hannahjara

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:

  • Leading from a New Paradigm
  • Monetization: Mastering the Journey from Customers to Cash
  • Marketing Transformation in the Digital Era
  • Python for Data Analysis
  • Business Strategy Game: Competing in the Global Marketplace


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.