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The International Student Exchange Program Experience
Europe Edition
The International Student Exchange Program Experience: Europe Edition
One of the best experiences I had with the International MBA program in the Asian Institute of Management (click here for blog on IMBA) was undoubtedly the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP).
For a brief background, the ISEP is a program available to all IMBA students as long as they belong in the top 30% of the class by the first term. The students will attend their last MBA term in one of the partner schools of AIM located in Europe, America, Australia, and Asia. For my batch (2023), we had 12 students who went to different schools (read article here), seven in Europe, two in the US, two in Asia, and one in Australia. For me, I had the chance to go to ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain between October to December (fall term).
This was my first time in Europe and was thus both an exciting and scary experience for me. I chose ESADE because it was high on the QS MBA rankings globally (19th globally, and 9th in Europe) and had a great diversity in its students and faculty. Additionally, Spanish shares many language similarities with Filipino, as we were previously colonized by Spain and so adjustments will not be too hard.
I took five classes, which are the following:
The International Student Exchange Program Experience: Europe Edition
I also took Spanish class for beginners since I was already in Spain. I initially did not think too much of the classes, because I was previously informed that generally in Europe, there is a bias for lectures more than in-class discussions (very different from my training in AIM). However, I did find myself enjoying many of these, as the slow pace of classes allowed me to reflect more on concept applications in the real-world scenario. It made me realize that AIM standards were at par with global education, and being in ESADE seemed like a breeze. The ISEP was a good opportunity for me to pause and make sense of what I learned in the first three terms in AIM and the last term in ESADE. For each of the classes I got, there were specific things I recall and reflect about every now and then, especially the class “Leading from a New Paradigm”. I also discovered a lot about myself.
For starters, I realized that I enjoyed making friends and I was not too much of an introvert as I perceived. Despite me communicating in English, this did not limit the jokes and fun I shared with my classmates. The people I was with were also quite diverse, and I made three particularly close friends (two studying from the US but were originally from China and Nigeria, and one from Brazil). This was my close friend group that I shared meals with, went on trips with, and even celebrated my birthday with me. We went to Tarragona, an ancient Roman city just near Barcelona (video here) and had a blast. We danced in the local fiesta, wineglass on hand, and wandered about. I would describe each country I visit as having a “filter” and Spain’s filter is “vivid warm” due to the warm tones of the buildings and houses, the romantic sunrise and sunsets, and the sunny weather.
The International Student Exchange Program Experience: Europe Edition
I also discovered that although Europe has many beautiful spots and a better transportation than the Philippines, that I still preferred to go home. A unique experience I had was being exposed to many OFWs in Barcelona when I attended Sunday Mass in Parroquia de San Agustin along Calle Hospital. You can feel the strength of the Filipino spirit as everyone energetically sings and responds during the Mass. There was also a despondent feeling for me knowing how they also struggle to live abroad and pay for their living expenses, particularly the high rent.
Barcelona is a diverse and multicultural city where I hardly felt any discrimination while I stayed there. Walking across the street, you can hear people speak different languages apart from Spanish. As it is filled with tourists, there is a diverse assortment of food ranging from Mediterranean, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, American, Spanish, African, and so forth. There were small grocery shops like Mercadona and Carrefour, but I preferred the former as it was cheaper.
I learned about Spanish food and how healthy it was, the aging population of Spain, and just how similar Filipino culture is with Spanish.
It was also relatively easy to go to other European countries once you are there. The easy schedule of ESADE allowed me to explore many countries including France, Italy and Switzerland (See video here). Upon the conclusion of my classes, my husband also came to Spain and we went around many regions (See video here) including Aragon, Asturias, Galicia, Madrid, and Castille and Leon. We tried old world wine at a Spanish vineyard, went yacht sailing, and visited significant religious relics. The food was beyond amazing but the servings were large for two small Filipinos.
Going back to the actual exchange classes, the diversity of the students highlights the unique experiences of everyone during class participation. Not only were races and cultures different, but also industry backgrounds. I also learned a lot about the home schools of my classmates and how they do MBA’s there.
The International Student Exchange Program Experience: Europe Edition
Despite the exchange adding up to the expensive tuition fee of an MBA, I put it in the words of one of my exchange classmates: "There are things you can't put a pricetag on”, and he referred to the networking and the experiences. I, for one, believe that if you want to reach higher goals, you need to set higher expectations for yourself and be surrounded by people who are better than you. Being exposed to the ISEP gave me the opportunity to be with people who have achieved greater things, and are more skilled in certain aspects that I’m not particularly good at. This made me humble and strive harder. More than the money, it is the mindset that was changed in me.
Going to Europe has always been a dream and it seemed so far as a child. Heck, it still seemed far as a working adult, as someone who didn’t grow up in a privileged household. But being physically there and living there for almost three months allowed me to be in the state of mindset where nothing is impossible. Exploring the world did not seem like too big of a challenge anymore. Opportunities seem more vast and learning, endless.
The ISEP may have been short, but its lessons will last a lifetime. I may not narrate every single experience I had and the joy that came with it, but it would suffice to say that it was worth it.