美国人眼中的中国留学生

It's my please to write this column about international students at an American business school, from the perspective of an American. Though Yale, and all other top schools, focus on granting a 'global' MBA experience, the style of instruction, the classroom environment, and the nuances of school culture are very much American. In Speaking to my classmates who come from other countries, particularly China, it seems that three key pillars of the U.S. education experience actually come as a major culture shock: loud and often boisterous in-class discussion; the reliance on teamwork to complete tasks; and the unofficial importance of socializing to build a network within the class. For someone who has grown up in the American school system, conforming to these three attributes happens almost subconsciously, and thinking that others may find them surprising or difficult to tackle reveals the unintended limits of my own world view. Let's take each one in turn.

我很荣幸能有机会从一个美国人的角度来谈谈我们身边的国际同学。与其他众多顶级商学院一样，耶鲁管院一直强调打造“全球化”MBA项目，但是我不得不承认，其教学风格、课堂氛围到校园文化的诸多细节却非常“美国化”。在平日里与国际学生尤其是中国同学的交流中，我发现他们面临的文化冲击主要来自三个方面：“过分热闹”的课堂教学风格、团队合作的学习方式以及极为重要又略显微妙的同学间社交关系网络。对于我们这些在美国土生土长的学生，校园文化一脉相承，商学院无非是强度略有加大而已，所以这种过渡在不经意间就自然完成了。坦白地说，我从不曾想到这些在我们看来再平常不过的事情，对远道而来的国际同学会是此等挑战。下面我们就来一一讨论。

The Classroom Experience. There's no such thing as an all-lecture class at Yale, nor at most other undergraduate colleges or business schools. Professors expect and demand engagement and discussion and students will often pipe up with questions in the middle of a salient point. In most cases, this is not considered rude; I think American students occasionally think of themselves as consumers of the course material, with the right to get their questions answered or theories explored by the professor. In one early class of ours, the professor even wrote to students who had not been participating to request that they speak up more in class.

课堂教学。 在美国，无论是商学院或是本科，我们都没有纯粹地“讲授式”教学。教授们通常都希望，甚至要求课堂互动与讨论，而学生们也会在关键点上主动提问。大多数情况下，我们不认为这种“打断”是不礼貌的，因为美国学生普遍有一种“消费者心理”：我们花钱花时间来到这个课堂，就是知识和教授的消费者，就有权得到满意的答案，有权请教授当下进一步阐述不明之处。我听说有的教授甚至亲自写信给那些课上过于“安静”的同学，请他们踊跃发言。

I imagine this is a difficult practice to begin if one comes from a place where the classroom dynamic centers on the professor speaking uninterrupted. But in the States I think students come to class to learn as much from each other as from the teacher, and so participation is viewed positively and seen as part of the unwritten contract. I know from speaking to other American students, we yearned to hear from our international classmates more, especially at the start of the year.

听说在很多其他国家，比如中国，课堂完全以教授讲述为主，教授与学生之间似乎有一种“不被打断”的约定俗成。我认为，两者间最大的差别是，我们坚信课堂教学过程中，学生不但要向教授学习，更需要互相启发、分享见解，所以互动式教学是有积极意义的，也是一种美国式的约定俗成。而作为美国学生，我们也真的非常希望在课堂上听到更多来自国际学生的声音。

Of course, not all participation is valid or particularly helpful. Students will often ask questions they should know the answer to, or attempt to build on a point with an off-base comment. Interestingly, I think if a group of students is in a class together consistently (as we are at Yale with our cohort system), the group begins to subtly govern itself and members whose contributions might not be adding to the total experience will get the hint and aim to consider the good of the whole when raising their hand. But shifting between absorbing the lecture and participating in a conversation about it is a key feature of the classroom experience.

