GHRM MBA, NSYSU offers its students the exceptional opportunity to enroll in exchange and dual degree programs on campuses around the world, and at the same time, it hosts students from partner universities. This year the program welcomed students from NEOMA Business School in France, so to introduce our students to the life of Dual-Degree students at NSYSU, we interviewed Bertille, a dual degree student from NEOMA who was kind enough to share her experience of studying in Taiwan.
Bertille, comes from Brittany, from the city of Rennes (the city of Rennes Business School, for those who are interested in exchanges abroad). She first studied in Rennes for a degree in Economic and Social Administration (Economics, Law, and Management), then after her 3-year diploma, she passed the competitive exams and enrolled in NEOMA in Reims. Introducing NEOMA, she shares, “NEOMA is a business school that has two campuses: one in Rouen, a beautiful little French town, with cute old-fashioned architecture, and a nice student-town atmosphere with cheap accommodation. The other campus is in Reims, which is the capital of the Champagne region. Excellent city for those who like history, champagne vineyards, or have a passion for cathedrals and gastronomy. About NEOMA itself, It is a school that is very well ranked, (top 10 in France, ranked 6th in the newspaper Le Figaro this year). It offers a large choice of subjects, with modern classrooms depending on the campus, despite a not very efficient administration.”
Taiwan is quite different from most Western countries, so when asked about why she chose to pursue a dual degree in Taiwan and specifically at NSYSU, Bertille responded, “I chose to do a dual degree in Taiwan because I wanted to seize the opportunity to go abroad to a country that was different. Taiwan has a reputation for being a good place to live and is also very safe. I am happy with my choice every day as the campus is beautiful, we see the sea every day, and monkeys too, which is very unusual for me. Also, Kaohsiung is a perfect city to study in because NSYSU is well located, and the weather is good (especially in comparison to Taipei from what I heard). I really like the fact that NSYSU offers courses that include field trips to Taiwanese companies. It is very interesting and very formative for organizational and business awareness.”
A dual degree can be a great opportunity for students to expand their learning horizons, Bertille acknowledges that as she believes that “doing a one-year double degree abroad allows you to demonstrate a great capacity for adaptability and relational intelligence to recruiters. It also allows you to show curiosity and a willingness to take risks. Of course, it also demonstrates an ability to speak English fluently, and a different approach to doing business abroad.”
Talking about living in Taiwan, she shares, “I feel that Taiwan is a beautiful country with a lot of resources, where people are of great kindness and generosity, behind a shyness which can sometimes be difficult to break through. Nature is beautiful and the food is good (well, sometimes you have to tone down the sugar and refined food). City life is fast-paced with very dynamic people, and I particularly enjoy the night markets which are an integral part of Taiwan’s culture”.
Just like most foreigners in a new place, Bertille also experienced some cultural shocks. She shares, “ There were so many cultural shocks for me! Taiwanese people are so much nicer and more open to helping than in France. For example, here you can leave your cell phone or wallet on the table of a restaurant to reserve it but in France, it would easily get stolen. Also, Taiwanese people are less open to confrontation, unlike in France where people are rather loud and love to complain, and that’s normal for French people. The management of traffic and roads in Taiwan is also quite different, the scooters have priority over pedestrians which makes the roads not very safe and dissuades some people from riding bikes. Moreover, people, especially older people, seem to be very curious about foreigners and don't mind taking pictures of us in the street.”
Talking about what she would miss about her time in Taiwan, she says, “The weather, the kindness of the people, bubble tea, the convenience stores and their music, NSYSU monkeys, sunsets on the campus, Taiwanese night clubs, the night markets, playing badminton with friends, the cleanliness of the MRT, discipline of the people, the ease of communication in group projects with my classmates, small rewards at the end of each quiz during class presentations, and so much more!”
Finally, Bertille shared her suggestions about the course, to make it more specialized and include more field trips as it is formative for students to learn firsthand from CEOs and their experiences in the industry, and thanked her teachers for providing pedagogical support in and out of the classroom.
