Happy Chinese New Year

It's been a while now since I last blogged. What have most of my fellow classmates been up to? Well, pretty much about half of my classmates went for an exchange abroad. Those that stayed to do the 3rd semested at Tsinghua SEM spent the last moments of the semester making arrangements to go back home for the winter break.

So right now, there is hardly anybody in Beijing (from my class) - especially given that the Chinese New Year has come earlier. Those that stayed are probably focusing on their local internships, I know at least of one classmate who is doing an internship here. In general, the consensus is that most of my classmates will come back sometime in March.

What have I been doing? Well, I spent a good part of December and January traveling before coming back to Beijing for the Chinese New Year - only to realize that perhaps, I should have had spent my time elsewhere. But actually, the fact that nobody is around allows me to get some work done. Because, well, I realized that realistically, I may not be able to get into an MBA specific role, such as a leadership program or an associate program. Possibly because of experience, age, etc; it's hard to tell why sometimes. But taking that into consideration, I've decided that I would apply directly into roles that I am interested in, aside from the usual MBA roles.

How have I fared? Admittedly not very well. Discussions for a company that was interested well through. So what is my plan? Well, I have decided that I will look into doing what I have always wanted to do - entrepreneurship and start-up. And to that, I have spent the last several weeks working on business plans for a start-up in China. However, the trickier part, is getting funding. So over the next couple of months, I will probably be knocking on a the doors of a lot of VC funds with my hat in my hand, asking for some charity. Let's hope that this goes better than my applying for a job. :)

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Ok, I have to admit, the main reason that I blogged today was because Jaime, left a comment. So I will go ahead and try and address her questions

"Thanks, its me, Jaime again. From the last post I guess things are getting better with the job hunting. I am selecting my grades for next semester, and would like to know if you can give me some advice of were to find SEM English courses. I know there are some you don't need to be MBA student to take, I knew some exchange French guys how were taking these courses. Do you know where can I find info about this?
And, considering I want to find some internship at a PE or IB firm, just to get some experience I am not aiming for (Goldman Sachs), can you recommend me any courses?
Thanks, and good luck with the job hunting!!"

Hi Jaime

To be honest, I am not very clear on what you do. Are you an exchange student or are you just a student hoping to take some courses at Tsinghua SEM? Anyhow, if you want to find the English courses online, you would need to have an account. At least, that is how we access the list of Ensligh electives. But perhaps, an option you could do is to call the office? I think you might be able to ask Lynn (8610-6278 5515) for advice on this and how you would be able to sign up for courses if you are not a Tsinghua SEM student.

If you are planning to find an internship at a PE or IB firm, it really depends on what role you would want to do - especially in IB. But I would suggest that you look at courses such as Theory of Investment, Capital Markets, Investment Banking (yes, there is a course that is called Investment Banking) and similarly related courses. If, you want to do an internship, and I think possibly as an analyst, do look at doing internships with securities firms such as Samsung, Mitsubitshi, etc. If you have no prior experience, it might be an opportunity for you to break into the field.

Good luck to you.

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Foster the People - Pumped up kicks (Skeet Skeet remix)

I wonder how many people feel like that.