August 05, 2022

Photo of Eiffel Tower submitted by Anusha Mishra

Studying abroad expands students’ perspectives on their field and the world.

Mizzou Engineering student Anusha Mishra studied abroad in Lyon, France this summer studying and working at an internship in computer science.

We asked her some questions about her time abroad to hear more about her experience.

What did you study as part of your Study Abroad experience? What did that involve? 

My study abroad program was an internship, so from Monday to Thursday, I worked at a French tech company. All of the internships are matched to your degree as best as possible, so I was coding for my internship. My company needed me to research and create a solution for translating a website they were making for internal processes. I was working with other French interns directly and other older coworkers daily and discovering French culture through talking and getting lunch with them. On Fridays, I had a business class at a local school where we did site visits and learned about different business topics like differences in work cultures. 

How did Mizzou Engineering prepare you for this trip? 

The programming languages were all related to something I have used in class. Being exposed to GitHub a little bit in classes was helpful as well. Programming concepts are universal to every language so having a good base from my CS classes was helpful. 

What did you learn from your Study Abroad experience? 

One of the main things I gained is to trust in my skills. This was my first internship ever and to do that in a different country and be able to communicate these skills I’ve never practiced for a real company was intimidating. I didn’t know how it was going to go and I didn’t know how far my French skills were going to take me, even though I have been learning since I was in 4th grade. I learned you have to trust that you have a good base and you don’t need to know everything to start things that scare you. People do not expect you to know everything and you will always be able to fill in the gaps or ask for help. It is definitely true that the opportunities worth pursuing are usually the scarier ones.  

What did you enjoy about your time in France? Outside of your studies? 

I really enjoyed the weekend trips I did. I went to the south of France and got to meet lots of cool people from all over Europe at our hostel and explore the beach. I went to the French Alps for a day trip and got to dip my toes into this beautiful clear mountain lake. I went to Provence to see some castles and lavender fields. Of course, I went to Paris a couple of times. I have had a Parisian pen pal since high school, it was exciting to finally meet her. We did some exploring and she helped me find a luxury perfume for me to take back home. It was very energizing to experience the social aspect of European culture and see so many different environments. 

What advice would you give other students considering studying abroad? 

I would say to plan ahead so you can set it up so that you don’t get behind in school. I would even recommend doing it early so that if you want to study abroad multiple times you could even do that. Planning ahead also gives you the ability to save up so you can do little weekend trips, try more new foods, and buy little souvenirs for yourself to remember your time. I would also say you should bring a camera because you’re going to want to take pictures of so many things. I brought a polaroid camera and completely cleared out my phone of photos before I left to go to France. 

Is there anything else you’d like others to know about your Study Abroad experience? 

I would just like to recommend it to anyone who has been interested, even a little bit. It has made me seriously consider trying to work abroad after school. It’s a really nice reminder of how endless possibilities are in your life. 

Thanks for sharing!

Interested in international learning opportunities in Engineering? Learn about Mizzou’s Study Abroad Program!

Want an engineering education that provides you with international opportunities? Become a Mizzou Engineer!

Photo of French city submitted by Anusha Mishra

Photo of French city submitted by Anusha Mishra

Photo of a French dish submitted by Anusha Mishra

Photo of French architecture submitted by Anusha Mishra