Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology

April 2011 Vol. 3
THE JEROME FISHER PROGRAM
IN MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY
M&T Abroad
Abroad with Thuoron 1
Immersion in Italy 2
Living and learning in London 4
Exploring Hong Kong 5
M&T down under 7
Cultural explorations in France 8
Swiss adventure with ETH Zurich 9
The Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology. 3537 Locust Walk, Suite 100. Philadelphia, PA. 19104. mgtech@seas.upenn.edu. (215) 898-4145.

Abroad with Thouron:
Arts, Culture and Industry in Cambridge
During the summer after my sophomore year, I
had the opportunity to study abroad as a
Thouron Fellow at the University of Cambridge.
The Thouron Fellowship is a fully-funded twomonth
program that offers eight very lucky
Harvard, Yale, and Penn students the
opportunity to take two classes, complete a
research thesis on any chosen topic, and
participate in several exciting seminars with
renowned Cambridge Fellows, all while living
in one of most exciting, beautiful cities in the
world.
Since I take six
engineering and
business classes every
semester at Penn, I
decided to use my
Thouron Fellowship
to depart from my
Penn curriculum,
taking classes on
Gothic Architecture
and Shakespeare. My
Gothic Architecture
class was a highlight
of my experience, since about 2/3 of the sessions
were spent on field trips to Westminster Abbey,
Fountains Abbey, Ely Cathedral, and the many
beautiful Gothic and neo-Gothic churches and
colleges in Cambridge itself. While there I also
completed a research thesis on Personal Equity
Contracts (a topic in education finance), which
served as a cornerstone for U + Capital, the
entrepreneurial venture I co-founded during
my junior year with two other M&T students.
One of the most exciting aspects of the program
was attending a weekly Middle-East Foreign
By Prateek Bhide
Policy seminar with Sir Roger Tomkys, a former
British ambassador to Syria, Bahrain, and
Kenya. Since the foreign policy seminar
doubled as a wine tasting seminar, I was lucky
enough to sample fine European wines directly
from the Cambridge cellars!
The best aspect of my experience at Cambridge
however, was definitely meeting the other
students from Harvard, Yale, and Penn. All of
the seven other students were studying the
liberal arts, so I often
learned
the most just grabbing
a pint with one of
them in a quaint
Cambridge pub. I
developed life-long
relationships with
each of them and have
become close friends
with the two other
students from Penn. I
am tremendously
happy that despite
having very focused
career goals and being a part of such a rigorous
program at Penn, I was still able to take the time
to study abroad. I will always treasure the
lifelong memories.
Prateek Bhide is currently a senior in the M&T program
(M&T’10) from Portland, Oregon. He is concentrating
in Finance and Management in Wharton and Biomedical
Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Prateek’s extracurricular activities include M&T Club,
Wharton Cohort System, Weiss Tech House Innovation
Fund and his own education finance startup (U + Capital).
Vol. 3 M&T 1

Immersion in Italian academics and society
By Mauricio Aizenman
with Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi
I wanted to study abroad at Bocconi
because it seemed to be the place where
I would get the most out of my
experience. First of all, I would be
studying in Europe which I wanted to
do because of my interests in
understanding how the EU is evolving,
my liking of the general European
culture, and the ease to travel to many
new places. Additionally, I would be
learning a new language while still
taking classes in English (not needing to
take four language courses before
going). As well, I learned that Bocconi
was of the best finance and business
schools in Europe, and finally, I was
correct in thinking that Italian culture
would be welcoming and a lot of fun.
Courses I took…
I took four courses abroad: European
Economic Policy, Political Economics,
International Project Finance, and Arts
& Cultures: Study of Television. The
first two were my favorites. Both were
taught by multiple professors (2 and 3)
and they were all excellent. All had
published works and were important
scholars of the EU arena. European Econ
Policy was mostly focused on the
economic reasons for European
integration and on where the process
stands now; in Political Economics we
analyzed different forms of government
and then mathematical models on
voting behaviors and policy creation.
The other two courses were less
interesting but still worthwhile.
International Project Finance covered
many concepts already seen in FNCE
100 and was therefore very easy. The
arts and cultures class was somewhat
disorganized but had great content
Vol. 3 M&T 2

