First there was the exchange, then came love, then the master’s programme and soon Yangzi will go to Singapore for an exchange semester.

“My case is a bit special,” says Yangzi – or Sunny, as everybody in Sweden calls her – with a big smile on her face. “My life is full of coincidences,” she adds every time she tries to explain all the steps she has taken in the past three years. She came to Sweden in August 2010 for an exchange semester at Linköping University. Back then she was studying Engineering Management at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. “It was hard for me in the beginning because it was the first time that I studied in an English-speaking environment. In China everything is in Chinese and we didn’t have any real English courses to teach the professional knowledge. It was hard, but it got better and better. I got some nice memories and I also met my boyfriend who was my peer student.”

After the exchange, Sunny had to return to Beijing to finish her bachelor’s thesis. The decision she had to make afterwards was not easy, but since she liked Sweden so much and she had a boyfriend here, she decided to return to Linköping University. “I didn’t really know in which direction I would go because I had thought of studying a master’s in the US, which is more popular in China. In the end I decided to go to Sweden and study some single-subject courses, as a free mover.” The first course she took was part of the Business Administration programme. Sunny found it very interesting and soon after talking to the teachers she could enrol in the programme.

Complex learning during master’s studies

Sunny liked the cultural diversity in her class and she learned a lot from her classmates. “People have different nationalities and different values. When you work together you see the differences and you learn to understand people from other cultures. I think that this is an advantage. It is something that you lacked in your culture and this way you can improve yourself.”

Another thing that Sunny appreciated during her master’s studies was the relationship with the lecturers. Unlike in China, students in Sweden are encouraged to engage in open discussions and question the information they receive. “In China you listen to the teacher and there is hierarchy; you don’t really challenge your teacher. Here the teacher encourages you to think on your own, which I liked.” This kind of approach helped Sunny to grow and become more self-confident. “At first I was afraid to speak out, I was afraid that others would laugh at my English or at my stupid ideas; but as time went by, I felt brave enough to speak out my ideas. Then you get recognition from others and you become more confident.”

Generally, Sunny thinks that the programme was more theoretical than she expected. However, this doesn’t mean that she cannot see the benefits of her master’s studies and even the ones that will come in the future. “During my master’s I learned a lot in terms of professional knowledge, such as project management and management control, human resources etc. Maybe it looks a bit theoretical but someday, in future work life, this will help me to solve some problems. I learned a lot about how to think of problems by myself and how to give suggestions, to give feedback and not to be afraid of challenging others.”

The next step

Soon it will be time for Sunny to study at Nanyang Technological University for half a year. She wants to learn more about marketing and applied economics. Her boyfriend will take the chance to study Chinese in Singapore during this time. Afterwards they will probably go
back to Linköping and look for work. As for choosing a career path, Sunny says she would like to work within purchasing and marketing, or information solution. The type of industry is not that important  for her as long as she gets to communicate with people and build
relationships.