Strathclyde Business School's first student to go on exchange to Nagoya University in Japan has done himself and the business school proud. Nagoya gave Alastair Lumsden, who is doing a BA with Management and Business Enterprise, a scholarship covering flights to support him. Alastair attended Nagoya from March until August.
"As a third year student not on the international business pathway, it's not typical for peers on my track to go on exchange. However, a long-seated desire to visit Japan and generally wishing to broaden my horizons and business acumen led me to approaching the faculty and accepting the exchange shortly thereafter."
Alastair studied a broad range of undergraduate business modules in leadership, entrepreneurship and strategy, as well as Introductory Japanese and he was one of the top performing students in his class.
During his exchange, his application to study postgraduate modules was accepted and as a result, he was able to study two MBA modules in corporate finance and macroeconomics. Alastair also managed to secure an internship with a Western-run franchise despite the difficulties in doing so when he was only just learning Japanese. To get the internship, he used all means at his disposal, including attending networking events, writing to and phoning companies, emailing alumni and using social media in an attempt to find an internship or work experience. "The hardest part of the trip was accepting that the culture was different. Very soon after arriving, I realised that Japanese culture, especially in the business world, is extremely difficult to break into and that individuals are very reserved. I did anything I could to get a first-hand insight into Japanese business culture to complement my studies."
Socially, Alastair threw himself into Japanese culture and said, "The social aspect was one of the main reasons that I enjoyed the trip as much as I did. One of the best bits was the exposure I had to people with such diverse backgrounds.
"The accommodation where I was staying, the classes I was attending, the internship I participated in, the social activities I did – all of these involved people from all over the world and it opened my eyes to new languages and cultures. I was fully immersed and surrounded in an international environment too as the exchange contained students from Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Taiwan, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Finland, Sweden , Brazil – and Scotland! I felt proud to be the first Scot to attend NUCB and to represent Scotland on the exchange and I've made some amazing friends that I hope to continue to stay in touch with for a long time to come."
Alastair said, "An international exchange benefits students in so many ways. Being able to learn about business from a different perspective opens your eyes to so many new things. Outwith business, being on international exchange benefits students as they are able to engage in experiences that otherwise would be unavailable to them. I was able to participate in ikebana (traditional flower arranging), watch a sumo tournament, eat traditional foods, visit breath-taking temples and so much more. I believe you get as much out of a trip as you put in – there is nothing stopping you leaving having made some lifelong memories. Coming back to Strathclyde to finish my Honours year, I feel charged and ready to come back, and I aim to utilise my experiences in Asia to help contribute to my dissertation."
Strathclyde Business School is delighted he has done so well with this new partner and lived up to his scholarship.
"Being abroad has expanded my network and enabled me to make new friends and I couldn't encourage anyone thinking about an international exchange strongly enough to take advantage of the fantastic opportunities Strathclyde offers."