Alex Li (She/her/hers) is an international graduate student here in the exchange program at the Business and Entrepreneurship, Arts Management Department. Her undergraduate major is Theater Production and she has been the assistant producer and stage manager for musical productions.

It’s halfway through the first semester at Columbia College Chicago. How has your exchange program been so far?
So far so good. People are surprisingly friendly and there are plenty of opportunities on/off campus.

What are some of your favorite classes till now?
I love behavioral economics. I always have interest in traditional economics and it’s interesting to learn some new theories and learn how people consume, make decisions and negotiate. Game theory was my favorite.

Could you tell us more about education in China and how it’s different from the United States?
Graduate programs are more academic in China while our program in the US is more practical and career-oriented. I like how American classes are more engaging and thrive on participation. On the other hand, we don’t use Canvas in China so the whole writing weekly response and replying to classmates thing is new to me.

What are your career goals once you’re back in China and complete your degree?
I have to finish a thesis to graduate first, but after that I see myself going back to TikTok and joining the international marketing team of Lark.