May 5, 2022
Though we had all hoped the Covid-19 pandemic would be behind us in time for the start of the 2021-2022 academic year, unfortunately that has not been the case, and travel restrictions and intensive quarantines have continued. As a result, some students have spent the entire year in Shanghai, others in the US for the whole year, and a few had the opportunity to spend time in both Shanghai and New York City. Regardless of location, all students demonstrated an unparalleled level of flexibility, dedication to their studies, and openness to connecting with their classmates wherever in the world they may be.
Below, we hear from students in each situation as they share their unique experiences and highlights.
XIAOXUAN LI (MSQF)
Location: In person at NYU Shanghai in Summer/Fall 2021; In person at NYU Stern in Spring 2022
Q: What was your experience like at NYU Shanghai this summer and fall?
Xiaoxuan: Since my undergraduate degree was not in finance, the first two semesters of classes I took at NYU Shanghai gave me a thorough understanding of the finance industry very quickly. Also, I faced the fall campus recruitment during the fall semester, and NYU Shanghai’s CDC really helped me to deal with the interviews more successfully by organizing several workshops and 1-on-v1 coaching. The workshop I enjoyed the most was a finance mock group interview. The speaker first introduced some practical group interview techniques, then divided the participants into two groups to conduct mock interviews, and finally commented on each person’s performance. Later, I applied many of the techniques from this workshop to my fall recruitment interviews and got quite good results.
Q: What was your favorite course so far in the program?
Xiaoxuan: My favorite course in the program has been Business Communication. The small class size enabled each student to fully participate in class, and Professor Shi provided tailored instruction and feedback to solve students’ individual problems.
Q: What activities are you involved with outside of class?
Xiaoxuan: I’m a graduate admission ambassador of NYU Stern - NYU Shanghai MS Programs, mainly helping the prospective students to better understand the program experience. For example, last September, I participated in an online NYU Shanghai – NYU Stern Joint Master’s Program information sharing session online for prospective students. During the info session, I shared my own experience of attending the program, including the faculty, curriculum and campus environment, etc., and provided some tips for the interview preparation to the prospective students and their parents.
Q: Why did you decide to be in-person this semester instead of remote?
Xiaoxuan: I chose to come to NYC because I thought that face-to-face interaction with the professors in class could help me better understand the content and logic of the courses. At the same time, being in-person also allows me to experience the local culture and customs of the United States.
Q: What is your experience at Stern so far?
Xiaoxuan: The curriculum is quite pioneering, covering the emerging market finance and climate risks, both of which are hot topics in the current financial markets.
Q: Do you have a job lined up yet? If not, what kind of jobs are you seeking?
Xiaoxuan: I will be working in the Deals department at PwC, mainly focusing on M&A advisory.
SIYING QUAN (MSQF) & YULIN DING (MSDABC)
Location: In person at NYU Shanghai in Summer/Fall 2021; Remote in Spring 2022
Q: What was your experience like at NYU Shanghai this summer and fall?
Siying: The schedule was relatively intense during the summer. We went to classes every day and had assignments in various forms, such as in-class exams, presentations, and case studies. Our professors and TAs were very responsive, providing tutorials related to course materials and suggestions for career development. The capstone project started during the Fall semester, and has been interesting. We’ve had opportunities to talk with industry experts and focused on real-world problems.
Yulin: The summer and fall semesters were very intensive and fulfilling. Though the initial courses were relatively easy to handle, everyone was preparing for written tests and interviews for campus recruitment at the same time, and some classmates also did internships outside of class. The program and the professors were very supportive of students' job searches and internships as long as we ensured class attendance. Professor Liao even invited some of his colleagues from various industries to the class to introduce different career paths and opportunities in business analysts. In terms of extracurricular activities, the school and the program also gave a lot of resources to support students to better integrate into the program.
Q: What was your favorite course so far in the program?
Siying: My favorite course was “Intro to Statistics” taught by Professor Liao. We not only learned how to do descriptive analysis and basic regressions, but also gained some elementary understanding of statistics in machine learning. That helped to relate what we had learned at school to current applications in the industry.
Yulin: I appreciated the course Optimization Modeling taught by our program director Prof. Zhang. The course is completely case-based and very close to the actual situation of solving problems in real work. Prof. Zhang's methodical teaching method also allows students to participate in the classroom as much as possible.
