Shanghai: an ideal place for internships for international management students
"Shanghai impressed me with its rhythm of life, friendliness and hospitality of local residents and students." Daria Trinko — about her studies in one of the most populous cities in the world, an ideal place to gain international experience and professional contacts from all over the world.
Daria Trinko, a 1st year student of the Master in International Management programme at the HSE Graduate School of Business, spent a semester in one of the best universities in Shanghai — Jiao Tong University. She took the Master of International Business programme at Antai School of Economics and Management.
I believe that the academic mobility programme is a unique opportunity for students to gain international experience, immerse themselves in a new cultural environment and understand how to work properly with people of different cultures. I spent the second semester of my studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, namely at Antai School of Economics and Management. I chose this university primarily because it is a unique chance to study the economic and business models that have helped China become one of the fastest growing and largest economies in the world. I am also inspired by China's cultural and historical background, and studying in this country is an opportunity to immerse myself in Chinese culture, learn the language and traditions.
Studying at Antai School of Economics and Management
Shanghai impressed me with its rhythm of life, friendliness and hospitality of local residents and students. The university campus where I lived has modern infrastructure and is located almost in the very centre of the city. Antai School of Economics and Management is well-known worldwide for its high standard of teaching and innovative approaches to learning, as I experienced.
Within international academic mobility, I studied on the Master of International Business programme, which brought together students from all over the world — this opportunity made my studies even more useful and practice-oriented. During the classes, special emphasis was placed on practical application of knowledge: very often we worked in teams and solved practical cases of real companies. Working in groups in an international environment was particularly useful for me, as I was lucky enough to work with people from different parts of the world. I realise how important it is to take into account cultural differences when doing teamwork.
All the lecturers who teach on the Master of International Business programme have international experience, which allowed me to look at company cases from an international perspective.
Educational trips and company visits
Studying on the Master of International Business programme included both academic classes and extracurricular activities. For example, the university organised a study tour to Xi'an, where we got acquainted with Chinese culture, visited a lot of culturally significant places, as well as two companies. There we learned about the peculiarities of working in China and met top managers who represented Longi and Rocktech. I really liked the organisation of this trip, as the teachers managed to combine cultural and educational activities.
In addition, our programme included seminars from guest speakers from world leading international corporations, such as Google and Apple. We had the opportunity to interact with employees of top-companies in the industry and learn about current trends in international management and business. These seminars gave us valuable learning experiences and also provided us with contacts to build future international careers.
Studying at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has allowed me to make talented friends from different countries. These contacts helped me to improve my intercultural communication skills and become more open and adaptive to new challenges.
The International Academic Mobility Programme at Antai School of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University was an unforgettable experience that influenced myvision and professional plans. I sincerely recommend all students to have such an international experience — it is a unique opportunity to broaden their worldview, as well as to experience a new culture and make lifelong friends from all over the world.