 Caren Kang, left, is in the second term of her 18-month, six-term MBA program at the Shanghai-based China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), a leading business school in Asia. She spoke over the phone after her finishing mid-term exam. |
What was the exam about? Was it tough?
It was for the Corporate Governance course. I don’t think the questions were particularly hard, but I had to write two short essays so I had to think a lot.
So what is your post-exam schedule?
Some went out for a drink. But I cannot forget that the final exam is only a month ahead.
What did you do before going to CEIBS?
My professional career began at Morgan Stanley’s Seoul office. But I was always interested in the entertainment business. I worked as an interpreter for Boys II Men and Britney Spears when I was a student. I moved to the entertainment industry after three years in investment banking. Most recently I was a manager at the corporate strategy team of Mnet, an entertainment firm (now CJ E&M).
Why did you go to China, and not to the United States, if you are interested in the entertainment business?
At Mnet, my role involved doing business in China, and I was deeply impressed by the vast opportunities in the country. I searched for the best way to plunge myself into China and learn more about the local business practices, and came up with the idea of doing an MBA in the country. I believe I could go to a U.S. school of a higher ranking if I wanted. But thinking about next 10 or 20 years, I believe it was a better choice to come to China. And there already are too many U.S. MBA graduates in Korea and it’s hard to differentiate from them.
And why CEIBS?
It was the only truly international school in China, invested by both the Chinese government and the European Union. The caliber of the student body was impressive; not only the MBA but also the EMBA students.
How are the demographics of the school?
About half are from mainland China, and the rest from all over the world. Koreans form the second largest ethnic group. There are 14 of us among a total of 180 or so.
Do you need Mandarin skills to survive?
The classes are all taught in English and there are people who came here with little knowledge in the Chinese language. But you need to pass an exam to qualify for graduation, so everyone ends up with some Mandarin skills. As for me, I speak both English and Mandarin fluently as I spent six years in Singapore and a few years in Hong Kong when I was young.
How do you network with your classmates online, when Facebook and Twitter are blocked by the authorities in China?
We use a local service called Kaxin001. In Chinese, it means “open-your-heart network.”
Do you think that the classes are competitive?
Very. People here are very serious. Especially our classmates from mainland China are very motivated and dedicated to studying. This makes the whole atmosphere of the class more competitive.
How is the course composed of?
There are six terms over 18 months. For the summer, you can choose between a summer internship, an exchange program or additional classes. We started last August and will graduate April 2012.
What do you like the most about CEIBS?
I believe it is the best place to tackle the issue of integrating opposite ideas; East-West, dogmatic-pragmatic, democracy-communism and so on. Having the Chinese government and EU as its major sponsors, the school has enjoyed the presence of many of the world’s prominent economic and political leaders on campus; giving its students ample chances to listen and speak to the visionaries.
What about things you don’t like?
18 months can feel too short. And the school is still in its growing stage. It just celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2009. You still see trial and error in some operations.
Asking about your career again, what do you plan to do after the MBA?
It’s still long way to go to graduation, but I am going to change the industry. I plan to work in an international environment in the Asia-Pacific region, probably as a corporate strategist. Many of my classmates, too, dream of being chiefs of Asian Pacific region at global companies.
Interview by Cho Jin-seo
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