appreciated by anyone curious about
the TV industry.
Where I was living…
I lived in one of the University dorm
buildings called Residenza Bocconi. It
was located right next to the university,
meaning a two minute walk to any
class, and fairly close to the center of
Milan (fifteen minute walk). The dorms
looked almost new and were very
comfortable. Dorms were all singles,
and every two shared a full bathroom.
We were provided with bed sheets and
towels, as well as a once a week
cleaning service. The residenza was
populated mostly by Italian students
from other parts of the country, and
there were very few of us exchange
students. Most exchange students lived
in Residenza Arco Baleno outside of
Milan. Nonetheless, the Italians were
extremely nice and welcoming; I formed
strong friendships and even went to
stay at my friend’s house in Rome for a
couple of nights. I met the other
exchange students in class as well.
Costs and travel opportunities…
Rent was around 550 Euros a month and
other expenses really depended on
lifestyle. A university meal plan offered
meals at four Euros each or you could
go to local businesses and have lunch
for about seven Euros. Most exchange
students register with an organized
social group and receive invitations to
trips and events as well as a
membership card to get discounted
entrances to clubs. Additionally, there
are numerous low cost airfares across
Europe that made it easy to travel
almost anywhere. There are some mustdo
spots in Italy as well that only
require a day or two and a train ride
(Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome) and are
spectacular. All that said, the Euro
exchange rate can get pretty costly, so
my advice is to buy many Euros when
the rate is low – play the market!
Mauricio Aizenman is currently a junior in the
Jerome Fisher Program (M&T ’12) from San
Jose, Costa Rica. He is concentrating in Finance
in Wharton and Systems Science & Engineering
in the School of Engineering & Applied Science
while pursuing a minor in Mathematics.
Mauricio is also involved with the Wharton
Latino Club and The Castle (Psi Upsilon)
Fraternity.
Vol. 3 M&T 3

Living and learning in the heart of London
at University College London.
I decided to go abroad because I have always
wanted to live in another country and studying
abroad is a great way to integrate yourself into the
culture of any given region (since it is generally
easier to meet people at universities versus in real
life). I chose University College London (UCL)
because of its great location and the student
life/culture. Academics-wise, UCL is one of the top
5 schools in the world, so that is an added bonus.
Because UCL caps the number of classes you can
take per term at 4, you need to plan ahead/plan
wisely to study abroad. In my case, I saved my CIS
electives and my Globals/GenEds for UCL. I took
COMP2007: Concurrent Programming, COMP2009:
Software Engineering and Human Computer
Interaction, DUTC1101: Aspects of the History of
the Low Countries, and ECSH6001: European
Dictatorships in the 20th Century. The work for my
engineering classes consisted of several coursework
assignments and a big test at the end of the year.
My globals required 1-2 essays each and an exam at
the end of term (ECSH6001 however has no exam).
There are no midterms and much less homework,
so during the term things are pretty relaxed, but
toward the end of the year things get hectic. At
UCL, all exams take place in term 3 (May-ish) so if
you are here only for term 1 you either don't take
exams or take shorter/oral versions of the term 3
exams. Also, lectures are not comprehensive so you
are expected to do lots of outside reading, but it
was manageable.
UCL is located in the heart of Central London
(Zone 1) so there is always something to do, a place
to explore, people to meet, etc. The public
transportation system was great, so getting around
was super easy. I lived in Ramsay Hall, a catered
By Danielle Jabin
dorm (think Hill with better food and bigger
rooms) consisting mostly of "freshers" (British term
for freshmen) and study abroad students, which
was very social and less than a 5 minute walk from
campus. The downside of London is that things are
expensive, but there are definitely ways to cut
costs. For instance, many stores offer student
discounts (even the ones that don't advertise it--just
ask), and there are several student pubs/bars right
on UCL's campus which offer cheap food and
drinks. Additionally, many restaurants offer
discounted daily menus, and some clubs have free
admission for people who arrive early, so even
though things tend to be expensive there are many
ways to save through cheaper/discounted prices.
Being right next to continental Europe, London
offers many opportunities for travel.
Danielle Jabin is currently a senior in the M&T program
(M&T’11) from Del Mar, California. She is
concentrating in Real Estate and Statistics in Wharton
and Computer Science in the School of Engineering and
Applied Science as well as pursuing a minor in
Mathematics. Danielle’s extracurricular activities
include M&T Club, Intramural Volleyball, Hexagon
Senior Society and entrepreneurial endeavors.
Vol. 3 M&T 4

