It is four o’clock in the morning in Milan when I am writing this essay. But I am in China now. Having been back in China for two weeks, I still don’t want to change the time zone of my computer. I am reluctant to delete the Apps I used to use in Milan, such as the app of Bocconi University, the app of Europe weather and so on. The exchange experience in Bocconi University is unforgettable and precious in my life.
Bocconi University is a well-known University in Europe. Bocconi is a research university of international standing in business, economics, and law. It has an Undergraduate School, a Graduate School, a
School of Law and a
PhD School. SDA Bocconi School of Management, founded in 1971, takes care of the post-experience management education. SDA Bocconi School of Management is the most famous part of Bocconi University. Two of the courses I selected are from SDA Bocconi School.
I select four courses. One is mathematical and
theoretical class, two are applied classes, and one is from accounting department. So I can deeply experience its teaching system. All the courses have same feature that more than one teacher instructed through the whole semester. Some of the guest speakers are in the college, and some of the guest speakers are in the industry. They can provide most updated knowledge in a different perspective. For instance, in the class of Investment Bank, there are at least four guest speakers who come from different departments of investment bank. They teach us not only the real world operation of different business, but also what personality you should have as an employee in investment bank. Before the last class, one of the guest speakers, co-head of Goldman Sachs Italy, stood beside the door of elevator and said hello to every student. This is what impressed me most. Exams are serious, even though the classes are relaxed. In the exam period, the library is full and students queue out of library before open. Students here are so hardworking and active in class. They take notes almost in the whole class and are willing to ask questions.
Besides attending classes, I travelled almost every weekend and holiday. I experienced a lot that I can never imagine before. Have you heard of couchsurfing? Have you heard of ride-free? Have you heard of cycling more than twenty kilometers only with a map by oneself? I have experienced all.
Life is full of surprising and adventuring. I lived in an unknown Dutch family for four days, got along with the four children and even did some babysitting for the host. When I left, the host and I even cried. Netherland is well-known for the field and thousands of bicycles. The host gave me a map and told me the route to a castle. Then I cycle along the boundless grassland with only sheep and cows, where I can seldom see people. After more than one hour, I saw the castle in front of me. The castle is around of water and has a big garden. Most importantly, there are almost no visitors. When I cycled another one hour back, I felt tired but had a sense of achievement.
Another amazing experience came on an undeveloped Greece Island, where there are few buses and travelers should rent car. But my friends and I cannot drive car. So we stopped the cars and asked for help. As return, we sing for the driver. Most luckily, we met an Italian traveler who travelled alone and he drove us the last two days. We cooked him a Chinese dinner and danced at night. We finally became good friends. We visited him in Lucca and his mother cooked us a traditional Italian homemade dinner. Before I came back to China, he also visited me in Milan.
I made a lot of local friends and in this way I could better know the culture in different counties. I also made friends with other exchange students and the students in Bocconi University. They lived a different life with me and I learnt a lot from them. They encouraged me to have a special dream chase it bravely.
I am so thankful that I have the chance to live in Europe for one semester. I grew a lot in the past five months. The sightseeing and the knowledge attracted me to go to Europe. But in the last semester, I challenged myself and better knew myself. This is the most significant achievement for me while the exchange life in Europe.
WISE2011MA Yun WANG
