从案例研究到课堂学习：全球的MBA生活有何不同？

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, 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. 

Howser Chiam Tzong Hann

“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 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. 

Yajing Wang

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 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. 

Boyuan Zhou

“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.” 

每个MBA课堂都提供独特的体验

MBA之旅将多样化和令人兴奋的课堂学习与课外活动及文化熏陶融为一体。这种经历在不同商学院之间可能看起来大不相同。 

在课堂上，学校为通才（generalist）MBA课程注入了不同的视角。例如，安泰MBA主要侧重于从中国或东方的角度进行商业教学。这与安泰在西方的合作学校传授的内容不同。 

王雅菁参加了安泰的全球运营领袖项目 （CLGO）——MBA和工程管理硕士学位的双学位项目。她的学习经历包括了与麻省理工学院斯隆管理学院的交换项目。 

“我在麻省理工学院遇到的很多案例都集中在美国的商业上。尽管仍然有一些关于中国公司的案例，但情况大不相同，其中一些研究领域确实针对于美国环境，”雅菁说道。 

同样，全球各地的教授通常体现不同的教学风格。例如，在某些文化中，教授鼓励在课堂上参与和讨论，而另一些文化则更倾向于学生专心并专注于吸收复杂的信息。 

对于Howser Chiam Tzong Hann来说，在安泰国际MBA （IMBA）学习时，在该课程中任教的教授来自世界各地（包括中国、韩国、美国和德国），因此他在学校就读期间体验了这种多样化的教学风格。 

Howser Chiam Tzong Hann

“在教学中可以体验所有这些方式，非常奇妙。”他补充道。

与同伴的互动在全球范围内各不相同

虽然教授在塑造MBA体验方面发挥着关键作用，但同学们的共同努力往往具有最大的影响力。

商学院通常招收来自不同专业和文化背景的各种学生。由于必须以小组形式一起工作，并相互支持发展他们的知识和技能，这些背景意味着学生可以相互学习。  

雅菁喜欢这种对同伴学习的重视，但她注意到，这种重视在全球范围内以完全不同的方式表现出来。  

“这两个国家 [中国和美国] 的学生性格不同。我认为美国学生在课堂上更积极主动，所以人们更愿意发言……中国学生往往喜欢以更私密的方式进行讨论，”她解释说。 

Yajing Wang

对MBA之旅至关重要的是，课堂外发生的网络和社交机会，使得学生能够发展他们的专业网络并进一步建立彼此之间的联系。与课堂内的生活类似，这些课外活动可能因文化而大相径庭。  

“我们建立联系的方式也不同，” 雅菁解释说。“在中国，人们倾向于一起吃饭，但在美国，人们倾向于去一个地方喝点东西，互相交谈。”

体验多样化的学习环境可促进发展

虽然某些原则在全球商学院之间是一致的，但是学生的日常经历可能因MBA课程而异。

在多个地点学习，每个地点都有独特的课堂学习方法，并提供不同的校外生活，可以帮助学生从学习中获得最大的收益。  

从不同的角度对商业进行细致入微的理解，为学生毕业后的生活做好准备。在意大利学习了两个学期后回到中国，Howser对自己掌握全球商业环境的能力感到更加自信。 

“从博科尼（Bocconi）回来让我意识到东西方差异有多大。这让我更有信心，因为我知道我可以很好地适应两者，”他说。“这次经历拓宽了我的国际视野，让我能够与来自不同背景的不同人打交道。” 

同样，沉浸在不同的文化中并与来自世界各地的专业人士一起学习时，选择参加国际学习机会的学生通常会发现他们毕业时文化意识更强。  

周博渊攻读了双学位，使他能够学习安泰IMBA并在法国ESCP商学院完成学位。在巴黎生活和学习期间，他学习并融入了该国的一些文化习俗，包括较慢的生活节奏和对美食和咖啡文化的重视。  

Boyuan Zhou

“这实际上是我工作效率的提高，因为我感受到了工作和生活之间的平衡。回到中国后，这段经历仍然对我的心态产生了很大的影响，”他说。  

对博渊来说，更重要的是，他决定离开祖国的舒适区，去体验一个新的国家、新的人民和新的语言，同时完成一个具有挑战性的学位，这让他看到了他挑战自己的个人极限的可能性。  

“如此丰富而富有挑战性的经历让我更好地准备面对生活中发生的一切，”他说。“我不会害怕未来生活或工作中的所有困难，我会更好地准备以冷静的态度面对挑战。”