Exploring the Gateway to the East
at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
My desire to study abroad in Hong
Kong was completely natural for me.
For years I had been brewing a keen
interest of China, the growing
superpower of the East. And what
better location than the economic center
of the East for the past few decades:
Hong Kong. The city provided me with
an amazing blend of East and West,
with its British presence still clearly
noticeable. This mixture of cultures itself
was fascinating all the while providing
me with a comfortable situation which
allowed me to truly appreciate the city.
English as a national language allowed
for sufficient communication, though
there were several instances where there
were language barriers – but this was
part of this unique experience. Hong
Kong introduced me
to an amazing
culture through its
delicious cuisines,
landmarks, temples,
its especially unique
history, and even
through using the
most efficient
subway in the
world.
Hong Kong
University of
Science and
Technology
(HKUST) was the
By Zuri Michan
perfect university to attend as it was one
of the leading schools in both
engineering and business in Asia. I
cannot fully express how much HKUST
resembled the structure of Penn – yet
don’t think they are at all comparable as
it was a truly different experience. One
way I took advantage of this was by
taking two engineering courses that
were not available at Penn: one in Civil
Engineering and another in
Environmental Engineering. As a result
of taking these courses, it gave my
academics a clear focus which I would
be able to continue to study at Penn – I
am currently majoring in Infrastructure
Systems Engineering, largely due to
these two courses coupled with the
impressive infrastructure development
October 2010 - Relaxing after a long bike ride to reach the secluded fishing village of Sok Kwu Wan on
Lamma Island, the largest satellite island of Hong Kong.
Vol. 3 M&T 5

that has cascaded throughout Hong
Kong, China, and the rest of the East. In
addition to these two engineering
courses, I treated myself to a psychology
elective, while also taking a very
interesting and relevant course on
population development in China and
its economic and sociopolitical effects on
the country.
One of my major objectives in going
abroad was to create a network of
international friendships, especially
Europeans. The cultural differences
between the West and East, both at the
university and in the city, provided for a
very unique social setting in which
exchange students easily bonded. As a
result, I can now trace friendships all
across the world. Of course, I have
notable friendships back in Hong Kong,
including my roommate who was a
local student.
In addition, going abroad has given me
several opportunities already, especially
as I can attribute my current summer
internship to going abroad. I will be
working in Europe, though my main
focus will be on the company’s market
presence in China. And while I am in
Europe, I now have several friends I
hope to visit to relive those memorable
experiences we had together in Hong
Kong.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly,
the abroad experience allows for an
unbelievable ability to travel and to
truly gain a new perspective on the
world. While abroad, I was able to
travel to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam,
Singapore, and to an overwhelming
amount of locations in China including
near-by Macau, Beijing, Shanghai,
Guilin, and Nanning. Traveling through
Asia was perhaps as valuable to my
experience as living in Hong Kong itself.
My range of experiences included
staying in the rebuilt town in Thailand
that was completely razed during the
Boxing Day Tsunami, taking a 24 hour
sleeper bus by myself to cross the
border into Vietnam, visiting the tallest
building in the world in Shanghai,
seeing one of the most beautiful
sceneries in the world in Guilin; this list
does not do it justice. In addition,
traveling through China was truly one
of the most eye opening experiences – it
was the only way to actually get a real
glimpse of the country’s past, while
providing insight as to where it may be
headed in the future. After seeing it first
hand, all I can say is to hold on tight!
Zuri Michan is a junior in the Jerome Fisher
Program (M&T’12) from San Diego, CA.
He is concentrating in Operation and
Information Management and an
Individualized concentration in Strategic
Behavior in Wharton and majoring in
Infrastructure Systems Engineering in the
School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Outside of academics, Zuri is a member of
Pennchants (All-Male A Cappella group),
Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity and the M&T
Club.
Vol. 3 M&T 6

