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While she was based in Scotland as part of the St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia scholarship program, Guen Geiersbach ’21 had the opportunity to visit Copenhagen (pictured here). Geiersbach has since completed her scholarship program.
Guen Geiersbach ’21 (economics, Spanish minor, certificate in financial policy and analysis)
Saint Andrews Society of Philadelphia yearlong study abroad scholarship for Scotland (University of Edinburgh)
Summary: Saint Andrews Society of Philadelphia has a scholarship program that allows several scholars to study in Scotland each year, and likewise, one or two students from Scottish universities come to study in Pennsylvania. The program requires students to be in good academic standing and asks that the students spend a full year studying abroad. To apply for consideration, I submitted an essay and letters of recommendation, and later completed an interview with the board of the society.
In the essay, I shared: “Studying abroad will expose me to new teaching methods and culture. Living in a new country will help me gain a broader perspective of the world. I want to study specifically in the United Kingdom because of the strong institutions and programs in economics. While many students choose to study abroad for cultural education, I want to study in the U.K. because it is a central location for the financial industry.”
While she was in Scotland as part of the St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia scholarship program, Guen Geiersbach ’21 (center) had the opportunity to attend the University of Edinburgh Boat Club Bow Ball.
Highlight of the experience: After studying in Scotland for almost a year, I had many wonderful experiences. I think the best part of my time there was having Edinburgh no longer feel like a city I was visiting, but a place that I called home. As a member of the Edinburgh University Boat Club, I also had a lot of fun racing and rowing around the U.K.
How will your experience benefit you in the future? Studying at the University of Edinburgh gave me the opportunity to take courses that Lafayette does not offer, such as international business. Further, as Britain left the EU, studying economics and business from professors who are experts on the topic helped me gain a greater understanding for how markets, economies, and companies interact and impact one another. As I plan to work in a finance-related field, my studies gave me a more global perspective.
Can you recall one experience/moment that will stay with you for the rest of your life? An experience that remains with me since I left Scotland was the first time that I hiked Arthur’s Seat. It became one of my favorite places to run, and it’s one of the first things that I did with friends when they came to visit.
Read about the accomplishments of other Lafayette scholarship recipients.