当然，不得不承认的是，我们不可能保证这种互动总是有益且高效的。有些同学可能会问一些理应在课前阅读中解决的问题，甚至会提一些不靠谱的想法。有趣的是，如果一个班的学生经常在一起上课，在同学间会渐渐自发地产生一种“潜规则”，或者说是一种“同侪压力”，逼迫着那些经常提“傻问题”的同学三思而后行。总而言之，在课堂上把握好吸收知识与参与讨论的节奏是对每个学生至关重要

Teamwork. The team is the core unit of business school education, as it's meant to mirror what we will all face when we go back to the workplace. In American business schools, as in American business, everything gets done as a team. Though Americans value entrepreneurial spirit and individual drive, for whatever cultural reasons we believe teamwork is the Holy Grail for well-functioning businesses and organizations. I think it's the sense of cooperation and give-and-take, which most of us learned even in our family units that translates into how we learn and work. And though we all worked before coming to Yale, the heavy reliance on teamwork here is structured to teach us how to balance strengths, interests, and working styles for the good of the whole.

团队合作。学习团队是商学院教育的核心组成部分，因为我们中的每个人在未来工作中都将面对类似的情形。在美国商学院，就好比在美国商业文化中一样，几乎所有的功课都由团队完成。我们坚信团队合作是成功商业运作中的“圣杯”，且与我们推崇的创业家精神以及个人奋斗并不矛盾。我认为团队合作体现的是一种“有付出才有回报”的合作精神，这与我们在成长道路上所学到价值观相吻合。很多课业本身要求团队成员能够为了最终共同的利益去主动平衡互相之间的优劣势、职业兴趣以及工作风格，以期达到最佳状态。

My study team was a typical blend of backgrounds, industries, and future goals. We all had different ways of working and part of the challenge (and lesson) was learning how best to work together. Teamwork here does differ from most workplace scenarios, because there is no hierarchy, no boss calling the shots. Leaders may naturally emerge or this position might rotate throughout the course of the year. But since no one can fire anyone else, the team really does need to reach harmony through cooperation and respect.

我的学习团队就是最好的例子。我们八个人背景各异，志趣与工作方式也不尽相同。所以在组队之初，我们面对的最大挑战便是如何去协调，找出最佳合作模式。而学校小组又与真实的工作团队不同，因为组员间没有级别之分，也没有绝对的领导。团队领袖往往会自然产生，然后就在一年间的不同项目上轮换。但由于没有谁能开除谁，这样的团队的确更需要足够的合作精神及互相尊重来达到和谐一致的状态。

According to friends from China and other countries, teamwork can occasionally be challenging or viewed as an inefficient use of time. The amount of discussion and debate that occurs can hamper the outcome. I don't think this complaint is unique to international students″it's one I sometimes share″as do others. But having worked in companies with meeting-heavy, team-oriented cultures, I know that the test of my time and patience is helping to prepare me for the post-MBA world. If anything, we can use our time here at Yale to learn how to make better and more effective use of our teams.

很多国际同学告诉我，团队合作有的时候对他们很难或是让他们觉得是在浪费时间，因为有些讨论和争辩对最终结果并无直接帮助。其实，这样的抱怨并不只是国际学生才会有，我本人有时候也有同感。但因为我过去所在的公司文化极为强调以密集会议为载体的团队作用，这份经验告诉我商学院里这种多元文化碰撞下的新型团队合作模式对我将来的管理工作大有裨益，这些宝贵的经历将帮助我进一步提升驾驭团队的能力。

Socializing and Networking. Business school is not just about the classes. And depending on who you ask, it's not even mostly about the classes. Networking within the student body is a key piece of the experience, and the one with the most potential future benefit. In our tightly knit community are future CEOs, CFOs, Presidents of companies, government officials, and board members. It's to our benefit to get to know each and every member of the class. This was certainly the attitude I had coming into Yale, and among the people I was most eager to get to know were the international students. Learning about other cultures is one of the reasons.

社交网络。商学院绝不仅仅是上课学习（甚至有同学说，主要不是学习……）。与同学们多交往，建立起一个社交网络是重要组成部分，而且是将来能为每个人带来益处的好事。在我们这个紧密的团体里，有未来的CEO, CFO，公司主席，政府领袖等等，我们应该努力认识每个人，与大家成为好朋友。我正是本着这个态度来到管院，也正是这个原因使我一直很积极去了解更多国际同学。

I love to travel; business school seemed great because it brought all of those cultures to a single place. However after the first few weeks of school, people started to break down into groups, often by nationality. I too am to blame; most of the friends I spend time with outside of class are Americans. However as president of the student body, I plan many events that aim to bring everyone together.

