Shanghai Bund

Why did I choose this master?

After 4 years spent at EFAP Paris experiencing different internships in communication, event management, public relations, advertising, and social media I thought that Digital was a good way to end my studies.

What is the MBA DMB about?

The MBA DMB has been created in 2015 thanks to Vincent Montet the founder of this master and from an alliance between ESSCA Shanghai and EFAP Paris. The MBA DMB provides us with a double degree: a master of science from ESSCA and a master of communication from EFAP.

How is the master organized?

6 months of academic learning in Shanghai with 450 hours of classes with digital experts from all over the world who learn us the latest digital trends and how to become an actor in the digital revolution. Then we have to do an end of studies internship between 4.5 to 6 months. It can be worldwide but the pedagogic team encourages us to stay in China. Of course, we have a thesis: 15000 words in relation to our junior consultancy project.

Why China? and why Shanghai?

As everything is mobile and growing so fast, Chinese people are spending billions and billions every day online and they are the most active on social networks. If you have the mind of a businessman, China is definitely the place to be for doing business in digital and more especially in E-commerce.

Huangshan

Shanghai is a huge city with more than 24 millions inhabitants, the most populated city in China. This cosmopolite city is full of surprises, but, with many contrasts. You can in one day be on the top of the second biggest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower and, you can end up in a very popular ghetto and eat the best noodles ever for less than 1€. Shanghai is definitely the city that never sleeps, you have all the commodities to hang out, discover, explore, shop, entertain, experience and learn. Also, China is a really undercut country where you can be very surprised by the beauty of the landscapes.

What about the Chinese language?

Sorry to disappoint you guys, but most Chinese really don’t speak English. I can tell you that google translator had become one of my best friends in the first months over there. Essca also provides us around 3h of Chinese lessons per day during the first three months. At least, we all have obtained our HSK 1, which means that we know how to introduce ourselves, ask for directions, count, negotiate (very important hahaha) and the really basic things. To be completely honest, I need to confess that Chinese is really not an easy language to learn and it can take at least 10 years to speak it correctly.

The most difficult part is the tone. In Mandarin, you have 4 different tones and sometimes you have some words that sound really similar, like “horse” and “mum”. Horse in mandarin is Mǎ (马) and Mum is Mā (妈). As a foreigner, you won’t hear the difference, but trust me a Chinese will look at you with a really weird face.

Is life cheap?

This is the first question that my friends in Europe always ask. To answer, I say that it really depends on your way of life. As everything is so cheap and as all your money is on your phone, you are never conscious of your spendings and you spend so much more than in Europe. Payment abilities are so fast and mobile payment is accessible everywhere. From the little shop of tobacco to the biggest digital store. So, you never see money and spending money becomes a funny activity. Finally, for housing, you can find a shared apartment really nice for 400€ to 600€ per months.

Did I like my experience?

This experience as really been the best one of my life. I used to travel a lot when I was young and I have already been to China before. Today I can say that China and more especially Shanghai is one of my favorite cities in the world. In that sense, I really recommend this humongous MBA. You won’t be disappointed! 

Where do I see myself in the next 5 years?

To be honest, I really love China and I really want to stay here and learn Chinese and at the same time become a digital expert. I’ve just found an internship in a fast-growing digital startup in Shanghai where I will be in charge of the development of the Marketing Strategy for foreign brands. If I can, I would really like to stay in this city for the next 5 years. Then, coming back to France or whatever and contributing to be the bridge between China and Europe would be a great opportunity for me.