that has cascaded throughout Hong
Kong, China, and the rest of the East. In
addition to these two engineering
courses, I treated myself to a psychology
elective, while also taking a very
interesting and relevant course on
population development in China and
its economic and sociopolitical effects on
the country.
One of my major objectives in going
abroad was to create a network of
international friendships, especially
Europeans. The cultural differences
between the West and East, both at the
university and in the city, provided for a
very unique social setting in which
exchange students easily bonded. As a
result, I can now trace friendships all
across the world. Of course, I have
notable friendships back in Hong Kong,
including my roommate who was a
local student.
In addition, going abroad has given me
several opportunities already, especially
as I can attribute my current summer
internship to going abroad. I will be
working in Europe, though my main
focus will be on the company’s market
presence in China. And while I am in
Europe, I now have several friends I
hope to visit to relive those memorable
experiences we had together in Hong
Kong.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly,
the abroad experience allows for an
unbelievable ability to travel and to
truly gain a new perspective on the
world. While abroad, I was able to
travel to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam,
Singapore, and to an overwhelming
amount of locations in China including
near-by Macau, Beijing, Shanghai,
Guilin, and Nanning. Traveling through
Asia was perhaps as valuable to my
experience as living in Hong Kong itself.
My range of experiences included
staying in the rebuilt town in Thailand
that was completely razed during the
Boxing Day Tsunami, taking a 24 hour
sleeper bus by myself to cross the
border into Vietnam, visiting the tallest
building in the world in Shanghai,
seeing one of the most beautiful
sceneries in the world in Guilin; this list
does not do it justice. In addition,
traveling through China was truly one
of the most eye opening experiences – it
was the only way to actually get a real
glimpse of the country’s past, while
providing insight as to where it may be
headed in the future. After seeing it first
hand, all I can say is to hold on tight!
Zuri Michan is a junior in the Jerome Fisher
Program (M&T’12) from San Diego, CA.
He is concentrating in Operation and
Information Management and an
Individualized concentration in Strategic
Behavior in Wharton and majoring in
Infrastructure Systems Engineering in the
School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Outside of academics, Zuri is a member of
Pennchants (All-Male A Cappella group),
Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity and the M&T
Club.
Vol. 3 M&T 6

M&T down under at the University of
New South Wales
At UNSW (University of New South Wales), I
took Fluid Mechanics, Marine Environment
(natural science), Business Ethics (business
breadth or humanities), God, Life, the Universe
and Everything (humanities), and an
internship at GE Capital (business breadth).
Academics were great!
I lived in Coogee in a 30-person house (Coogee
Residence) about 200 meters away from the
beach. I could see the ocean from my window
and hear the waves at night! Housing prices
vary depending on where you decide to live.
Many abroad students live in Coogee, however
this makes it a bit more difficult to meet
Australians. Living in the dorms on campus
makes it a lot easier. Coogee is about a 25
minute walk, or a quick bus ride, from campus.
Over Spring Break, I traveled to New Zealand
for ten days. I also went up and down the coast
to a few spots over the weekends. Many people
make it to Cairns, Melbourne, Brisbane,
Surfer's Paradise and even the outback. When
the semester ended, I traveled to Malaysia,
Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia before
returning home. Traveling in Southeast Asia is
incredibly cheap and getting there is
surprisingly cheap as well (as much as it costs
to get to Cairns), so it's a great place to travel
on a low budget.
I chose UNSW because I have always wanted
to see Australia and it's approved for Wharton
and Engineering. I talked to some people who
By Kate Rohacz
had done it before and they all absolutely
LOVED it. I was also drawn by its proximity to
Southeast Asia for the opportunity to travel
after the semester's end. I am so glad I made
the right choice. This experience has been
absolutely incredible. I learned so much.
Kate Rohacz is currently a senior in the Jerome Fisher
Program (M&T’11) from Shaker Heights, Ohio. She is
concentrating in Management in Wharton and
Mechanical Engineering the School of Engineering and
Applied Science. In addition to her role as Practice
Leader at the Small Business Development Center, Kate
is also a member of the following clubs and organization:
Club Field Hockey, Club Lacrosse and Penn
International Business Volunteers.
Vol. 3 M&T 7

