Student Experiences

I. Global Academy Summer Camp

2023 Summer: Paranyu Duangbubpar from Faculty of Economics, Kasetsart University, Thailand

The summer camp in Chengdu, China, was a breathtaking experience for me. The city's technological prowess was awe-inspiring, leaving me mesmerized by its advanced infrastructure and innovations. Each day was a thrilling encounter with cutting-edge technology that seemed to redefine what was possible. Beyond the tech marvels, the summer camp itself was an unforgettable blend of fun and learning. The warm embrace of the volunteers made me feel at home, and their eagerness to share their culture and traditions enriched my experience. Exploring Chengdu's historic sites unveiled a world steeped in captivating stories and ancient charm, harmoniously juxtaposed with the city's forward-looking vision. The camaraderie formed with fellow students was a treasure to cherish. Together, we immersed ourselves in the vibrant street life, savouring the delectable Sichuan cuisine and engaging in lively conversations with locals. Every moment was filled with laughter, adventure, and shared curiosity. As the summer camp concluded, a bittersweet sensation enveloped me. Chengdu had left an indelible mark on my heart, and I found myself yearning to return and witness its ongoing progress. The memories forged during those days would forever hold a special place in my heart, inspiring me to embrace the wonders of technology and culture. Chengdu's summer camp was an unforgettable journey, where I marvelled at the city's technological advancement and embraced its warm and vibrant culture. It had become more than just a destination; it had become a source of inspiration, propelling me forward as a student and a lifelong adventurer.

2023 Global Academy Summer Camp: Virginia Kostara from Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens

A once-in-a-lifetime experience! I feel so grateful for the support and the kindness that I received from all the organizers and the volunteers! I consider myself such a lucky person that I had the opportunity to travel to China, broaden my horizons and be part of a warm and meaningful international family. Thank you so much for everything you did!

2023 Summer: Mariia Silkina from International College of Economics and Finance of the National Research University "Higher School of Economics", Russia

I am very grateful to SWUFE for the organization of this summer camp. It was valuable and fascinating experience for me to be in China, to interact with foreign students and SWUFE professors, volunteers and Chinese people. I really loved my stay in Chengdu. The city is comfortable to live in and has a lot of attractions to visit. The programme of the summer camp was well-planned and I enjoyed each event. I appreciate responsiveness and kindness of Chinese people. Thank you very much!

2023 Summer: Potylitsyna Sofia from Graduate School of Economics and Management, Ural Federal University, Russia

I’m really fond of this summer camp. I like the fact that I’ve learned something new about Chinese culture and customs because this information was helpful during my stay there. Furthermore, the schedule was really convenient: there was a plenty of free time to explore the city every day. Volunteers stayed in touch all the time. Also, there were many attractive excursions.

2023 Summer: Felipe Eboli Sotorilli from University of Campinas, Brazil

It was amazing! I’d like to say thanks to all volunteers and teachers. More than academic learning, I could understand a bit about Chinese culture with all of you! It couldn’t be better! Thank you！

2023 Summer: Tufan Kıvanç Kurt from Koç University, Turkey

It was my first experience outside of my country and I am very happy to attend the Summer Camp. It was very entertaining and informative camp. Thank you all for your efforts.

2023 Summer: Benlada Aunmai from Faculty of Economics, Kasetsart University, Thailand

At first I had seen this program I am quite interesting. It is good chance to visit China and also as be exchange student. First day in SWEFE very impressive for me. Big University, good environment, a lot of facility for student. In this summer camp I had learn several sides such as academic, culture, food, new friend, and leadership skill. Volunteer in this camp is the best one.

II. Double Degree Programme

2021-2022: Daniele Mastrangelo from University of Pavia, Italy

I had an amazing time. All the courses were interesting and well organized, and the professors were always very kind. Even if almost every day, because of the 7 hours time difference, I had to wake up very early in the morning – usually 5 a.m. - to attend all the courses, I don’t regret a single second of this experience. My international coordinator was always there to support and help me. I really hope someday to be able to come to China.

2019-2020: Flavia Munelli from University of Pavia, Italy

Studying in China was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was an amazing opportunity to discover new culture, new habits, spectacular places, and delicious food, developing new skills of adaptation and organization from both a personal and an academic point of view. This year I dived into Chinese culture for the first time. Since I started studying the Chinese Language and folklore, I felt really captivated by the magic of this community: the mythology, the habits and the incredible gastronomy. Sichuan, famous for its delicious and varied food, offered me a great chance to discover day by day this mesmerizing country. But this region is not all about food! Chengdu is also an important economic centre and an endless source of culture and natural beauty. Regarding the university, I was impressed by SWUFE’ s big students’ community and by the fact that it is listed as one of the China's key universities for foreign students, providing me a big chance to meet people from all over the world! Furthermore, the university offers a wide range of different courses, that matched my expectation. The subjects dealt with interesting and current topics, strictly related to China, but also Europe. Moreover, SWUFE organized many additional activities, such as sport meetings or activities organized by ISA, making the experience abroad more fun and adventurous. It was hard sometimes staying far away from home, but it was definitely worth it. In conclusion, my overall experience in China and at SWUFE was more than positive and I would recommend the Double degree program to all the students who can join this programme.

