Each MBA program promises its own unique learning experience. Cultural nuances, teaching styles, and course content vary between regions, countries, and individual business schools.
So, how exactly does MBA life differ across the globe? To find out, BusinessBecause spoke with three students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Antai College of Economics and Management who have undertaken international experiences in the US, Italy, and France during their studies.
Each MBA classroom offers a unique experience
The MBA journey blends diverse and exciting in-class learning with extracurricular activities and cultural immersion. This experience can look vastly different from one business school to the next.
Within the classroom, schools imbue the generalist MBA curriculum with different perspectives. The Antai MBA, for example, focuses largely on teaching business from a Chinese or Eastern perspective. This differs from the content taught at Antai’s partner schools in the West.
Yajing Wang enrolled in the Antai China Leaders for Global Operations (CLGO) program—a dual degree combining an MBA with a Master of Engineering Management. Her study experience involved an exchange program with MIT Sloan School of Management.
“Lots of cases I encountered at MIT were focused on business in the US. Although there were still some cases about Chinese companies, it was quite different, with some of the study areas being really specific to the US environment,” says Yajing.
Similarly, professors across the globe often embody different teaching styles. Professors in some cultures encourage participation and discussion within the classroom, for example, while others prefer students to be attentive and focused on absorbing complex information.
For Howser Chiam Tzong Hann (pictured), learning on the Antai International MBA (IMBA), where professors teaching on the program hail from across the globe—including China, Korea, the US, and Germany—allowed him to experience such diversity of teaching styles all while enrolled at the school.
“It’s very good in the way that you are taught that you can experience all of this,” he adds.
Interactions with peers differ across the globe
While professors play a key role in shaping the MBA experience, classmates often have the largest influence as they navigate the journey together.
Business schools typically recruit a wide range of students from different professional and cultural backgrounds. Forced to work together in groups and support each other in developing their knowledge and skills, these backgrounds mean students can learn from each other.
Yajing (pictured) enjoyed this emphasis on peer to peer learning, however she noticed that it manifested in unique ways across the globe.
“Students have different characters in these two countries [China and the US]. I think American students are more proactive in the classroom, so people are more willing to speak up… Chinese students tend to like to discuss in a more private way,” she explains.
Vital to the MBA journey are the networking and socializing opportunities that take place outside of the classroom, which allow students to develop their professional networks and further build connections with one another. Similar to life inside the classroom, these extracurriculars can differ significantly between cultures.
“The way we network is also different,” explains Yajing. “In China, people tend to have dinner together, but in America people tend to go to a place and grab some drinks to talk to each other.”
Experiencing diverse learning environments enhances your development
While certain principles are consistent across global business schools, students’ daily experiences can therefore vary widely between MBA programs.
Studying in multiple locations, each with unique approaches to in-class learning and offering a different life off-campus, can help students gain the maximum possible benefit from their studies.
Developing a nuanced understanding of business from diverse perspectives equips students for life after graduation. Upon returning to China after two semesters in Italy, Howser felt an improved sense of confidence in his ability to navigate the global business environment.
“Coming back from Bocconi just reminded me how different the West and East are. It made me more confident that I know I can fit well in both,” he says. “It broadened my international aspects to be able to deal with different people from different backgrounds.”
Similarly, while immersed in varied cultures and learning alongside professionals from across the globe, students who choose to undertake international study opportunities often find they graduate with an enhanced sense of cultural awareness.
Boyuan Zhou (pictured) enrolled in a dual degree allowing him to study the Antai IMBA and complete a degree at ESCP Business School in France. While living and studying in Paris, he felt inspired to adopt some of the country’s cultural practices, including the slower pace of life and emphasis on food and coffee culture.
“It was actually an improvement in my work efficiency as I felt the balance between work and life. After returning to China, this experience still had a great impact on my mentality,” he says.
More importantly for Boyuan, the decision to leave the comfort of his native China to experience a new country, people, and language—all while completing a challenging degree—showed him what was possible when he challenged his own personal boundaries.
“Such a rich and challenging experience makes me more prepared to face everything that happens in life,” he says. “I will not be afraid of all the difficulties in my future life or work, and I will be more prepared to face challenges with a calm attitude.”
Student Reviews
Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Antai
