If I could do college all over again I would double major in Chinese and International Business.
Then I'd set up my college experience like this:
Summer before college - Intensive Mandarin bootcamp in Kunming, China
Goals:
-Reach a functional level of Mandarin before school starts
-Hit the ground running with my curriculum
Freshman year on campus
Freshman year summer internship in Shanghai
Goals:
-Knock out university core curriculum requirements as fast as possible
-Gain critical first work experience in China
Sophomore fall on campus
-Knock out core curriculum requirements
Sophomore spring at Tsinghua University
Goals:
-Knock out Chinese language major requirements at Tsinghua University, make friends with Tsinghua students in business and engineering fields. Students from Tsinghua will be running China in twenty years.
Sophomore Year Summer Internship in Beijing
Goals:
-Gain second critical work placement in China.
-Tactically build professional network and line myself up for junior year internship in private equity.
Junior Year Fall on campus
Goal:
-Continue knocking out credits for core curriculum
Junior Year Spring Semester
-Study in Chongqing, regardless of whether or not I get credits
Chongqing is a "municipality" the size of Belgium with an enormous 31.4 million people. It is on the Yangtze river that empties out where Shanghai is. In China's quest to develop the interior western regions, Chongqing is considered the "pole" city from which the development of the west will be conducted. As all future economic growth in China will occur from the west, I would strategically position myself to create relationships with the US Chamber of Commerce and local academia.
-Spring internship with US Chamber of Commerce in Chongqing, while studying
Goals:
-Build a business base of contacts in China's launchpad for development of its western region
-Get cozy with the US Chamber of Commerce representatives
Junior Year Summer Internship
-Hack my way into a summer internship with a private equity company conducting high level deals in Chongqing. This is to be achieved tactically through my spring internship with the US Chamber of Commerce, who undoubtedly have a black book with all the biggest private equity players operating in China's west
Goals:
-Gain access to groundbreaking private equity deals
-Elicit full time offer for post-grad
-Be on the front lines of China's development as it moves to the interior regions
Senior Year
PARTY~
This won't work for everyone. I can certainly say that I learned a shitload of street smarts by studying and working abroad.
If possible, use a college education as a means to travel the world and hustle your way into elite business circles in emerging markets.
Then I'd set up my college experience like this:
Summer before college - Intensive Mandarin bootcamp in Kunming, China
Goals:
-Reach a functional level of Mandarin before school starts
-Hit the ground running with my curriculum
Freshman year on campus
Freshman year summer internship in Shanghai
Goals:
-Knock out university core curriculum requirements as fast as possible
-Gain critical first work experience in China
Sophomore fall on campus
-Knock out core curriculum requirements
Sophomore spring at Tsinghua University
Goals:
-Knock out Chinese language major requirements at Tsinghua University, make friends with Tsinghua students in business and engineering fields. Students from Tsinghua will be running China in twenty years.
Sophomore Year Summer Internship in Beijing
Goals:
-Gain second critical work placement in China.
-Tactically build professional network and line myself up for junior year internship in private equity.
Junior Year Fall on campus
Goal:
-Continue knocking out credits for core curriculum
Junior Year Spring Semester
-Study in Chongqing, regardless of whether or not I get credits
Chongqing is a "municipality" the size of Belgium with an enormous 31.4 million people. It is on the Yangtze river that empties out where Shanghai is. In China's quest to develop the interior western regions, Chongqing is considered the "pole" city from which the development of the west will be conducted. As all future economic growth in China will occur from the west, I would strategically position myself to create relationships with the US Chamber of Commerce and local academia.
-Spring internship with US Chamber of Commerce in Chongqing, while studying
Goals:
-Build a business base of contacts in China's launchpad for development of its western region
-Get cozy with the US Chamber of Commerce representatives
Junior Year Summer Internship
-Hack my way into a summer internship with a private equity company conducting high level deals in Chongqing. This is to be achieved tactically through my spring internship with the US Chamber of Commerce, who undoubtedly have a black book with all the biggest private equity players operating in China's west
Goals:
-Gain access to groundbreaking private equity deals
-Elicit full time offer for post-grad
-Be on the front lines of China's development as it moves to the interior regions
Senior Year
PARTY~
This won't work for everyone. I can certainly say that I learned a shitload of street smarts by studying and working abroad.
If possible, use a college education as a means to travel the world and hustle your way into elite business circles in emerging markets.