Cultural explorations in France
via Penn-In-Tours
Studying abroad was something I had
wanted to do since before I came to
college. I love learning about new cultures
and studying foreign languages. When
planning to study abroad, I considered
both semester abroad and summer abroad
options. The six-week summer abroad
program Penn-In-Tours appealed to me
because it allowed me to go abroad
without interfering drastically with my
scheduling; going abroad for a semester
would have taken more planning on my
part, and may have put me behind a
semester.
In France, I took two advanced language
courses to fulfill my global requirements -
one on the history of the region I was
staying in, and one on the culture of
France through media. Something I really
enjoyed was touring the chateaus I
learned about in my classes. Tours is
known for the many chateaus in the
surrounding area that survived
destruction during wars. Also, the
residents of the area are known for being
very accepting of foreigners; there are
three or four summer programs through
other universities as well.
Another aspect I loved about my study
abroad program was the flexibility to
travel over the weekends. Every
alternating Wednesday and Saturday, the
program had a planned excursion to
a chateau. The cost of these excursions
was already included in the program fee,
but they were not mandatory. I toured
By Sneha Deshpande
most of the chateaus, but I also used some
free weekend time to travel to Paris and
Biarritz - the surfing capital of France on
the border of France and Spain.
However, the most enjoyable part of my
trip by far was my host family experience.
My host parents were professors of
marketing and management at the
university I was studying at, and had
three small children who helped me
tremendously - both in terms of making
me feel welcome and also in terms of
improving my French. My French family
taught me how to set a table for a seven
course meal (the French take their cuisine
very seriously!) and how to play the Wii
in French. Living with a host family
allowed me to be fully immersed in the
culture and language for the entire span
of the program. Studying abroad was an
incredible experience I will always
remember.
Sneha Deshpande is currently a junior in the
M&T program (M&T ’12) from Aberdeen, New
Jersey. She is concentrating in Finance and
OPIM in Wharton and majoring in Materials
Science and Engineering in the School of
Engineering and Applied Science. She is also
pursuing a minor in mathematics and a
certificate in French. Outside of the classroom,
Sneha is involved in Circle K, Engineering Peer
Advising, Phi Sigma Sorority and the Daily
Pennsylvanian.
Vol. 3 M&T 8

Swiss adventure with ETH Zurich
I wanted to go somewhere more foreign
than the UK or Australia, but my
language skills are not proficient
enough to take courses in a foreign
language. I knew that I wanted to go to
Europe and ETH (Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology Zurich) was
centrally located with course offerings
that would let me stay on track creditwise.
This exchange is special because it is a
partnership between the material
science departments at Penn and ETH. I
would strongly recommend this
program to any systems engineers who
haven’t done their technical or
engineering electives yet. The materials
department here has a great deal of
overlap with their “Management,
Technology, and Economics” masters
program which offers a mix of
business/engineering courses from an
engineering perspective. I found it to be
the ideal complement to MGMT 237.
Off-campus housing is arranged
through the school and will put you
with dozens of other exchange students.
The Erasmus Student Network is
dedicated to throwing events for
exchange students including weekly
By Michael Zhao
pub nights and weekend trips
throughout Switzerland. Swiss public
transport is amazing and makes it easy
to travel anywhere within Switzerland.
The fact that Switzerland is in the center
of Europe makes it easy to travel
throughout the continent. Trains and
discount airlines make it easy to go
wherever you wish.
Michael Zhao is currently a senior in the
M&T program (M&T’11) from Belmont
Hills, PA. He is concentrating in Finance
in Wharton and System Science
Engineering in the School of Engineering
and Applied Science. Michael’s
extracurricular activities include Wharton
Leadership Ventures, Penn Lions and The
Tutoring Center.
Vol. 3 M&T 9