Yale student in the eyes of the Chinese students: face culture shock
U.S. “The Wall Street Journal” recently published a signed article in Chinese network described as an American in the eyes of the image of Chinese students, the paper said international students should be fully aware of his extraordinary courage and determination, on the other hand, as Americans, “We do not Teachers should be good man, obsessed with imposing our values, international students, on the contrary, we should open our hearts, from them to learn from outstanding cultural heritage. ”
Abstracts are summarized as follows:
MBA first year of fleeting, is a “have not yet taste, already have to start pondering.” End of school year a time to review the past year a number of written words, suddenly found that too few voices of students from the United States promise. We sailed across the oceans of the United States, have suffered badly in efforts to integrate into life here and the crowd. But standing on the other side of the American students is how do we look? In their minds, a group of Chinese students in the end is what, we in the end how to bring the value of the school, in their view, our greatest weakness what is it? With this series of questions, I with the newly elected student council, Jason – Hill had a long light, followed by Jason wrote a long article, I hope that everyone felt the Americans in the eyes of his true between the lines Chinese students.
I am honored to have the opportunity to come from an American point of view about the international students around us. And, like many other top business schools, Yale School of Management has been stressed to create “global” MBA program, but I have to admit that their teaching styles, classroom atmosphere to the many details of the campus culture is very “Americanized.” And international students on weekdays in particular the exchange of Chinese students, I found the culture shock they face mainly from three aspects: “too busy” classroom teaching style, learning teamwork and extremely important and delicate slightly social network of relationships among students. For those of us born and raised in the United States, students, campus culture, the same strain, Business School, is nothing but a slight increase strength only, so this transition naturally inadvertently done. Frankly, I never thought of that in our view commonplace things, international students come from far away is these challenges. Here we look at each.
Classroom teaching. In the United States, whether or undergraduate business schools, we have not simply to “teach” teaching. Professors often want, even asked the classroom interaction and discussion, and the students will take the initiative to ask questions at key points. In most cases, we do not think that this “break” is rude, because American students generally have a “consumer psychology”: We spend money to spend time came to this class, is the knowledge and teach consumers, Jiu entitled to be satisfied with the answer, the right to please present to further explain Professor ambiguities. I heard that some professors and even those who personally wrote to the class was too “quiet” students, ask them took the floor.
Heard in many other countries, such as China, to teach about the main classroom entirely, between professors and students seem to have a “not to be interrupted,” of the convention. I think the biggest difference between the two is that we firmly believe that teaching the course, students learn not only to teach, but also need to inspire each other, share views of the interactive teaching is positive, the convention is also an American-style . And as American students, and we really hope to hear more in the classroom sounds from international students.
Of course, had to admit that we can not guarantee that this interaction is always helpful and efficient. Some students may ask are supposed to be reading in class to solve the problem before even mentioning the idea of some do not fly. Interestingly, if a class of students in regular classes with, among the students will gradually rise to a spontaneous “hidden rules”, or a kind of “peer pressure”, forcing those who frequently mention the “silly questions” students think twice. All in all, a good grasp of absorption in the classroom knowledge and participation in the discussion of rhythm is essential for each student.
Team. Business school learning team is a core component of education, because everyone of us in the future work of both will face a similar situation. Business schools in the United States, is like the same business culture in the United States, almost all of the homework completed by the team. We firmly believe that teamwork is a successful commercial operation of the “Holy Grail”, and admired our entrepreneurial spirit and personal struggles are not contradictory. I think the team is reflected in a “pay and just return” spirit of cooperation, which we learned in the growth path consistent with the values. Many academic team members have asked to be able to share common interests for the ultimate balance to take the initiative each other’s strengths and weaknesses, career interests and work style to achieve the best.
My learning team is the best example. We have eight different backgrounds, interests and work are not the same. So team at the beginning, our biggest challenge is how to coordinate, to find the best cooperation. The school group also different with a real team, because there is no class distinction between group members, there is no absolute leader. Team leaders are often naturally occurring, and then in the year on a rotation of different projects. However, no one who fired, this team does need sufficient spirit of cooperation and mutual respect to achieve harmony with the state.
Many international students tell me that teamwork is sometimes difficult for them or let them think it is a waste of time, because some discussion and debate on the final results are not directly help. In fact, this complaint is not just international students will have, I sometimes feel the same. But because I have great corporate culture where the emphasis on intensive session of the role as the carrier of the team, this experience tells me that business schools under the impact of this new type of multi-cultural model team management of my great benefit to the future of these valuable experience will help me to further enhance the ability to manage the team.
Social networks. Business School, more than just a class to learn (and even some students, the principal is not learning). Many contacts with students, to build a social network is an important part, but the future could bring benefits for everyone good. In our close group, there is the future of the CEO, CFO, Chairman, government leaders, etc., we should try to know everyone, and we became good friends. It is with this attitude I came to the hospital, it is for this reason that I have been very positive to have more international students.
I love to travel, reason is that you can experience a different culture, business school for me is a good place, because he the world’s most important cultural elements by absorbing some of the international students together to one place. But I did not think that school before long, students will unconsciously formed small groups according to geographical points. I blame myself, because my friends are mostly Americans. But as the chairman of the new term, I plan to organize more activities in cross-cultural themes to make them closer together.
However, another problem is that many international students are not keen to participate in the activities of students, my Chinese students revealed the voice. Very often, they feel more like these activities to their routine, because “should go away,” not a “purely for fun and participation.” Indeed, perhaps the gap between language and culture for international students to mingle with the Americans is not entirely realistic. But I personally think that this social occasion is indeed the core U.S. business culture, the most important part, because a lot of agreement and cooperation are achieved in social situations, and business circles are generally oriented network of structures and culture (but then I have to know, this point is very close to the Chinese business culture, but we do not promote the use of alcohol to solve the problem).
Simply put, in this world, success does not depend on whether you are the best or the most intelligent, but on who you know and you and he have more iron. LinkedIn The business social networking site in the United States is fire, and business school seems to me like a live version of LinkedIn. But I must point out that we at Yale School of Management and many other schools is different is that students more often really care about other people’s life and career direction, so such networks are not “fake”, it’s worth really pay out to participate. If you have been huddled in their “security zone”, we will lose this unique opportunity to break barriers, to truly understand the students to make some good friends.
Although the word sounds like a pre-admission to international students in the preparation classes, I must stress that the students in the United States also should assume some responsibility. On the one hand, we should be fully aware of international students on his extraordinary courage and determination. They abandoned the mother superior work and life across the seas came to this strange country, trying to integrate into an unfamiliar culture, I am full of admiration for them. On the other hand, as Americans, we should not become much, obsessed with imposing our values, international students, on the contrary, we should open our hearts, from them to learn from outstanding cultural heritage. I think only two sides with an open and learning approach, can we truly become international study, one can do to truly become “the Sea, inclusive,” the institutions, so as to nurture the world’s business leaders.
(Text / Jason – Hill (Jason Hill) Translation /Adam Zhang Yue graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University English Language Institute Faculty of Law undergraduate. 2005 joined the International Department of the Xinhua News Agency, in Beijing, Xinjiang and Kenya often in the work. out of the media interest in investment and management, in 2009 entered the Yale School of Management MBA program study. article are his personal views.)
English name: Yale University