Shanghai Jiao Tong University Global Summer School

Valentine Malivel, ESPS

After traveling the world and living in 8 countries by the age of 20, studying in Shanghai Jiao Tong University stands out as one of the most exciting and interesting experiences I have had so far as it was driven by my entrepreneurship and international relation aspirations.  Receiving the honour to be awarded a tuition-fee free summer program brought me the opportunity to create long lasting friendships, as well as provided me the keys to grasp the functioning of the Chinese customs, its system of governance and its business model. 

A highlight of this program was the accumulation of knowledge both in class and during my free-time by attending Startup-Incubators conferences to learn about thriving entrepreneurs in this competitive environment. Another appealing part of this program was to meet people from Asian countries and speak Chinese or English with them. Our friendship led us to organize trips outside the city such as in Zhujiajiao (China's Venezia) with two Singaporean friends, as well as in Hangzhou with our class-mates and to Hong-Kong where my parents live. 

Besides, I believe that following courses of Business and Current Affairs in Mandarin at UCL provided me the keys to interact with Chinese people. Nonetheless, this experience also required me to widen my abilities beyond the primary linguistic ones. In fact, these included people skills when making new international friends, leadership when having to organise a presentation, decision-making when choosing the next location to visit, business understanding when negotiating goods in markets and lateral thinking when debating with my international friends. All of which draw heavily on what I learned during the SJTU program. 

I believe that understanding the language and culture of the people you’re dealing with, whether in business negotiations, diplomatic relations, with colleagues at work, or with friends in a coffee shop, is quintessential for prosperous relations.