III. Exchange Programme

2019 Autumn: Florian Leonhardt from Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

I more than enjoyed my time at SWUFE. In my opinion, it’s a wonderful environment to get to know China (on a small scale) and to collect first experiences. The organization of the whole semester was very unproblematic, there was enough support by the volunteers of ISA and the amount of teaching content was optimal. In hindsight I on the first hand appreciate the opportunity to learn many things about China without binoculars which is better possible by being a student than being a tourist China. On the other hand, I am grateful for the environment which SWUFE offered us, since I met very impressive and inspiring persons and friends.

However, I am extremely happy and also proud to have been part of SWUFE and to have been student in China. The time was unfortunately flying and too short. I would always like to come back to SWUFE!

2019 Autumn: Joseph Fridner from School of Business, Economics and law at the university of Gothenburg, Sweden

I have had a very pleasant time at SWUFE. The academic level was very high and I really learned a lot when it comes to finance. I really liked the focus on data analysis and the academic rigor that every course I took had. Therefore, I gained both practical tools about how to analyze data in statistical Programs such as RStudio and also better understanding about how to write professional papers. Another highlight was the great number of various databases that SWUFE had access to e.g. WRDS‚ Bloomberg and Datastream which was very interesting to get some more knowledge about how to use.

When it comes to the life outside the studies I was really enjoying the cheap and pleasant living that Chengdu provides. The food culture is awesome and the proximity to beautiful mountain areas is fantastic. I also spent a lot of time with the Chinese students at SWUFE which I found very nice and helpful! I was also very impressed of their high academic level they held!

I want to give an overall thank you to the great administration at SWUFE that took such good care about us exchange students! I can really recommend SWUFE to other students at home!

2019 Autumn: Sonja Maric from Eberhard-Karls University Tübingen, Germany

I really enjoyed the stay in China and especially in Chengdu. I learned a lot about the culture, the language and the Chinese food which I am very happy about. I saw a lot of places in China and I fell in love with the country. There is so much diversity, and the country is just huge and there is a lot to see. What I really liked in China was travelling by train as it is very convenient and fast. I would recommend everyone to travel by train. Chengdu is also a very nice city and cheap as well, you can eat a meal for less than 2€. Furthermore, there is a lot to see in Chengdu, for example the Panda base or the ancient Jingli street. For a good China experience you need to try WeChat. This Application is so convenient and you can literally do almost everything with it. From renting a bike to paying it is just super easy to use and I will really miss it in my home country. SWUFE is a very good university and I improved my presentation skills because we had to do a lot of presentations which I really liked. The professors were also very kind and tried to make their lessons very interesting. The campus is also very nice and green which I really enjoyed especially during summer.

2019 Spring: Jeannette Fischer from Lucerne University of Applied Science and Arts, Switzerland

It was a great experience I would recommend to everybody. Chengdu is a great city to study and experience the Chinese Culture and the best food in the country. I really appreciated the welcoming ISA group and support by the coordinators. I am very grateful that I could have this great experience.

2018 Autumn: Simon Crahay from ICHEC Brussels Management School, Belgium

I had a fantastic experience. Everything is organized in order to satisfy the exchange student. Moreover, China welcomes foreigners in a good way, and it was really pleasant to discover the Chinese culture.

2019 Spring: Cyaiane Dae from PSB Paris School of Business, France

My exchange program in SWUFE was very interesting. In Chengdu, people very like to eat spicy and do things slowly. And the first days was hard to adapt to this culture but little by little I feel like a local person, I had my habits, my friends and SWUFE. Concerning SWUFE, all was fine, my professors and the academic persons was very kind and helpful. About my free time, I liked to hang out with some friends or travel in Asia because is cheaper in China. Thus, I enjoyed my exchange in SWUFE, it was unforgettable.

2018 Autumn: Chen, Ying-chen from Graduate Institute of Human Resource Management, Changhua University of Education, Taiwan, China

It was a wonderful, awesome trip. This was my first time to come to Chinese Mainland. I met many people who came from different countries here. During the exchange time, I studied harder and played hard. I had fresh feeling about the city, campus, food, etc. I love the leisurely-pace environment in Chendu! There were so many activities which we held, as Panda Base tour, Autumn midnight, Cooking party, New Year and Goodbye party. From the experience, I learned more about each other, and had many ideas from different people.