Application Criteria

All applications are reviewed by our Global Village Selection Board which is chaired by our Candidate Manager and includes the Director of the Iacocca Institute, the Curriculum Director of the Global Village, a Lehigh University MBA Admissions Officer, Global Village alumni, a member of the Iacocca family, and the former Provost of LU, among others.

Candidates are evaluated on six core areas:  leadership experience and potential; international experiences; business experience; interpersonal skills; vision and goals; and commitment to the service of others.  Who a candidate wishes to become is much more important than who he is.  Passion and curiosity are very important elements that we look for.

Candidates are also evaluated on what the Global Village can do to help them in the furtherance of their goals.  We are striving to find people who are not only good for the Global Village, but people who can derive the maximum benefit from the program.  In the past, very impressive candidates have not been selected because Selection Board members were not able to clearly articulate what benefit this program had to offer the candidate at this particular stage of his/her personal and professional development. 

Finally, each candidate is evaluated on what skills, experiences, and life stories he brings to the tapestry of this year’s Global Village.  Diversity is the foundation of the Global Village and each intern must bring some unique thread to that tapestry.  If the country, region, or profession a candidate represents is already oversubscribed for this year’s program, he may be encouraged to apply again next year.

The average age for the program is approximately 26 years old.  With that said our students range in age from 19 to 35+.  We recommend that students be at least 21 as those younger may encounter some social issues should members of that year's Global Village wish to go to a night club or bar, rent a car, or participate in other opportunities that have a minimum age requirement during their experience.  Another consideration is that we look very closely at the candidate’s leadership experience and age and experience usually correlate.  Thus, slightly older individuals may have had a few more leadership opportunities than those who are younger and as a result be a bit more qualified for the program.  Academic status is not as important as experience and thus, both undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply.