It's my please to write this column about international students at an American business school, from the perspective of an American. Though Yale, and all other top schools, focus on granting a 'global' MBA experience, the style of instruction, the classroom environment, and the nuances of school culture are very much American. In speaking to my classmates who come from other countries, particularly China, it seems that three key pillars of the U.S. education experience actually come as a major culture shock: loud and often boisterous in-class discussion; the reliance on teamwork to complete tasks; and the unofficial importance of socializing to build a network within the class. For someone who has grown up in the American school system, conforming to these three attributes happens almost subconsciously, and thinking that others may find them surprising or difficult to tackle reveals the unintended limits of my own world view. Let's take each one in turn.
我很荣幸能有机会从一个美国人的角度来谈谈我们身边的国际同学。与其他众多顶级商学院一样,耶鲁管院一直强调打造“全球化”MBA项目,但是我不得不承认,其教学风格、课堂氛围到校园文化的诸多细节却非常“美国化”。在平日里与国际学生尤其是中国同学的交流中,我发现他们面临的文化冲击主要来自三个方面:“过分热闹”的课堂教学风格、团队合作的学习方式以及极为重要又略显微妙的同学间社交关系网络。对于我们这些在美国土生土长的学生,校园文化一脉相承,商学院无非是强度略有加大而已,所以这种过渡在不经意间就自然完成了。坦白地说,我从不曾想到这些在我们看来再平常不过的事情,对远道而来的国际同学会是此等挑战。下面我们就来一一讨论。