Pursue an Entrepreneurship Major, Minor as an International Student
Being an international student for the past couple of years has made me more educated about the U.S. and some of the policies that are different from my home country. Growing up in a family full of entrepreneurs meant entrepreneurship is not a new concept for me, but becoming one is a challenge.
Students do not have to study entrepreneurship as an academic major or minor in order to be an entrepreneur, but as competition grows, it has become an important major in higher education.
Various countries have different rules and regulations on how students can be an entrepreneur, but as an international student in the U.S., an entrepreneurship major at your college could possibly help in starting a business. Here are some other reasons why it's a good path of study for international students.
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1 . You will become educated and about U.S. business culture and policies: While I was a freshman, I vaguely knew about the tax laws and employment opportunities in the U.S. It was through my business classes that I started to gain knowledge and interest in entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.
It can be hard for international students to do everything during their freshman year, but taking basic business classes or even an introduction to entrepreneurship course can open a lot of doors that you might not have thought about.
2 . You will learn to be professional and get involved in the community: Entrepreneurship does not just you teach how to start a business. It also gives students hands-on experience that is not necessarily available to most international students.
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3. There will be many business opportunities presented to you: International students have the opportunity to take part in various opportunities, both on and off campus.
Each year, my university has a competition called Start Up Drury. Students register and submit a short summary of their business plan and are then mentored by a experienced entrepreneur from the community to help them with the plan.
There are various contests and competitions held all over the U.S., and these can help potential international students develop their own business or even just be an entrepreneur. According to Saint Louis University, there are about 224 universities around the world that offer a major in entrepreneurship, but a majority of the schools on their list are in the U.S.
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4 . It will help you prepare for the future: If you do decide to major in entrepreneurship, remember to take a combination of other business classes, too. For example, marketing and accounting is as important as entrepreneurship itself.
I am currently majoring in accounting, finance and economics. I did not add entrepreneurship as a minor because I decided that I was weaker in these areas and entrepreneurship was my stronger side.
It is important when looking ahead past your freshman or sophomore year that you take the right classes that will help you in the future.
The ability to even minor in entrepreneurship will enable you to be more educated about the market and the demand for creative entrepreneurs.
Vikas Jagwani, from the United Arab Emirates, is a sophomore at Drury University, where he majors in accounting, finance and economics.
