MBA Students On Why Now Is A Better Time Than Ever To Study In Asia

The ASEAN flag. The region is booming — making it a great place to get an MBA. GlobalFinance.com

Businessman and co-founder of Oracle Larry Ellison once said, “See things in the present, even if they are in the future.”

The future is here, and according to MBA students who spoke with Poets&Quants, preparing for it by studying in Asia is advantageous — and maybe even a necessity.

The ASEAN region, after all, is a place of “dream job opportunities” and “higher salaries” for businesses and business students alike. Industries like fintech, green energy, and manufacturing are all key players. And overall economic growth in the region is staggering.

ASEAN REGION A BUSINESS HOTSPOT

Exports from ASEAN countries are projected to soar by nearly 90% by 2030, while for the rest of the globe, trade is projected to grow by around 30%. Simultaneously, the ASEAN region’s GDP is growing at a rate of over 5% per year.

To put this into perspective, the U.S.’s GDP rate is currently 2.7%.

Now, it’s understood that not every student is in a position to take the leap and commit to a couple years abroad at an Asia-based business school — though many would be lucky to have such an experience. For those who aren’t in that position, how about 4-5 weeks instead?

In the heart of Thailand, the Sasin School of Management offers an international exchange program designed for students to experience business on site in one of the highest growth regions in the world, the ASEAN region. Here to share what that looks like with insight on their experiences are three students from the Class of 2024 Sasin exchange program.

Tierra Patmavanu. Courtesy photo

SASIN STUDENT TIERRA PATMAVANU

USC Marshall School of Business alumnus Tierra Patmavanu chose the Sasin School to connect with her Thai heritage and develop a global business mindset. As a first-generation Thai American, Patmavanu set out to immerse herself in her culture while gaining insight into the ways of international business.

“My exchange program at Sasin was a driving force in accelerating my development of a global and strategic mindset by embracing the interconnectedness of an international community and immediately applying this perspective to my work at Pinterest,” she says.

Sasin, in Bangkok, was the first AACSB- and EQUIS-accredited business school in Thailand — the ideal place for Patmavanu, who was looking for an opportunity to expand her global expertise.

“During my exchange program, I gained awareness about the diversity, complexity and interdependence of the global community by learning from professors, Thai business leaders and fellow MBA students, including exchange students from France and Germany,” she shares.

SUCCESS HINGES ON CULTURAL AWARENESS 

Patmavanu is currently working as a financial manager at Pinterest, a visual discovery site with 522 million global viewers monthly.

“As Pinterest works on expanding its APAC presence, I have taken an active role in providing insight into building region specific and culturally relevant editorial content,” she says. “Studying at Sasin has made me a stronger finance business partner when working with colleagues in Dublin, Berlin and Singapore.”

Culture plays a big part in successful business.

“The business culture in Thailand emphasized the importance of building rapport and respect before diving into formal negotiations,” she says. “Good rapport increases the likelihood of a successful outcome. With high diversity in the region, I learned that localization is critical to operationalize an effective business strategy.”

Patmavanu says the exchange program at Sasin was an invaluable and worthwhile experience and encourages others to participate as well.

“This opportunity allows you to gain a better perspective of how businesses work among different countries,” she says. “Studying abroad in Bangkok is an opportunity to appreciate the diverse cultures from Thailand and around the world due its thriving expat population.”

Alexa Parulan. Courtesy photo

SASIN STUDENT ALEXA PARULAN

MBA Alexa Parulan pursued her exchange while studying at Cornell to learn from diverse perspectives and expand her global network. After graduating this year, she was hired as a senior associate consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“I was drawn to Sasin due to its reputation as one of the top business school programs in Southeast Asia,” says Parulan, who is half Thai.

What she learned about general business concepts mirrored her studies at Cornell in the U.S., she says. But there were big differences, particularly in how professors used Asian-based cases and examples.

The class that defined her experience was Ecosystem Orchestration Analytics. “My main takeaway was that the success of a company hinges on its ability to innovate, differentiate, and capture value in an increasingly interconnected world,” she says.

Comparitively, Parulan says, the business environment in Thailand is fragmented, mostly made up of family-owned businesses and small local vendors that cater to niche markets. “This,” she says, “results in more localized strategies and personalized approaches when running a business.”

She adds, “Studying in Thailand was one of the highlights of my MBA and I had such a fun and memorable time.”

Her advice for future students?

“Take full advantage of the experience — explore the country and assimilate to the culture of wherever you choose to study. I am grateful that I took part in this unique opportunity for my educational, professional, and personal growth.”

Nelson Felgueiras. Courtesy photo

SASIN STUDENT NELSON FELGUEIRAS 

“This experience has given me the opportunity to understand better how I can adapt to different businesses and cultural behaviors,” shares Nelson Felgueiras.

Currently at the Porto Business School and graduating this year, Felgueiras chose to study in Southeast Asia in part to get out of his comfort zone.

Felgueiras wanted an exchange outside of Europe and though he had a total of five opportunities to choose from, he chose Sasin. “I couldn’t be more happy with my decision,” he adds.

Felgueiras found the general MBA content in Asia to be very similar to the content in Portugal. The biggest difference, he says, was within his cohort.

And it’s what he was hoping for. “It was what I was searching for and was enriching on a professional and personal level,” he says. “In terms of understanding financial investments and Southeast Asia generally — this experience will influence my decision-making in doing international businesses.”

Without a doubt, Felgueiras’s favorite course was Investments. “I have always been interested in this subject, but I couldn’t understand some things — this course made a lot of things click,” he explains.

When it comes to possibly working abroad in the future, he says, “I’m very interested in opportunities to work around Southeast Asia.”

To those considering Sasin, Felgueiras encourages, “Just come! Everything will happen naturally.”

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