Seton Hall Exchange Student Makes the Most of Year Abroad

When Michael Behan arrived at Seton Hall University from Ireland in 2025, he was embarking on his first experience in the United States — and doing so without knowing a single person on campus. By the time he returned home, he had completed four Bloomberg certifications, built a professional network of more than 400 people, visited the offices of leading financial institutions, competed in collegiate club soccer and formed friendships he expects to maintain for life.

Behan, an economics and finance student at Technological University Dublin, spent the 2025–26 academic year at Seton Hall as an international exchange student. In a letter reflecting on his experience, he described the year as an opportunity to challenge himself, expand his professional perspective and fully engage with life at the University.

“I arrived at Seton Hall knowing nobody,” Behan wrote. “I leave having built a professional network of over 400 people, having completed four Bloomberg certifications, having visited the offices of Bloomberg, PwC, American Express, Barclays, and ICSC, having read widely, competed athletically, navigated serious injury, experienced an American Thanksgiving, traveled across eight states and made friendships I expect to keep for life.”

Building Experience in Finance
At Seton Hall, Behan complemented his studies in economics and finance with hands-on experiences that brought his coursework into a professional context.
Through the Student Managed Investment Fund, he worked alongside fellow students to manage a real $630,000 portfolio. “I left that class with a far deeper appreciation for portfolio management and risk,” he wrote.

He also used Seton Hall's Trading Room to complete four Bloomberg certifications: Bloomberg Market Concepts, Environmental Social and Governance, Bloomberg Finance Fundamentals and Bloomberg Spreadsheet Analysis.

Behan also made professional networking a central part of his experience. He connected with hundreds of students, professors, alumni and professionals and held structured conversations with more than 40 professionals about their careers and advice for students entering the finance industry.

Those conversations led to visits to the New York offices of Bloomberg, ICSC, American Express, PwC and Barclays. The experiences offered Behan a closer look at the industries he hopes to join after graduation.

Seton Hall's alumni network was an important part of that process. Behan connected with alumni working in a range of industries, including several who had previously participated in the same exchange program. “Those conversations shaped my own thinking about my future in a profound way,” he wrote.

Finding Community
Behan's experience extended beyond his academic and professional pursuits. He became involved with the Real Estate Club and Economics Club, attended meetings of the Hall Street Fund and High Finance Society and joined the club soccer team.

Playing soccer provided a familiar connection while also introducing him to a new community. The team traveled to competitions at colleges throughout New Jersey and New York — and had the opportunity to train with Hoboken FC — giving Behan another way to experience the region and build relationships on and off campus. The experience reinforced the importance of the community he had built during his time away from home.

A Year of Growth
Looking back on his exchange experience, Behan said the year offered far more than an opportunity to study in another country. “I did not come here just to study. I came here to grow. And I did,” he wrote.

For Behan, that growth came through a combination of academic experiences, professional relationships, campus involvement and the challenges of navigating life far from home.

“For students like me — willing to arrive alone in a country they have never visited before — the opportunity to spend a year here is not just an academic exercise,” Behan wrote. “It is life changing.”

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