1. Highlight Photo (US & Abroad):
   • Choose a photo that represents the 'highlight' of your time abroad (it could be a memorable moment or your most favorite experience).
2. Best Landscape Photo (US & Abroad)
   • These photos highlight natural beauty found in lanscapes around the world (click here for an example).
3. Best Cityscape Photo (US & Abroad):
   • These photos highlight the beauty and creativity of architecture or man-made structures in metropolitan environments (click here for an example).
4. Best Ramblin' Abroad Photo (US & Abroad): 
   • These photos showcase Georgia Tech spirit while studying abroad where GA Tech logos are shown or where students have shared a photo of their experience while abroad.
   • Click here for an example

To be eligible, students need to be:

Degree-seeking Georgia Tech Study Abroad, Global Internship, and International Plan students who have just returned from their time abroad or International Students who are studying at Tech. Students are encouraged to submit 1 photo per category for a total of 4 photo entries. While we know that this means students will have to sort through thousands of photos, it also helps us to narrow down the amazing submissions we receive.  

By submitting photos, students are entered to win awesome prizes. OIE is hosting a Photo Contest Reception on Thursday, November 16, 2017 from 2-3pm in the Clough 3rd floor gallery to celebrate entries and the winners! To find out more information on eligibility criteria, instructions for submitting photos, and prizes, please visit: https://oie.gatech.edu/photo-contest.

The IP asks students to spent at least six months abroad engaged in study, internship and/or research abroad; demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language; take three globally-focused courses; and complete a culminating capstone project. While 54% of GT's undergraduate students have at least one international experience by the time they graduate, the IP takes international study a step further. By creating a coherent plan that immerses the student in a language and culture and by incorporating the complementary global coursework into the program, IP students develop deep insights into their own culture, their host culture, and the global context in which they will eventually practice their discipline.

These insights benefit students in any field, regardless of where they end up after Georgia Tech. Employers increasingly report a need to recruit graduates who have global perspectives, can work with diverse teams, and are flexible, open-minded, and able to approach problems from more than one angle. IP graduating students continuously cite these attributes as key takeaways from the program.

Although it is becoming more common for universities to offer global minors and certificates, the IP remains a unique program. Many similar programs require a much shorter amount of time abroad (5-6 weeks vs. 6 months), and the IP is actually a part of the student's major, not a side pursuit. 

The IP is an important recruitment tool for GT, with many first-year applicants stating that the IP was one of the deciding factors for them to choose GT over other schools. It is particularly attractive to female STEM students, which contributes to GT's effort to increase its enrollment of women. 

Since the inception of the IP in 2005, Tech's internationalization has increased significantly. The number of international programs available to students has increased by 75%, and the undergraduate participation rate in international experiences has increased from 33% to 54%. The IP also led to the founding of the Global Internship Program (formerly Work Abroad), which now sends nearly 200 students abroad for internships each year. The IP directly contributes to GT's strategic goal of, "graduating good global citizens."

The Office of International Education supports IP students by offering special sections of GT 1000 for newly accepted IP students, opportunities to network with IP upperclassmen and alumni, and specialized advising on pathways to completing the program. OIE also works with the participating academic units to ensure there are adequate international opportunities for students in each major, to keep the IP curriculum up-to-date, and to administer the IP Capstones. 

To date, 253 students have graduated with the IP designation. To hear highlights from the Spring 2017 class of IP Graduates, watch our video at https://youtu.be/I0-E5Zj1TEE. 

“Not only did I personally enjoy my time studying and living abroad, but in terms of academic and career opportunities, I was able to relate so many of my experiences to a skill my employers were seeking whether it was problem solving or thriving in a team environment. My time abroad also has allowed me to relate to a diverse group of people, which was very helpful as diversity is so engrained in the country and society I live in.”

--Michelle Lee ’15, B.S. Industrial Engineering – International Plan, Advanced Language Proficiency

“My desire to impact humanity through innovation, particularly within global health biotechnology applications, led me to Georgia Tech for my undergraduate studies and, specifically, to Georgia Tech’s biomedical engineering and International Plan program. Studying, working, and researching abroad through the International Plan truly developed me into the “humanitarian engineer” that I am today. I became a biomedical engineer fluent in discussing and solving technical problems in Spanish and a contributing member of several multi-national teams. I would not be the engineer that I am today without Georgia Tech’s International Plan and I firmly believe that the world needs more humanitarian engineers. Through programs like the International Plan, we have the tools to train this next generation.”

