the more correct title would be ESSEC in Singapore..but this one sounds more catchy :)
A few days ago, I stumbled upon an old chat to a friend..
" 1 exchange and 2 semesters...that'll complete my MBA totally!! :) "
-- dated Aug 17, 2008
Approx, 15 days into my MBA. Sigh...lofty dreams. So while my "2 internships" dream would take a few months to shatter, the process for exchange dream was much faster :P
Aug 29, student exchange briefing:
A very entertaining informative session. My take away, I couldn't afford it! It would need at least another SGD 10K, and there was no way I could garner that kind of money from somewhere. And thus ended my starry dreams of taking pictures in snow and seeing the Statue of Liberty, or the likes.
MBA went on, until the final semester..when I decided to read one of the many emails before deleting it. It was an invitation for an exchange program with ESSEC, Singapore. I could take classes on their Singapore campus. Well it wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I had said "1 exchange" more than a year ago to my friend, but it was my best shot, and I took it.
I took 2 courses there, Negotiations, because I had missed it during the summer term; and Asian Cultures & Religions, because it sounded interesting, novel and different.
Negotiations
Lots of cases, in-class role plays as negotiation exercises and lots of debriefing. At times it felt like I was back in school doing theatre :P We were the only 2 indians in an otherwise completely French class. It was my first experience with French students, and the fact that they were mostly far younger and with little or none pre-MBA work experience, made the difference in perspectives all the more stark, all the more interesting.
Asian Cultures & Religions
This course definitely was the best part of the deal. It was divided into 5 main parts: Hinduism, Confucianism & Taoism, Islam, Buddhism, and SEAsian Politics & Economics. Spread over 12 classes and taught by 5 different professors, it comprised of a lot of interesting insights and information packed into 1 course. I learned about the history and origin of each of these religions, the politico-economic history of the ASEAN countries and tons of cultural nuances, which would have otherwise taken years of living in these places to discover. The fact that each of these Profs was a true expert in his/her own field only added to the learning. The interesting spin was that while 3 of our Profs were actually Profs from the NUS History department, 1 was a Senior person from McKinsey while the other was a Lawyer who teaches just for fun! Stellar people I definitely would not have met otherwise.
And as for the course, I think such courses should be offered by all MBA programs as core modules, to sensitise students towards cultures and histories of countries they live in and want to work in. These are critical elements, at times far more critical and some times far more useful, than knowing the technical stuff; Such courses help broaden the view & perspective of MBA students from looking at just the financial elements of a business...to the overall actual business in the context of its sorrounding environment
In retrospect, it may have been a fraction of learning of what I would have gotten going to another country altogther, and my travel was restricted between NUS & National Library (floor 9, 13) :P; but it was still a great experience to have had; It gave me exposure to a new culture, a new school and of course 2 new courses, one of which at least was so totally different from a typical MBA course; and yet so essential if anyone wants to adapt & work successfully in these cultures.
My advice: Going on an exchange is a must. Even if the travel is only until National Library :)
A few days ago, I stumbled upon an old chat to a friend..
" 1 exchange and 2 semesters...that'll complete my MBA totally!! :) "
-- dated Aug 17, 2008
Approx, 15 days into my MBA. Sigh...lofty dreams. So while my "2 internships" dream would take a few months to shatter, the process for exchange dream was much faster :P
Aug 29, student exchange briefing:
A very entertaining informative session. My take away, I couldn't afford it! It would need at least another SGD 10K, and there was no way I could garner that kind of money from somewhere. And thus ended my starry dreams of taking pictures in snow and seeing the Statue of Liberty, or the likes.
MBA went on, until the final semester..when I decided to read one of the many emails before deleting it. It was an invitation for an exchange program with ESSEC, Singapore. I could take classes on their Singapore campus. Well it wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I had said "1 exchange" more than a year ago to my friend, but it was my best shot, and I took it.
I took 2 courses there, Negotiations, because I had missed it during the summer term; and Asian Cultures & Religions, because it sounded interesting, novel and different.
Negotiations
Lots of cases, in-class role plays as negotiation exercises and lots of debriefing. At times it felt like I was back in school doing theatre :P We were the only 2 indians in an otherwise completely French class. It was my first experience with French students, and the fact that they were mostly far younger and with little or none pre-MBA work experience, made the difference in perspectives all the more stark, all the more interesting.
Asian Cultures & Religions
This course definitely was the best part of the deal. It was divided into 5 main parts: Hinduism, Confucianism & Taoism, Islam, Buddhism, and SEAsian Politics & Economics. Spread over 12 classes and taught by 5 different professors, it comprised of a lot of interesting insights and information packed into 1 course. I learned about the history and origin of each of these religions, the politico-economic history of the ASEAN countries and tons of cultural nuances, which would have otherwise taken years of living in these places to discover. The fact that each of these Profs was a true expert in his/her own field only added to the learning. The interesting spin was that while 3 of our Profs were actually Profs from the NUS History department, 1 was a Senior person from McKinsey while the other was a Lawyer who teaches just for fun! Stellar people I definitely would not have met otherwise.
And as for the course, I think such courses should be offered by all MBA programs as core modules, to sensitise students towards cultures and histories of countries they live in and want to work in. These are critical elements, at times far more critical and some times far more useful, than knowing the technical stuff; Such courses help broaden the view & perspective of MBA students from looking at just the financial elements of a business...to the overall actual business in the context of its sorrounding environment
In retrospect, it may have been a fraction of learning of what I would have gotten going to another country altogther, and my travel was restricted between NUS & National Library (floor 9, 13) :P; but it was still a great experience to have had; It gave me exposure to a new culture, a new school and of course 2 new courses, one of which at least was so totally different from a typical MBA course; and yet so essential if anyone wants to adapt & work successfully in these cultures.
My advice: Going on an exchange is a must. Even if the travel is only until National Library :)
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