RIT Croatia’s Students Talk About Working & Living Abroad

“Excellent Education. Opportunites worldwide.”: These are some of the messages that best explain RIT Croatia’s education system. This global campus of a US University Rochester Institute of Technology delivers American higher education programs, but what stands out the most is its focus on career planning and development.

Aside from classroom discussions, lectures, projects, presentations and exams, each student must undergo 800 – 1,200 hours (approximately 6 months) of cooperative education. In other words, they complete internships in the chosen fields of study.

Focus on career-development is a major part of education delivered at RIT Croatia

RIT Croatia students have conducted co-ops in more than 50 countries around the world. They include almost all EU countries, and countries of other continents such as USA, Canada, China and Australia. Interestingly enough, our students were putting their knowledge into practice by working for companies in some really exciting countries such as Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Indonesia, and Sudan! It is interesting to hear their stories and learn what role RIT Croatia had in their decision to take on the world outside Croatia.

RIT CROATIA ALUMNA MATEA IS FIGHTING FINANCIAL CRIME IN POLAND!

Matea Grbešić, RIT Croatia alumna, on the Baltic coast in February

It feels like yesterday when Matea Grbešić enrolled at RIT Croatia. Our ambitious International Business student graduated in May 2017. Today, she is in Gdansk, working for the big PWC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers) as a Junior Analyst in the Financial Crime Unit. “I never knew I would end up here,” says Matea: “I was thinking about getting some international work experience. I applied for this job because I liked the job description and decided to seize that opportunity. RIT Croatia prepared me very well for this and thanks to RIT, I had the courage to apply for a job outside Croatia. During my studies at RIT Croatia, we had a lot of projects, case studies, group work etc., and it helped me learn to think critically, improved my problem-solving skills, communication skills and analytical skills. That approach also gave me a strong working ethic which is all crucial in my career development in this company.” 
Moving to Poland meant experiencing the coldest winter of Matea’s life but also landing a job of her dreams. Working in the Financial Crime Unit includes a lot of analytics and pretty much everything in this type of profession and department is highly confidential, but she is loving her days in Poland: “The PWC offers to their employees a lot of opportunities, for example, to enroll any language course we would like to for free. That is why I took up Polish classes to make my life easier here, and to meet other foreign colleagues from work. The great thing is that the company is very diverse; we have people from all over the world!”

FROM A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE: TEA’S BELGIAN SPORTS FAIRYTALE

Tea Franjić, RIT Croatia senior student in the International School Sports Federation’s Antwerp office

Tea Franjić is an RIT Croatia International Business senior. Talented, smart and engaged in every single activity in and outside the college, Tea is someone everyone likes to work with. “Following my internship at a prestigious digital marketing agency in Zagreb, I wanted to get work experience outside of Croatia,” Tea begins her story.“I love Croatia, but I also love expanding my horizons and experiencing more. Studying business is amazing because you can find a business-related career in any industry. So this year I decided to try working in the sports industry. I was always surrounded by sports, by practicing it and working on projects around it. On one occasion I met a representative of the International School Sports Federation (ISF), and back then I could have never imagined that I would be getting an internship there. Even though my internship in Antwerp is mostly in the Sports Department, I was a part of the Communications team in Morocco, which was my first experience with ISF. It was a good experience, but I love being in Sports since it requires more organization and management skills. What I feel right now is just huge motivation to learn as much as I can about the industry and how it functions, as well as to meet as many interesting people and stay in contact with them. In the end, everybody you meet in your life will affect you. I would say that RIT really prepares you well in understanding the importance of networking.”

About RIT Croatia
RIT Croatia (formerly known as ACMT) is a global campus of a prominent US University Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT Croatia has been delivering top American degree programs in Croatia since 1997. With its two campuses, in Dubrovnik and Zagreb, this is the only US college in the country and it is the only institution for higher education granting two diplomas to its students – an American diploma, awarded by RIT, and a Croatian diploma, awarded by RIT Croatia. RIT Croatia has prepared over 2,000 graduates for their (global) careers. International students come from all over the world but most of them come from the US; students come from the main campus in Rochester, as well as from Croatian Diaspora communities in the US and Canada; cities such as San Jose, San Pedro, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, New York, Toronto, Mississauga, Cleveland, and many more. For more information, contact [email protected]