BY JUNE ZHU YUAN

WHEN I was focusing on completing my master's degree and looking for a job in Singapore, I was given the chance to do a one-year master's programme in Europe.

This unique opportunity was part of the National University of Singapore Business School's Community of European Management Schools (CEMS) programme, under which I had signed up for the Master in International Management (MIM) course.

I could spend two semesters in two different countries - at HEC Paris in France and the University of St Gallen in Switzerland, both of which are among the top business schools in Europe.

To host the CEMS curriculum effectively, each school engages top professors or practitioners for the course. The professors often invite guest speakers or organise company visits to give students a real feel of corporate functions and an insight into the different types of business careers.

At St Gallen, the Cross-Cultural Management course I enrolled in required students to take a two-day trip to Zurich, Velvet and Geneva to view the cultural difference in business practices.

The use of textbooks was almost non-existent in the CEMS courses. We learnt mostly through projects and practicums. We also had the opportunity to attend discussion forums held in other business schools.

Besides the various courses, seminars, forums, language learning and internship, the most exciting part of the CEMS curriculum was the Business Project. It gave us the chance to work on an actual project for a corporate client.

I was grouped with six other students to work for Credit Suisse Private Banking on Exchange Traded Funds. While the project was complicated and challenging, it helped to sharpen my project-management skills and presentation skills and gain in-depth knowledge about the financial product, the company. Most importantly, it enhanced my ability to look for solutions to real business problems.

Despite the practical experience, the overall programme was also fun and an eye-opener. There were numerous events organised by the universities and the student CEMS club.

At St Gallen, the orientation required us to visit a farm in Appenzell where we had to compete against one another in activities such as cutting wood, throwing rubber boots, making ice sculptures, manoeuvring tractors and even brushing cows. Everything was new and interesting, not just to me, but even to some Swiss students as well!

At HEC Paris, we attended parties every week with different themes, and also participated in various fund-raising activities for charity. These various events provided many opportunities for the students from different countries to bond.

Last year, CEMS alumni, graduating CEMS students, as well as current students from all over the world arrived in Paris for a grand gathering. I am certainly looking forward to my turn this December as the gathering will take place in Cologne.

With more than 200 corporate partners in its network, CEMS provides great career resources. There are career forums on areas such as consulting, finance, law, marketing, in every school, and company presentations by corporate partners.

I learned a lot from living in Europe for a year, travelling to most of the European Union countries, and being constantly amazed by the amount of effort European countries take to preserve their history and culture.

The Europeans seem to have a very different life philosophy, placing much emphasis on the quality of life. I learned much from their independence, entrepreneurial spirit and passion towards life, and from there, I could fully appreciate the importance of knowing oneself well as that was the first step to becoming a confident and happy individual.

Of course, there were challenges along the way, mainly those to do with the different languages and cultures. I knew only very basic French and German. So initially, it took a while for me to fit in.

Keeping an open mind was the key to making good friends. The mutual understanding took a lot of effort but, eventually, I got to know so much more about European culture, and my friends got to know a lot more about Asia as well.

All in all, my CEMS experience in Europe was incredible, and applying for this programme has proved to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. The experience has been enriching and memorable - and my perspective in life broadened.

The writer is the first CEMS MIM student to graduate from NUS Business School. She has just finished the course and is now working as an analyst at Goldman Sachs

This article was first published in The Business Times.