On September 15, 2023, Shanghai Business School welcomed more than 100 new international students of different languages and colors, who came to Shanghai, China from far and wide with their luggage and dreams to join the SBS family.
This is the first time after the COVID-19 pandemic to welcome large-scale international students offline, for which the International Education College has made sufficient preparatory work. During the summer vacation, the College refurbished the international students’ apartments with infrastructures. The College leaders visited the apartments several times to check and ensure the scheduled progress of the refurbishment for later settlement of the international students. Besides, the College prepared sufficient bedding and other daily necessities in advance, so as to help the international students integrate into the campus and new life as soon as possible. Since one week before the registration, all the staff of the International Students Office have been on duty 24 hours a day to keep in touch with the international students through WeChat, emails and other means, remind them of all kinds of precautions and answer relevant questions patiently, ensuring that a series of matters would be steadily progressed after their arrival in China, and to alleviate their nervousness of going to a foreign country.
On the day of registration, the beautiful campus was decorated with enthusiastic banners and publicity boards, and the friendly greetings and thoughtful arrangements of the volunteers eased the unfamiliarity of the new international students. The registration work was carried out in an orderly manner. The new international students stayed in the classroom after the registration, and communicated with each other happily about their prospects for the new semester. In order to better help them adapt to campus life and integrate into the big family of SBS, the senior international students enthusiastically became the guidance team to lead the new comers to access the campus life and culture. They thoughtfully organized various tips, such as “how to apply for foreigner study visa” and “how to recharge campus card”, which quickly eliminated the sense of strangeness among the international students. The College will organize various kinds of education events and activities for them to be better integrated into SBS, adapt to the new environment, and go further into and know more about China.
General Secretary Xi once pointed out that “we should improve the strategy of opening up education to the outside world, plan ‘bringing in and ‘going out’ in a coordinated manner, vigorously promote the branding of ‘Studying in China’, tell the story of China, spread China’s experience, and make China’s voice heard.” Benchmarking the national plan of education for foreign development and the SBS’ internationalization development orientation, and in conjunction with the 14th Five-Year Plan development goals of SBS, the College will further do well in international education, build the brand of “Study in China”, polish the “golden name card” of SBS’ internationalization education, advance humanistic exchanges and cultural integration, cultivate a group of civilization communicators who “can tell the story of China”, promote mutual understanding between China and other countries, and contribute to the building of a community of a shared future for mankind.
Written by: Zhang Wen
Photos by: Zeng Shiyin & Zhang Ximing
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
