Australia - Max Dixon
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Max Dixon (left) with friends in Australia |
Max Dixon is no stranger to foreign travel. The Basking Ridge, N.J., native went to Argentina at age 11, England at 12, Israel at 14, Rome between sophomore and junior years, and he goes to Canada often to visit family. “I am definitely inspired by my mom’s love of travel,” he says. “As a freshman, I knew studying abroad was something I wanted to do.”
Australia was his dream, and Dixon, a senior majoring in management, planned far in advance. He purposely took difficult courses in Rome and two more back at UM that same summer with the intention of taking it easy Down Under. At the University of Sydney, Dixon studied sports culture, a class that counts toward his minor. He went to a swimming trial, a rugby match and an AFL Footy game. In his American history class, he enjoyed being taught about his native country from another country’s perspective. His organizational behavior course taught him how to deal with people in business, and living in a dorm with 35 students from all over the world was its own life lesson. “I grew up, and I learned to be more self-sufficient in Australia,” he says.
Teaching strategies, class structure and grading were also an adjustment for Dixon. “They have lectures with 200 to 300 students once a week and tutorials with 20 to 30 students to go more in detail. It was a good change of pace from the way things are taught in America,” he notes. “Grading was different, too; in Australia, students are graded against their peers.”
Class time aside, Dixon explored Australia with two UM friends who were also there. Finding his friend, Mikey, was an adventure in itself. He ended up on a wrong street, lost, in pouring rain and was pleasantly surprised when two strangers offered to take him to his friend’s house. Dixon and his other friend, Keith, were the thrill seekers. They went swimming at White Haven Beach, skydiving and white water rafting in New Zealand, and scuba diving in the Whitsunday Islands off the Great Barrier Reef.
Dixon’s most significant life lesson abroad was falling in love. He extended his Australia trip by a month to explore Melbourne, his girlfriend Peta’s hometown. “She came to the states during winter break and we went to Jersey, New York City, upstate New York, Vermont, Montreal, Toronto and Miami. Now I’m just looking forward to spring break because I’m going back to Australia to see her,” he says, smiling. Dixon’s now-long-distance relationship has taught him patience and inspired him to look into MBA programs in Australia. “I hope a post-grad education from University of Sydney will be attractive to employers,” he says.
