Best of both worlds

Interesting study options, lively discussions and a multi-cultural campus. Malvika Elango writes about her enriching experience at Concordia College.

The curiosity to experience the American style of education drove me to apply for the unique transfer programme that Women’s Christian College (WCC), Chennai, offers. I completed two years of B.Com (honours) in WCC, and later moved to Concordia College, New York, to pursue my Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Management.

The decision to move to Concordia is undoubtedly the best one I have made so far. It is amazing how the western style of education is so different from what I had experienced back home. And fortunately, this transfer programme has made it possible for me to experience “the best of both worlds.”

Interactive classes

What fascinates me about the classes at Concordia is that they are held through discussions, rather than lectures. This makes them more lively and interesting. The numerous projects that are assigned to us help in applying the theory that we learn in class to real life situations. One of the most interesting projects that I did was an analysis of the popular coffee chain, Starbucks. The main aim of the analysis was to identify the key issues affecting Starbucks, and to come up with strategies to tackle the same. Though challenging, such projects help us gain an insight into the practical world of business.

Another interesting part of the education system are the mandatory liberal arts subjects that we are required to take up. To be honest, initially this concept did not make sense to me. Being a business student, I wondered why I am required to take up humanities, sociology and so on, instead of solely focusing on the core business subjects. However, after taking up a few liberal arts classes I realised that they not only expose you to subjects that you are not previously aware of but also play a critical role in developing a lot of essential employability skills, including writing and analytical and creative thinking.

Diverse culture

Being a part of a diverse student body is another major benefit of studying abroad. There are students from over 37 countries at Concordia. This gives us an opportunity to interact with students from different cultures, and thus understand a given subject from multiple points of view.

Apart from the excellent academic life that Concordia offers, one is exposed to many co-curricular activities. The college regularly hosts exciting on-and off-campus events and students can also be a part of various clubs.

Living in New York has proven to be very exciting. Weekends are usually spent exploring the lively city and hunting for new Indian restaurants to satisfy my neverending craving for spicy food!