Can just 21 days abroad transform your life?

“Who’s been to London before?”

Only one hand went up.

For this group of 40 students from IBS Americas, this was their first time visiting the UK. For some, it was their first time leaving their home country at all. Coming from Brazil, Panama, Colombia, Mexico and Indonesia, they had chosen to spend three weeks studying internationally at Bayswater, in our London college.

They enrolled on our Data Science and Contemporary Topics of Business Strategy programmes and quickly immersed themselves in lectures, language classes, company visits and guest speakers.

Speaking with this January cohort, we found that they were either already in work and looking to accelerate their careers, or completing their studies and preparing to enter the job market. They joined the IBS programme expecting an academic experience that combined knowledge, cultural diversity and practical engagement, while preparing them to operate confidently in global, fast-moving professional contexts.

Which brings us to the question: Can just 21 days studying abroad have a truly transformative effect on your life? From what we see, the answer lies in three things that are hard to replicate elsewhere: lived experience that shapes personal brands, micro-credentials and the development of real-world skills, and a global network & alumni community.

Lived experience that shapes personal brands

Students had the opportunity to meet and question leading experts in their fields, hearing first-hand perspectives on AI, large language models (LLMs) and the future of work.

Richard Brooker, an AI specialist, shared his insights on future capabilities, sparking animated debates around the opportunities for Data Science. Hans Christian Ekne, Strategic AI Advisor, explored the difference between proofs of concept and production systems, and why they solve fundamentally different problems. At a Mindstone meet-up, the room collectively gasped at the capability of a new agentic product, Rebel. Alongside lecturers Chris Jones & Cajiten d’Silva on Strategy and Thomas Hirschmann & Dr Laura Marulanda-Carter on Data Science.

These aren’t abstract ideas from textbooks. They are encounters that allow students to form their own opinions, test their thinking and begin shaping a personal brand grounded in authentic experience. Exposure to market-leading intelligence creates a real differentiator when students return home, not only in what they know, but in how they position themselves. Whether in an interview, on their CV or in a thought-leadership piece in a trade journal.

Micro-credentials and the development of real-world skills

Completing a course, engaging in classes, collaborating with peers, being assessed and graduating all contribute to a recognised micro-credential. But what truly sets students up for success is what happens underneath that qualification. They develop analytical thinking and critical reasoning.

They grapple with questions such as:

• Why so many data science projects stall not because models are poor, but because usability is underestimated

• Why many proofs of concept never reach real-world deployment

• How the role of Data Science is evolving in the age of LLMs

• Why niche, socially driven brands can outperform global giants

In exploring these challenges, students build the soft skills employers consistently ask for: adaptability, problem-solving, communication and the ability to think in real time under uncertainty.

A global network & alumni community

The bond formed in an international learning environment is unlike any other.

Studying thousands of miles from home frees students from old constraints and gives them the confidence to speak openly. Sitting alongside peers from different cultures and professional backgrounds exposes them to perspectives they may never encounter in their hometowns.

It avoids groupthink. It encourages independent thought. And it leads to balanced collective opinions on real-world challenges.

This is why we talk about being forever connected. Relationships formed over just a few weeks often last a lifetime. Through platforms like LinkedIn and our alumni networks, these connections turn into work opportunities, collaborations, and career advancement long after the programme ends.

A partnership that looks beyond the classroom

As this latest cohort of IBS Americas students graduate, we gather to celebrate what they’ve achieved in just three weeks at Bayswater: the Data Science and Strategy sessions, the guest lectures, the company visits, the trip to Geneva, the global skills honed, and the discovery of London.

These ceremonies are always filled with laughter, reflection, and more than a few tears.

Yet it is often with time and perspective that the full impact becomes clear:

• the confidence to apply for that job

• the courage to pivot into a new career

• the ability to present an idea in another language

• the resilience to navigate personal and professional challenges

We salute the hundreds of students who have studied with us on this programme in recent years. One of Bayswater’s core values is to think in generations, not numbers. We are now two years into a five-year partnership with IBS Americas, and we look forward to the next chapters – and to seeing where our students go next.