Dr. Xiaojia Bao
Faculty member of the School of Economics (SOE) and the Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics (WISE) of Xiamen University
Recently Assistant Professor Xiaojia Bao took some time out of her busy schedule to converse with us about her experience as a faculty member of WISE and SOE, and to give advice to international students that are considering applying to one of the WISE-SOE International Graduate programs.
Dr. Xiaojia Bao, who hails from northern China, accepted a joint position in WISE & SOE in September 2013 after graduating from Columbia University in New York City with a Ph.D. in Sustainable Development. Before studying at Columbia University, she received a bachelor degree in Public Management specializing in Environmental Management and a master degree in Population & Environmental Resources at Renmin University in Beijing, one of the most prestigious universities in China. In between, she interned at the United Nations in Bangkok.
Her research focuses on the pollution, natural disasters and other natural factors and their economic and environmental impact in the short and long run. Her research includes studies on the wetlands in Heilongjiang province in China, evaluation of public projects such as hydrological infrastructure and analysis of government policies, including air pollution policies and technology transfer.
For the last four years, Dr. Bao has been teaching Microeconomics, Chinese Economy and Environmental Economics to both Chinese and international students. In her experience the way that foreign students study is very different to that of Chinese students, but for her, both ways give her the motivation and courage to keep contributing her knowledge and experience to the new generations of economist from Xiada.
On one hand, she loves how motivated international graduate students are. Regardless of their academic background, which sometimes is not related to mathematical training or economics, they always do their best to learn and the diverse academic backgrounds make classes more interesting and dynamic.
On the other hand, Dr. Bao says that Chinese students are very hard working, driven to be the best in their class, which make classes very competitive and intense. Both international and Chinese students have a strong desire to learn, not only from the courses but also from the cultural diversity of the classroom.
At the end of our conversation, Dr. Bao gave us some interesting advice for new students willing to study economics at Xiamen University. She thinks that applicants to International Graduate Programs should understand and learn more about the programs they apply for, because sometimes, students with backgrounds not related to economics have some difficulties in core courses such as microeconomics. She suggests that students do not need to force themselves to fit into theoretical economic environment as there are other fields that are more compatible to their background. But for those students who have a passion for economics, if they follow their dreams and work hard, the WISE-SOE International Graduate Programs can take them far.
To know more about Dr. Xiaojia Bao, you can visit the following website.
By Marco Daccarett - Student Assistant
Master of Economics in International trade
