Hello,

My name is Haley Smith and I am a rising junior accounting major at the University of Pittsburgh. As I write this, I am getting ready to embark on my trip to London in order to participate in the Global Business Institute’s International Accounting Issues program.

I am from Altoona, Pennsylvania, which is in the heart of central Pennsylvania. Throughout my life, I have barely traveled outside of Pennsylvania, and I have never traveled outside of the United States. I chose this program as a way to gain valuable life and learning experiences that I may not have the opportunity to achieve at any other point in my life.

In particular, I chose London because that is where the accounting study abroad program is offered. With this, I will not only intern and take an international accounting course, but I will also participate in site visits to companies and learn how their accounting system works.

Going to London will be an incredibly rewarding experience for me for several reasons. One of these reasons being that the United Kingdom, and the rest of the world, use different accounting standards than we do in the United States. This means that interning there will give me experience with the international accounting standards that I could not get here. This will give me an advantage in the future if I decide to work for an international accounting firm.

Furthermore, as someone who has never left the country, it will be an incredible cultural experience for me. It is very beneficial to my education and my personal growth in order to gain a different perspective to allow me to have a more worldly and well rounded view on life.

I am especially excited to try all of the new food in London. Not only will the food be different culturally, but the city is so large with so much variety that I will never run out of new options. I am also excited to see landmarks like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.

On the other hand, I am nervous about finding my way around the city. I am fearful that the public transportation will be complex or hard to navigate. My commute to both my internship and to my classes will be about forty minutes, and they might be along complicated routes.

Overall, I cannot wait to begin my journey to London. It will be unlike anything I have ever done before, and I am extremely excited to gain new experiences.