"You won't regret what you did, but what you didn't do!" - Karandeep Narula on why you should study overseas

Karandeep Narula [pictured above, in Paris], an international student who has grown up in India and Thailand, is currently pursuing his penultimate year of studies in a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Canberra. In July this year, Karandeep participated in our European Management and Marketing program held in the beautiful city of Tours, France. The experience has had a profound impact on Karandeep and he's got some great advice on why you should study overseas (as well as a hilarious story on how Karandeep's attempts at the notoriously difficult French language led him to accidentally hit on a supermarket cashier). Read on to find out more...

Why did you choose AIM Overseas' European Management and Marketing program?
Was it just fate or destiny?

I saw the AIM Overseas info session advertisement on the University of Canberra's Moodle account and it caught my eyes as, at the time, I had been thinking about doing an exchange program. I noted down the day and time of the info session but somehow it just slipped from my mind.

Then one day, after I had finished tutoring a class, a girl walked into the classroom and asked me, “AIM Overseas??” and I said “Nope! We just finished a business stats class”. I then started having a conversation with her and found out that there were actually two AIM Overseas information sessions running on that particular day. Once I came to know that another session was about to begin, I thought to myself that maybe I should take a seat.

I then received a piece of paper with a list of programs, and the European Management and Marketing program in France caught my attention because advertising and business studies have always been my forte. I also felt that this trip would add to my exposure in terms of making me open up and learn and experience other cultures and traditions. I have always wanted to study and travel at the same time and through AIM Overseas I was able to do that. Moreover, the course would add to my personal and professional growth.

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
Oh yes! I faced so many problems preparing to go overseas that at one point I thought that I wouldn't even be able to go, but Jooliet from AIM Overseas made sure my documentation was in order.

Another fear I started to have was that I would be travelling all alone to Europe and didn’t even know their language. It’s not like I haven't travelled alone before but this was that first time I had organised everything, whereas in the past my parents had organised everything for me. My trip to Australia was arranged by my parents for me but France has been my independent effort.

Tell me about a typical day at ESCEM
Every day was a different day! Why wouldn’t it be when you're in Europe?

We’d wake up in the morning and receive croissants, a baguette, butter, cheese and fruits etc. for breakfast. We then had to catch a bus which I would usually end up running for as I would (most of the time) be late I had not woken up in time, even after several of my friends had tried knocking on my door for ages. This is how we would head off to ESCEM for classes which started at 9:30 or 10:00am.


Karandeep and fellow AIM Overseas participants take a happy snap during their Welcome Dinner

The class would continue until 12:30pm and then lunch would be served at the school. During the lunch break, we were free to do what we wanted; some of us went to the markets next to the ESCEM while others usually hung out in the student commons playing pool, Foosball or the Ps3. After lunch, classes resumed until 5 pm after which we were free to do anything we wanted. Some days we had cooking or French language classes after 5pm.

What was the highlight of the program for you?
Those chilli shots!! All of us decided to go to the square (La Plamerau) to celebrate our last day at Tours. We rocked up at a bar where all the French students in our class hung out and we just started ordering vodka and tequila shots as they were only 2 EUROS!

We kept on having shots until the bartender made chilli vodka shots for all of us. Everyone turned red with smoke blowing out of their ears and tears streaming down their faces!! Everyone asked for water but the bartender never gave it to us!


The infamous chilli shots (we can't believe you guys actually drank that!!)

In terms of the course, I feel that the organisation and fluidity of the experience was the highlight. It never felt like a classroom environment because the basis of the course was practical and hands-on. Being part of this creative environment, I came to appreciate business and advertising in a different light. I am pretty sure that the course introduced me to advertising and business information which I would have never gotten to learn.

Do you gain any interesting insights on French people and culture?
Well, it was very strange to see how French people separated their professional lives from their personal lives. Every single day, once work hours were over, you would see them enjoying their lives to the max. They would call up all their friends, grab some snacks, cheese and a bottle of wine and just sit underneath the Eiffel tower for hours till midnight. Wherever you went, the city would be up until 2 or 3am in the morning. Even students went out a lot; they would study during the school hours, get back home to read their notes for an hour or two, grab dinner then head out to hang out with their friends in bars and clubs. If felt as if they were celebrating every day!