我本人很爱旅游，原因就是可以见识到不同的文化，商学院对我就是一个很好的地方，因为他把当今世界上最重要的一些文化元素通过吸收国际学生而汇集到了一个地方。但是我没有想到的是，开学不多久，同学们便不自觉地组成了按地域分的小团体。我自己也难辞其咎，因为我自己的好朋友也大部分是美国人。但是作为新一任的主席，我计划安排更多跨文化的主题活动，来让他们走得更近。

Still, these events are not often attended by all groups. Speaking to some of my Chinese friends, I know that they can find the socializing more of a chore than pure fun. Perhaps because of language or cultural reference barriers, not everyone mingles as much as would be ideal. I think socializing is another piece of the business school experience that mirrors American business culture. In the U.S., many business deals and arrangements are forged in social settings, and high value is put on relationship-building.

但是，另一个问题便是很多国际学生对参加学生会的活动并不热衷，我的中国同学道出了心声。很多时候，他们觉得这些活动对于他们更像是例行公事，因为“应该去而去”，而非是“纯粹为了开心而参加”。的确，可能是介于语言和文化的隔阂，让国际学生完全与美国人打成一片并不现实。但是我个人认为这种社交场合确实是美国核心商业文化的最重要组成部分，因为很多协议与合作均是在社交场合达成的，而商业圈内也普遍注重关系网络的搭建与培养（后来我得知，这一点与中国商业文化很接近，但是我们并不提倡用喝酒来解决）。

It's not always about being the best or brightest, but often comes down to who you know and how well you know them. Social networking sites like LinkedIn have become hugely popular ways for businesspeople to stay connected. In some ways business school is a real-life version of LinkedIn. Lucky for us at Yale, people are truly interested in each other's lives and ambitions, so the networking is not fake. Yet it is important and everyone would do well to take part. Sticking to our comfort zones and our areas of familiarity cheats ourselves and our peers out of the opportunity to break down barriers and get to know new people in new ways.

简单说来，在这个世界里，成功与否并非取决于你是否是最好或最聪明，而是取决于你认识谁及你和他都多铁。LinkedIn这个商业社交网站在美国很火，而商学院在我看来就像一个真人版的LinkedIn。但我必须指出的是，我们耶鲁管院与其他很多学校不同的是，同学们更多时候是真的关心他人的生活与职业方向，所以这样的网络不“假”，也值得每个人真心付出去参与。如果一直蜷缩在自己的“安全区”内，我们就会丧失如此得天独厚的好机会去打破壁垒，真正去了解同学从而结交一些好朋友。

Lest this be read as a primer for international students considering a move to the U.S. for business school, I want to underscore the fact that American students have responsibility too. The first is to recognize the courage it takes to not only leave gainful employment for business school, but to do so across oceans and continents, in a foreign culture with unfamiliar customs. I have nothing but the deepest respect for Adam and his peers. Second, as Americans, we shouldn't think of ourselves as teachers of our way of schooling, but students who can learn from the customs and behaviors of our international classmates. Only with both groups taking an open attitude and learning from one another can a truly global business school emerge. And though it may be a school located in the U.S. it will have a tone of inclusion and appreciation that will adequately prepare us to be global business leaders.

尽管上述文字听起来有些像是给国际学生入学前的准备课，我还必须强调美国同学在上述方面也应当承担起一定责任。一方面，我们应当充分认识到国际学生过人的勇气与决心。他们放弃了在祖国优越的工作和生活，飘洋过海来到这个陌生的国家，试着融入陌生的文化，对于他们我满怀敬佩。另一方面，作为美国人，我们不应当好为人师，一心想着把我们的价值观强加给国际学生，相反，我们应当敞开胸怀，从他们身上学习借鉴优秀的文化传承。我想，只有双方都本着开放和学习的态度，才能使我们的学习真正变得国际化，真正成为一个能做到“海纳百川，兼容并蓄”的学府，从而培养出全球商业领袖。