Q: What activities are you involved with outside of class?
Siying: I previously had an internship at Changjiang Securities in the industry research department. Then, I applied for a research assistant position for Professor Guodong Chen after realizing that I was more interested in doing research. That was really a wonderful and inspiring experience. We held meetings once a week to share updates, and Professor Chen was very helpful in answering my questions and providing suggestions for further research.
Yulin: I participated in the industry research initiated by the career development center (CDC), sharing our job search experience in the internet industry. During the process, I gained a more in-depth understanding of the Internet industry. I also attended several guest speakers organized by the CDC. Aside from career development activities, I attended several school-organized yoga classes with my friends. We also had a Thanksgiving dinner offered by the school and we all thought the turkey at NYUSH was the best we've ever had.
Q: What has been your experience so far this semester taking Stern courses on Zoom?
Siying: It is good. Although we took classes online, professors in New York paid a lot of attention to creating an interactive, respectful learning environment. In terms of time, the majority of our courses are in the evening, so it’s ideal to do an internship while finishing schoolwork.
Yulin: Actually, the Zoom course experience is not very different from the offline one. The Zoom chat box even allows us to ask questions more actively. The school is also very considerate of the time difference in China and specially avoids the midnight time period. As the previous semesters were all face-to-face courses, we are already familiar with our classmates, so the zoom courses did not affect the group cooperation and interaction.
Q: Since Stern courses are in the mornings or evenings, how are you spending your days this semester? Do you have an internship/job offer?
Siying: Since I decided to pursue my Ph.D. degree, I do not have any internship and instead am focusing on research. Many of my friends in the program are currently doing internships and can keep a good balance between study and work.
Yulin: I mainly spend the daytime dealing with homework and conducting group discussions to complete teamwork. Recently many companies have opened up spring recruiting opportunities, so I also spend time preparing for interviews. Personally, I am not doing an internship right now and I have two full time offers, one from a tech company and a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company. Both of them are in the salary negotiation stage.
DAKOTA SCHEY (MSDABC)
Location: Remote in Summer & Fall 2021/ In person at NYU Stern in Spring 2022
Q: Where were you located this summer and fall?
Dakota: This fall I was completely remote due to the Covid pandemic and the concerns and travel restrictions at the time. I took my classes all throughout the US, from Texas to California to New York, so the flexibility was definitely very nice.
Q: Tell us a bit about your remote study experience. What surprised you? What was your favorite course so far in the program?
Dakota: The remote experience was honestly super enjoyable, although a bit stressful with the time zone differences. I was often taking classes, meeting with professors or attending networking events late at night or very early in the morning. Despite these limitations, the professors were more than accommodating to make sure that all students were caught up to speed. So far, my favorite course would have to be Marketing Analytics because it directly builds off what I studied in my undergrad.
Q: How were you able to stay engaged in your coursework?
Dakota: I think the key to staying engaged was based upon the diversity of the program and my classmates themselves. I had so much fun collaborating and meeting new people with all different backgrounds and interests, and this made it so much easier to connect with others. It allowed me to branch out and do research activities as well as lead various project proposals. The experiences and opportunities that you have at your fingertips through this program are really what allow for such an enjoyable experience overall.
Q: How did you get involved outside of the virtual classroom?
Dakota: I am currently involved in a research project with Professor Grace Haaf involving game theory mechanics. I gravitated towards this concept because of her relevant background and the interesting lab that she runs. I also wanted a way to better enhance my technical expertise, and by constantly building new and improved models, I was given this opportunity. I also make sure to connect and meet all of my professors whenever I’m given the chance. By staying immersed in the program and extracurriculars, you can meet such amazing people and build up your network.
Q: How is your experience at Stern in NYC so far? What are you looking forward to this spring semester?
Dakota: So far, Stern has been a dream. I’ve always wanted to live in New York, and the NYU campus as well as the Stern building are both in an iconic and active area. This gives you such an amazing opportunity to explore the city and what it has to offer while also enjoying the ambiance of the university and the great education that it offers. It also makes the program so much more personable getting to meet and talk with faculty throughout the department. This spring, I want to network with more students who study different aspects of business to congregate on potential business ideas. I also am always looking for new, great restaurants to try!