How to Get Prepared: Alumna’s Strategy In Studying Abroad
- Silvia Shen
Seeking further study or entering the workforce? This is an everlasting question that fresh graduates face. In order to give English majors suggestions for studying abroad, Jiayu Xu and Shona Song, alumnae from the English Department at Fu Jen Catholic University, who went to England and France last year respectively, shared their methods of adapting themselves to new cultures in October.
Shona said that she wanted to study abroad as a good way to practice speaking English. Eager to know more about cultural differences, she chose to study in France. Jiayu was passionate about British culture and had made up her mind to learn and even work abroad many years ago. They both emphasized that going to graduate school is a good way to pursue further study and to prepare themselves before entering into different industries.
Shona chose Emlyon Business School because it's an outstanding school in France and cooperates with top schools in the USA. Having experience with learning French cuisine, Shona has become familiar with dining restaurant management. Emylon works with different companies and provides many opportunities for students to practice branding, marketing, and consulting in the workplace. Jiayu Xu didn’t have a dream school, but she had a preferred major relevant to the creative industry. “King's College London is one of the best choices for me,” she said.
Jiayu at the hall of King’s
Photo provided by Jiayu
Personalities are formed differently between Western countries and Eastern countries. Shona said that normally, Asians are more introverted than Europeans. “Asian students are more likely to stay in their comfort zone.” To challenge that, Shona Joined different parties and interacted with foreign students as part of her daily life. “I tend to explore more and increase my awareness of French culture, and it is the reason why I choose to go abroad. ” In contrast, Jiayu Xu doesn’t socialize frequently, so she prefers walking on the streets and admiring nature by herself. “I seldom join any club because I am not sociable.” She said. “Luckily, my classmates are all easygoing.”
Shona and her group members
Photo provided by Shona Song
Shona and Jiayu graduated from the English Department a few years ago. Shona emphasized that in the English Department, she not only learned language skills but also became more familiar with cultural diversity. “Through Western Civilization and some of the American English literature courses, I learned about European and American cultures,” she said. “When traveling, I can visit these museums and see artworks and identify these artists.” She can apply her aesthetic ability to real workplaces, such as décor for events in hotels.
Jiayu appreciated the ability to search for and select information from the research training in CC courses. Students also learn to sort and clarify the arguments of different writers and cite them by following strict academic rules, such as the MLA style. In her academic life at King’s College London, almost all the professors required students to write a dissertation at the end of the semester. Jiayu’s experience at Fu Jen Catholic University enables her to make this work less time-consuming and more manageable.
Shona and Jiayu wanted to reach their goals by overcoming different challenges in their daily lives. Shona has reached the very end of her master's degree, waiting to finish a dissertation and an internship in six months. She flew back to mainland China and is currently working at Marriott International in Shanghai in its design development operation. She said, “I have had the experience of decorating new dining rooms for different restaurants and it was really interesting.” Jiayu, in contrast, doesn’t have a clear career plan yet. She is still trying to figure out the right path for herself. As she added, it is not easy for her to live in England for a long time because foreign students only get two-year-long visa permission. She has made up her mind to find a reliable company and try to work there to get a visa extension if possible. However, it is a “searching and waiting process” because all the choices she makes might affect the outcome of whether she can stay longer in England and get a work visa successfully.