Final year BBA student Mandy Lin has learned a lot during her three plus years at Les Roches, most of it about hospitality leadership, but not all. Here, she shares the five biggest things she’s learned about undergraduate life that no-one told her before starting her studies.
My three and a half years of studies flies by so fast that sometimes I just can’t keep track of it anymore. There are so many ups and downs and so much black and white, sometimes it doesn’t even hit me until just now.
Here are five things that I wish someone could have told me before I started my bachelor’s degree!
1. You have so much time!
People always say that they are so busy with school and projects or exams. But if you want the truth, I can tell you that, if you manage your time wisely, you actually have so much free time on your own! I am able to learn a foreign language outside of classes during my free time, travel out of town once a month, or even go on hikes when the weather is nice!
2. You can say no if you want to
When you first step into this school, you will realize there are so many activities going on around the campus. Partying up on the mountain, or casually drinking on a Wednesday night, there are so many more I can think of. Your friends will ask you, but what matters is that you can always say no when you don’t feel like doing it. It really doesn’t matter what other people think, as long as you are comfortable, you should never feel scared to say how you actually feel.
3. You learn what you like and what you don’t like
The moment I stepped into my first practical class, I immediately knew that kitchen and service were not for me. But on the other hand, there are people that love it so much they even join a culinary club and start cooking for their families when they go back home! Well, I also found out what I am interested in and what I would like to do in the future.
4. You become responsible
Flying off to study my bachelor in Switzerland alone made me more independent and I learned how to take care of myself. I learned how to start cooking a proper meal, how to change my own light bulbs, and how to survive when your bank account is below 20 euros.
5. You adapt to the spontaneous moments
I was always in my comfort zone and doing things the way I used to. However, here you meet all types of crazy people and encounter with the weirdest situations, which leads me to forcing myself to adapt to those spontaneous moments. For example, my friend once wanted to go to Milan for a dinner, so we left after class at 4pm, and drove there and back on the same evening.
You can read more about Mandy’s journey outside her comfort zone in her article about her internship at Fujitsu, a company she never thought she could work for.
