re: LSUS Online MBA Reviews

Hi FL Sun, apologies for my delayed reply.. I'm doubling up this term and it's been exhausting...

m123 provided some great insight and I am so happy to have made friends on the trip such as her! Overall, yes, I thought the trip and the learnings were worth the cost. We were the first group from LSUS to go on the trip last year and the professors were learning the first time what the program structure was like, so they couldn't really answer our questions. There were several things that I wish I knew before going, so I will try to address them here. Below are some of the pros and things to be aware of since this year's trip is going to Australia again and through the same organizing company:

Pros:
- It will be summer in Australia, the weather is great and you can hit the beach, etc. The city itself is beautiful and I would totally go back.
- Bonding with fellow online classmates and forming personal connections.
- Immersion in a country, actually living like a local for nearly 2 weeks in Sydney gives you a different perspective.
- Several of the speakers were excellent, high caliber such as the CFO of Costco Australia, GM of NAB, etc.

Things to be aware of:
- I thought "company visits" meant we would go out and visit/observe/work with a particular company. In actuality, you sit in a classroom and different speakers come in.
- You are combined in the classes with students from other universities. For us last year, we were the ONLY MBA students, the rest were all undergraduate students. The issue with that is, I wanted a deeper dive into the business, operations, etc. from the speakers, yet most of the presentations were surface level "sales" presentations. This is likely due to having a more "general" content approach vs. tailored to MBA students.
- It is "dorm" style accommodations. Having a roommate is fine, but I did not expect that you will need to supply your own towels, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, bath mat, hand soap, trash liners (use shopping bags). In other words, it is not a "hotel" type with maid service. You are on your own. My recommendation: bring your own towels, laundry detergent (I brought some tide pods), a bath mat, and be prepared to buy other items you may need.
- The apt. we stayed at is a bus ride away from the University where classes take place. You will be provided with a transportation card to take the bus, but give yourself ample time in the am to get there.

For Assignments, we had a group presentation powerpoint, group paper, and a final exam.

Overall, I am so happy I went. I just wished I knew more about the living situation to be better prepared. Scrambling to shop for basic necessities was not what I expected on day 1. Let me know if you have other questions!