Before heading to France, a couple of my friends had told me that French people were very rude and they didn't speak English well and that I'd have to speak to them in French otherwise they wouldn't respond. I found this to be completely wrong! French people were very helpful and if you did show that you were trying to speak their language, they would start having a conversation with you - in English!


Saint Gatien's Cathedral, which Karandeep visited on one of the program-organised cultural trips

Did you have any funny 'lost in translation' moments?
Yes! I do remember one… Once at the supermarket, my friends and I said to the lady at the cashier, “Merci beau cul,” and she smiled. Later, one of our French friends told us that instead of saying "Merci beaucoup," which means "Thank you very much," we had said "Thank you nice a**!" We couldn’t stop laughing.

Do you have some tips for someone who's going on this course?
• Go 2 weeks before your course starts or stay 2 weeks more after your course so you can take the opportunity to travel to other European countries. I arrived in France on the day of the course and had 2 extra weeks after the course during which I explored France, Spain, Amsterdam, Netherlands.


Karandeep in front of the impressive Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain

• Make sure you do all the readings required of you before attending class. Prepare all the notes during the class and review them once before you head out and party.
• The bar right beside La Loire River is the best place to chill and hang out as they have got different music being performed everyday such as rock, tap dance etc. If this is not your thing, then head off to La Plamerau which we called “The Square”.
• Pack light and shop more because once you are in Europe, you will definitely turn into a shopaholic because of the fashionable clothes and the massive sale prices.


La Plamerau [“The Square”]

How has this program impacted you?
This program has made me more mature and confident and I have started seeing things in a different and positive way. This experience has made me more practical, so much so that even those around me have noticed it. In terms of the impact this has made on my professional life, it will surely be the highlight of my resume when I start applying for jobs and will be able to share my experience during the interview.

The major impacts I have felt have been from interacting with people from another culture, seeing some of the overseas destinations that some may never see first-hand and learning a new language, French, which is one of the most popular languages after English.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
I have no regrets because I got exactly what I wanted: a program which was a fun learning experience. You get to travel to France and other European countries as well. So don’t think! You are just wasting your time! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and when opportunity knocks on your door, just grab it because you won't regret what you did, but what you didn't do. I am sure that given the chance no one would pass on this course. The trip alone is worth it!

I thought way too much about whether or not I should go, even after getting accepted for the program; but my dad pushed me and said, “You should go! It’s an experience you will never forget which no one can take away from you!” I am now passing on this advice to you, because by doing an overseas study program, you will study, travel, learn about a new culture and see yourself becoming more mature and confident.

Great advice! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us Karandeep - merci beaucoup! ;)



This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

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Learning geography the painful way – Kirra Loh talks about studying International Business and Advertising in France

Kirra (centre) with fellow AIM Overseasers

Kirra Loh is currently completing her final semester of a Business and Commerce degree at the University of Newcastle. Kirra recently chatted to us about what it was like to experience French culture and hospitality whilst studying AIM Overseas’ International Business and Advertising Program as well as sharing a hilarious story highlighting the importance of paying attention in geography class!

Hi Kirra! Tell me a little about yourself and what you’re doing at the moment.
I’m currently studying a bachelor of Business and Commerce at the University of Newcastle, majoring in marketing and accounting. I’ve got this semester to go and then I’ll complete my degree. I’m hoping to find a marketing job once I’ve finished.

Congratulations on almost finishing your degree! Could you tell me about the AIM Overseas program you completed earlier this year and why you chose it?
I completed the International Business and Marketing Program in Tours, France. I chose this program because another one of my friends got accepted into AIM Overseas’ Health Care in Mexico Program and she suggested that there might be a program for me. So I looked up the website and saw the International Business and Advertising program and I thought, “This looks really good!” I think I ended up applying really close to the cut-off date but luckily I got accepted – so it was all really exciting!

Was this your first time overseas?
I’d been to other countries before but not Europe. Also, I’d never travelled without my parents before so it was a little bit daunting when I first left the airport in Sydney, but it ended up being fine.

What was a typical day like for you during the course?
We got a schedule at the beginning of the program and at first we were all like, “Oh yeah, no problem!” but actually it was really demanding and we didn’t have that much free time! We had different modules to complete with different teachers so it was not boring at all because it wasn’t as if we were doing the same thing everyday from 9 to 5.

