美國人眼中的中國留學生

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.

我很榮幸能有機會從一個美國人的角度來談談我們身邊的國際同學。與其他衆多頂級商學院一樣，耶魯管院一直強調打造“全球化”MBA項目，但是我不得不承認，其教學風格、課堂氛圍到校園文化的諸多細節卻非常“美國化”。在平日裏與國際學生尤其是中國同學的交流中，我發現他們面臨的文化衝擊主要來自三個方面：“過分熱鬧”的課堂教學風格、團隊合作的學習方式以及極爲重要又略顯微妙的同學間社交關係網絡。對於我們這些在美國土生土長的學生，校園文化一脈相承，商學院無非是強度略有加大而已，所以這種過渡在不經意間就自然完成了。坦白地說，我從不曾想到這些在我們看來再平常不過的事情，對遠道而來的國際同學會是此等挑戰。下面我們就來一一討論。

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.

課堂教學。 在美國，無論是商學院或是本科，我們都沒有純粹地“講授式”教學。教授們通常都希望，甚至要求課堂互動與討論，而學生們也會在關鍵點上主動提問。大多數情況下，我們不認爲這種“打斷”是不禮貌的，因爲美國學生普遍有一種“消費者心理”：我們花錢花時間來到這個課堂，就是知識和教授的消費者，就有權得到滿意的答案，有權請教授當下進一步闡述不明之處。我聽說有的教授甚至親自寫信給那些課上過於“安靜”的同學，請他們踊躍發言。

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.

聽說在很多其他國家，比如中國，課堂完全以教授講述爲主，教授與學生之間似乎有一種“不被打斷”的約定俗成。我認爲，兩者間最大的差別是，我們堅信課堂教學過程中，學生不但要向教授學習，更需要互相啓發、分享見解，所以互動式教學是有積極意義的，也是一種美國式的約定俗成。而作爲美國學生，我們也真的非常希望在課堂上聽到更多來自國際學生的聲音。

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.

當然，不得不承認的是，我們不可能保證這種互動總是有益且高效的。有些同學可能會問一些理應在課前閱讀中解決的問題，甚至會提一些不靠譜的想法。有趣的是，如果一個班的學生經常在一起上課，在同學間會漸漸自發地產生一種“潛規則”，或者說是一種“同儕壓力”，逼迫着那些經常提“傻問題”的同學三思而後行。總而言之，在課堂上把握好吸收知識與參與討論的節奏是對每個學生至關重要

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.

團隊合作。學習團隊是商學院教育的核心組成部分，因爲我們中的每個人在未來工作中都將面對類似的情形。在美國商學院，就好比在美國商業文化中一樣，幾乎所有的功課都由團隊完成。我們堅信團隊合作是成功商業運作中的“聖盃”，且與我們推崇的創業家精神以及個人奮鬥並不矛盾。我認爲團隊合作體現的是一種“有付出纔有回報”的合作精神，這與我們在成長道路上所學到價值觀相吻合。很多課業本身要求團隊成員能夠爲了最終共同的利益去主動平衡互相之間的優劣勢、職業興趣以及工作風格，以期達到最佳狀態。

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.

我的學習團隊就是最好的例子。我們八個人背景各異，志趣與工作方式也不盡相同。所以在組隊之初，我們面對的最大挑戰便是如何去協調，找出最佳合作模式。而學校小組又與真實的工作團隊不同，因爲組員間沒有級別之分，也沒有絕對的領導。團隊領袖往往會自然產生，然後就在一年間的不同項目上輪換。但由於沒有誰能開除誰，這樣的團隊的確更需要足夠的合作精神及互相尊重來達到和諧一致的狀態。

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.

很多國際同學告訴我，團隊合作有的時候對他們很難或是讓他們覺得是在浪費時間，因爲有些討論和爭辯對最終結果並無直接幫助。其實，這樣的抱怨並不只是國際學生纔會有，我本人有時候也有同感。但因爲我過去所在的公司文化極爲強調以密集會議爲載體的團隊作用，這份經驗告訴我商學院裏這種多元文化碰撞下的新型團隊合作模式對我將來的管理工作大有裨益，這些寶貴的經歷將幫助我進一步提升駕馭團隊的能力。

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.

社交網絡。商學院絕不僅僅是上課學習（甚至有同學說，主要不是學習……）。與同學們多交往，建立起一個社交網絡是重要組成部分，而且是將來能爲每個人帶來益處的好事。在我們這個緊密的團體裏，有未來的CEO, CFO，公司主席，政府領袖等等，我們應該努力認識每個人，與大家成爲好朋友。我正是本着這個態度來到管院，也正是這個原因使我一直很積極去了解更多國際同學。

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.

我本人很愛旅遊，原因就是可以見識到不同的文化，商學院對我就是一個很好的地方，因爲他把當今世界上最重要的一些文化元素通過吸收國際學生而彙集到了一個地方。但是我沒有想到的是，開學不多久，同學們便不自覺地組成了按地域分的小團體。我自己也難辭其咎，因爲我自己的好朋友也大部分是美國人。但是作爲新一任的主席，我計劃安排更多跨文化的主題活動，來讓他們走得更近。

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，另一個問題便是很多國際學生對參加學生會的活動並不熱衷，我的中國同學道出了心聲。很多時候，他們覺得這些活動對於他們更像是例行公事，因爲“應該去而去”，而非是“純粹爲了開心而參加”。的確，可能是介於語言和文化的隔閡，讓國際學生完全與美國人打成一片並不現實。但是我個人認爲這種社交場合確實是美國核心商業文化的最重要組成部分，因爲很多協議與合作均是在社交場合達成的，而商業圈內也普遍注重關係網絡的搭建與培養（後來我得知，這一點與中國商業文化很接近，但是我們並不提倡用喝酒來解決）。

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.

簡單說來，在這個世界裏，成功與否並非取決於你是否是最好或最聰明，而是取決於你認識誰及你和他都多鐵。LinkedIn這個商業社交網站在美國很火，而商學院在我看來就像一個真人版的LinkedIn。但我必須指出的是，我們耶魯管院與其他很多學校不同的是，同學們更多時候是真的關心他人的生活與職業方向，所以這樣的網絡不“假”，也值得每個人真心付出去參與。如果一直蜷縮在自己的“安全區”內，我們就會喪失如此得天獨厚的好機會去打破壁壘，真正去了解同學從而結交一些好朋友。

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.

儘管上述文字聽起來有些像是給國際學生入學前的準備課，我還必須強調美國同學在上述方面也應當承擔起一定責任。一方面，我們應當充分認識到國際學生過人的勇氣與決心。他們放棄了在祖國優越的工作和生活，飄洋過海來到這個陌生的國家，試着融入陌生的文化，對於他們我滿懷敬佩。另一方面，作爲美國人，我們不應當好爲人師，一心想着把我們的價值觀強加給國際學生，相反，我們應當敞開胸懷，從他們身上學習借鑑優秀的文化傳承。我想，只有雙方都本着開放和學習的態度，才能使我們的學習真正變得國際化，真正成爲一個能做到“海納百川，兼容幷蓄”的學府，從而培養出全球商業領袖。