Hi everyone! My name is Yin, and I am currently a student in the M.S. in Global Commerce Program. I was born in China and began my study abroad experience in Canada back in 2012. From the moment I landed in Canada, I told myself to be open-minded and give all the things that I had never experienced before a try. I had thought I had done a great job during my undergraduate time at University of Toronto, that is, until I joined the M.S. in Global Commerce Program.
My friends and classmates have shared in previous blog posts that the M.S. in Global Commerce Program allows us to explore more career possibilities within a global context. It provides an invaluable platform for us to study with students from all over the world, to live alongside and learn from one another. Most of our courses are discussion-based, so participation accounts for a crucial part of our overall grade. This fosters a truly interactive classroom environment.
Topics are sometimes driven by students’ interests, so the interaction between professors and students make the discussion both productive and effective. While we were in China studying at Lingnan, whether it was our Doing Business in China, Global Supply Chain Management or Consumer Behavior across the Globe class, we were required to analyze cases using different perspectives based on the views of the different continents represented. Therefore, we had to expand our scope to dive into the question and look at both the differences and similarities in each scenario to ultimately provide a reasonable solution. This exposure to globally and economically complicated questions has undoubtedly improved my critical thinking and analytical skills.
I have also seen myself grow personally throughout this program. For example, we’ve had interesting discussions in class about how Chinese students tend to be more passive and go with the opinion of everyone else in the group. I wouldn’t say this observation applies to everyone, but it’s true for me. Luckily, my team members are great and push me to vocalize my opinions. They even encourage me to be the group spokesperson. I am more confident now when I present in front of the class, and this change is something I will carry with me into my future career.
Now that we have finished our term at Lingnan (University) College and have arrived at ESADE in Barcelona, it is especially exciting for me. I have never been to Europe before so this is yet another brand-new experience. Now I rely on my European friends or Spanish-speaking friends to help me adjust to a new city and culture, just like they asked me for help when we were studying in China. I look forward to the final part of the Program and can’t wait to see what the next adventure holds for me.