On a typical day we’d go to ESCEM [the business school] and the school would provide us with lunch. We’d have our classes: half the class would be the AIM Overseas students and the rest were French students, so we’d mix with them. We’d usually do heaps of group work with them and the mix of Australian and French students meant that we got a wider perspective of marketing. In addition to the classes, ESCEM also organised cultural activities for us such as a cooking class, field trips and some survival French lessons, so it wasn’t all just academic stuff.

We had a few free weekends during the program as well. One weekend I went to Bordeaux with two of the guys on the program. Then the next weekend I went to Geneva in Switzerland with the girls from the program. I think most of the others went to Paris and a few of the boys went to Lucerne in Switzerland one weekend as well.

What was it like working with local French students?
It was a bit challenging at times because of the language barrier. I mean, the classes were all in English, but sometimes we’d have difficulty understanding the other students! The French students in our group were quite good and I discovered that some French people don’t like to speak English because they don’t think that they speak well enough. I found this really surprising, and of course we reassured them that it didn’t matter! So I think it was good for us to work with them as it gave us a wider perspective on marketing, and it was good for them as they were able to improve their English by speaking with us.

Did you gain any insight into French culture?
I guess a lot of people think that French people are rude – but in my experience they weren’t at all! Everywhere I travelled, the French were really friendly and it really surprised me. I’ve studied some French before in high school but I’ve forgotten most of it and I was too embarrassed to try to speak it; but it turns out I didn’t even need to speak French because everyone had really good English and was extremely helpful! And as I said before, I found out that the reason why a lot of French people don’t like to speak English is because they think that their English isn’t good enough.

I liked how the French really enjoy their food and their cooking and lunchtime is always a massive, drawn-out affair. They just seem to enjoy life and take it at a slower pace. No one is in a huge rush. Even in Paris, I had expected to see more hustle and bustle, but they had a really relaxed lifestyle. And of course, France really lived up to the hype of having beautiful food, wine, and so on!

Do you have any funny travel anecdotes you’d like to share?
Well during the trip we planned a trip to Geneva, Switzerland. At the time, we didn’t realise that Geneva was so close to the border with France. So we got off the train in Geneva and there were these two signs: one sign for ‘France’ and one sign for ‘Switzerland’; we were a bit confused but we just walked on anyway and had lunch. After lunch, I asked the waitress, “How do we get to our hotel?” She replied, “Ummm... it’s in France. You have to go back over the border.”

At this point we’re all panicking and thinking, “WHAT??!!! We got a train all the way to Switzerland and we’re in the wrong country! Oh my God, WHAT DO WE DO???!!!”

We were so stupid, we didn’t realise it was that close to the border! It didn’t end up taking that long at all, we just had to walk over. *laughs*

So your knowledge of the geography of Europe has definitely improved through this program then?
Ooooh definitely! *laughs* I really love how the countries in Europe are so close to each other and it’s great to go travelling anywhere!

How has this program has changed you?
It’s been really good – I’ve made some great friends and we’ve stayed in contact. Some of the girls from Adelaide have come and stayed in Newcastle and a bunch of us are going to spend a weekend in Melbourne together as well. There was one girl on the program from my uni and I didn’t really know her before but now we’re really good friends and hang out a lot. I think it was a great experience to stay in one country for a longer period of time. In one month in France we were able to truly experience the culture and get a perspective of marketing that I found really different to what we usually learned at uni. We also got to work with French students, which was great.

Lastly, what would you say to someone who’s thinking about participating?
I definitely think it’s a great experience: you meet so many people; it’s a different form of learning compared to just a normal tutorial or lecture in university; it allows you to work with students from a different cultural background; and, you get to experience the culture by living there for a month.

It’s also sparked some interest from employers; for example, I had a job interview recently and during the interview they mentioned, “Oh, you did a short program in France! What was that like?” – so doing a program like this is something you can add to your CV. I think that this was a really good experience and I tell everyone about it!

Thanks Kirra!



In Cheverny doing a wine course (for educational purposes, of course!)


Doing a French cooking course


Just your average, run-of-the-mill building in Tours, where Kirra lived for a month


Kirra and the AIM Overseasers at the conclusion of their farewell dinner