--Becky Byler '13, Biomedical Engineering - International Plan and current PhD candidate at Yale

Georgia Tech’s Global Internship Program facilitates overseas internships for GT students with the purpose of allowing students to gain practical work experience in their disciplines while developing critical cross-cultural skills. Global Internships also allow Georgia Tech to expand its network and reputation around the world, with students interning in 45+ countries. For the host companies and organizations, they gain access to top-notch students, internationalize their workplace, and increase their own brand awareness on Georgia Tech’s campus.

While many overseas internships take place in traditional corporate settings, students also do research internships, government internships, and service-based internships.  Global internship students are spread all over the world, however, there are certain locations that are more common for GT students due to their corporate cultures and links to GT. The top countries during the 2016-17 year were Germany (44), France (20), Japan (19), India (17), China (14), Switzerland (7), England (6) and Singapore (5).

Global Internship Program staff develop relationships with overseas companies and organizations to offer internships to GT students, and provide resources and advising to students on how to seek, obtain, and prepare for international internships. Roughly half of the students who intern abroad find the opportunities on their own, showcasing our students’ entrepreneurial savvy. Through the process of seeking, interviewing for, and undertaking overseas internships, students exercise their professional development, networking, and intercultural communication skills.

Students intern at large multinational companies such as BMW, Bosch, Siemens, Safran, NTT, Microsoft, and Airbus, as well as with start-ups, government offices, and prestigious research universities such as Technical University of Munich (TUM) and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Students make meaningful contributions during their internships on tech-related projects including self-driving car technology, drone technology, sustainable energy consulting, machine learning, and data visualization in bioinformatics. However, global internships are not just for engineering and computer science students. Students from all six of GT’s Colleges participate in global internships. One College of Science student developed AP science curriculum for a Dominican Republic high school, while an Ivan Allen student assisted with European Parliament policy and research in Belgium.

Nikhil Dhawan, a Mechanical Engineering undergrad, said of his recent internship with conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra in India, “My work at Mahindra Electric allowed me a grassroots-level understanding of working in an electric vehicle company, as well as the unique challenges associated with advancing electric vehicle production in a developing country like India. Through this internship, I got to apply the skills I learned at Georgia Tech in a focused and practical way.”

Mary Stephens, a Biology undergrad, echoed these sentiments regarding her summer internship in Peru. “My international medical internship was amazing! I spent 7 weeks immersed in a new culture, working in a clinic alongside doctors and nurses to meaningfully contribute to the community. I learned a lot about the healthcare system and had the opportunity to improve my medical Spanish.” (See more about Mary’s internship at https://youtu.be/2rYk1dB7Msw.)

Sergio Monroy, a Mechanical Engineering Master’s student, interned with inodú, a start up consulting firm focused on sustainable energy in Santiago, Chile. “Having the opportunity to work closely with the inodú team was a very valuable experience for me, given their passion for what they do, as well as their technical expertise. Being able to work at a startup-consulting company immersed me in a fast-paced environment, where I had to quickly learn and apply my knowledge to different problems and situations in the context of the energy industry. This internship was a phenomenal opportunity and allowed me to grow both as a person and as an engineer.” (See more about Sergio’s internship at https://www.inodu.com/single-post/2017/06/28/Sergios-Internship-Story-2017).

Students who aim to intern abroad are encouraged to browse the Global Internship Program website for resources and student testimonials (https://oie.gatech.edu/gip/home), speak with the Global Internship advisor in OIE, and attend the upcoming Global Internship Resource Fair on September 28.  

Companies who would like to host a Georgia Tech global intern may contact the Director of the Global Internship Program, Jennifer Evanuik Baird, at jennifer.baird@oie.gatech.edu. 

Register by June 30 to receive the early-bird rate of $125. The registration fee will increase on July 1 to $150. (Please inquire to jennifer.baird@oie.gatech.edu about discounts for non-profits and government agencies.)

Through this fair, employers have the opportunity to meet Georgia Tech students from all levels and majors who are interested in interning overseas. Participants will also have the chance to meet faculty and staff, learn more our academics and other ways of engaging with Georgia Tech, and spread their brand awareness on our campus.

Participants may also extend their stay in Atlanta to attend various other recruiting events and career fairs taking place around the same time. For a full list of GT career fairs taking place in September, see http://www.career.gatech.edu/campus-career-fairs.

Annually, Georgia Tech sends approximately 175 students abroad to intern in nearly 40 countries. Please see our website to learn more about our program: https://oie.gatech.edu/gip_employers.We hope to see you at the fair!