs and coming back with all these fascinating stories, I slowly grew interested. One of the main reasons I chose to go to the University of Portland was because of my desire to branch out and expand my view of the world. Eighteen years in San Diego, my comfort zone, and I felt I had a very limited view of the world. I took a chance and went to UP and it was one of the best decisions in my life. Going on the London summer program was another great decision of mine.

The benefits of study abroad are numerous. Not only are you completing more credits for school, you are doing so in a completely different culture. You are learning how to interact differently with the norms of another culture all the while doing school. That is quite a feat and to pull it off with good grades holds a lot of weight to employers as well.

I always dislike having to think about “what-ifs” and so I strongly encourage all to at least consider studying abroad. It could be one of the greatest times in your life!

This is my last blog post in the summer but stay tuned for next fall semester where I dive into the easygoing (but not really) fall recruiting process for accounting majors!

David Vondracek Student Blog Photo 2011

Name: David
Class: Sophomore
Hometown: San Diego, CA

Major: Accounting and Finance

Favorite PSOBA Prof: Dr. Bill Barnes. He gets really animated when he teaches and, if you visit during office hours, you can tell he is really down to earth and more than willing to help.

Favorite PSOBA class: Intro to Leadership is one of the few business classes but I can already envision myself taking a seat in a CEO chair and having coffee with Donald Trump.

Why I chose UP: Being from southern California, weather was definitely not the reason I picked UP. But that's a small price to pay for the quality of education I'm receiving so far. My great host during Weekend on the Bluff not only introduced me to the best dorm (Shipstad) but also got me excited about all the exciting opportunities on campus.

Favorite thing about UP: Coming from an all guys high school, I would probably have to say the girl to guy ration is one of my favorite things. Going from that testosterone-filled environment to this was pretty much like a utopia to me. But on a more serious note, the dorm environment and the size of UP is really appealing. The bond you form with the people in your dorm is very strong and no doubt you'll meet some of your closest friends there Everybody said college would rock and they were right!

Contact me! psobablogs@up.edu

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