Study in Taiwan 中國文化大學 全球商務碩士學位學程 羅怙

From Computer Science to Global Business, I never stopped learning!

Rahul Kumar (羅怙) comes from Bodh Gaya, Northeast India. After completing his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science in India, he decided to learn Mandarin Chinese, the question was which place he should go: China or Taiwan? “I chose Taiwan because there is more freedom here, and coming to Taiwan has become a turning point in my life.

At first, Rahul enrolled in Chinese courses at National Taiwan Normal University Mandarin Training Center and Feng Chia University. During this period, he discovered that education in Taiwan is suitable for him. To become a B2B (Business to Business) Manager in the near future, he decided to start his master's degree in Global Business Management at Chinese Culture University (CCU).

Things you should know about Chinese Culture University

“CCU is recommended by many of its former students.” Rahul chose CCU mainly because of its English programs. There are plenty of scholarships offered and it’s a beautiful environment to study. Located on Yang Ming Mountain, CCU is also known as “the highest university” in Taiwan. The university provides shuttle buses, shared taxis, canteens, free gyms, and affordable dormitories. 

Every year, international students have three opportunities to apply for admission. After coming to CCU, you can participate in Exchange Student Programs and Double Degree Programs. CCU collaborates with prestigious schools such as the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, UCLA, etc on their programs. Besides, if students have any language barrier, CCU provides free additional Chinese and English classes, just to make sure everyone can study without struggle. (For more details, please click on Rahul’s talk.)

Decrypting Global Business Management (GBM)

In Rahul’s point of view, GBM is a unique combination of IBM, MBA, and EMBA. The program includes various areas such as International Trade Policy, Accounting, Finance, and Tourism. The biggest benefit of learning GBM is gaining international perspectives regarding trades, economics, negotiations, and cross-cultural collaborations. Students in this program have to get 24 credits from required courses and 9 credits from elective courses. To certify students’ specialty, the department provides “specialization certificates“ for those who complete specific courses. 

This program gathers students from all over the world, making it easy to absorb different opinions and practical observations. “In the past, when I was giving presentations, I hesitated a lot and had little knowledge to give. Now I’ve studied so many companies like Tesla, Google, Apple… I have various ideas to share.” Says Rahul.

For those who are interested in Global Business Management…

Besides those who are interested in economics, finance, and business, Rahul recommends students who are passionate about working in multinational companies to apply for the GBM program. Since the program is completely in English, students should at least meet the level of IELTS 5.5+/ TOEIC 700+. If students have no business background, they are required to take prerequisite courses (Economics, Management, Accounting) with the undergraduates in CCU first. “Some people think it’s hard to study or graduate, but that’s not true!” Rahul explains that each student has their own “adviser”, who would be very helpful for students in their studies and thesis writing. 

Interesting Courses

In Business Ethics, Rahul studied legal implications and learned to “draw a defense line “ to protect the company. This course was taught by the head of the department, who is a very experienced professor. During classes, the professor constantly asks students’ opinions about different topics, which has greatly expanded Rahul’s vision. In another course, International Business Strategy, Rahul went on field trips to visit managers at ASUS and Novotel Hotel in Taoyuan. After having a basic knowledge of their business model, students learn to pinpoint the problems and work out possible solutions for it. 

About my thesis

Rahul’s thesis is about examining the theoretical relations between mid-range hotel website accessibility and customers’ habit of using it. By studying customers’ behavior and eTrust in Taiwan, he aims to help hotels motivate customers to book rooms through their websites. The most difficult part of his research would be collecting clean data and the time pressure coming along with it. Compared to bachelor students, master students are more independent in their studies. “We have fewer exams but have more academic reports, less lecture but more preparation for classes.” 

Extracurricular activity: Case Competition

“I wanted to participate in professionally related activities. This was the first time I entered a competition outside of CCU.” Rahul and his team signed up for a case competition held by National Taiwan University. With very limited time, they picked D&G (DOLCE & GABBANA) as their topic of analysis and took the 7th place among the competitive teams. Rahul used to be very nervous when speaking in front of strangers, but he had made big progress since he started his study in Taiwan. “Now I can present myself well in front of the judges and other participants. It was an unforgettable experience. It was a proud moment for me.”

Experience of Learning Chinese (Mandarin)

Learning a new language is not an easy thing for most people. When it comes to Chinese, memorizing numerous characters, four tones, and the proper choice of measuring words are the hardest parts. In the beginning, Rahul practice by writing a word for a hundred times, but still failed to memorize it during exams. After many trials and errors, he figured out a useful technique to learn Chinese. Now he always prepares some blank cards. He writes a Chinese word on one side of the card, and its English meaning on the other side. By flipping the cards and memorizing them several times a day, he hardly forgets any Chinese vocabulary now! 

“The benefit of learning Chinese in Taiwan is that people don’t laugh at you here. They appreciate your effort and will always help you to get it right.” Moreover, students can learn Zhuyin (注音) in Taiwan, which is good for correcting tones. If anyone is interested, there are many Chinese learning institutions in the universities for you to choose from.

Taiwan vs India

From food, living expenses to education style, Taiwan is very different from India. What changed Rahul the most was the Taiwanese students. “Students here are not learning for the score but for their passion.” He thinks that Indian parents often put huge pressure on their children, but students in Taiwan have more opportunities to achieve their own goals.

 “Every student should have experience of studying abroad!” Rahul strongly recommends young students to apply for any program that allows you to learn in different countries or cultures. Also, he encourages us to learn multiple languages. In the era of globalization, your partners, colleagues, and customs could come from everywhere.