Today, I had dinner with a Japanese politician and Japanese colleagues who study in the Boston area. This politician used to work at my company and was also a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Today's dinner was organized because he happened to drop by Boston. He was energetic, knowledgeable, and engaging. He talked extensively about his own experiences; here, I outline what I learned from him.
1 What We Should Bear in Mind While Studying Abroad
(1) Strengthen English Capabilities
While studying at HKS, you should strengthen your English capabilities as much as possible. This politician improved his English capabilities by talking with his American English teacher every week. He made his teacher ask questions, and improved his English skills by answering those questions repeatedly. He also attended parties and brown-bag seminars even though he didn't understand the conversations. By doing that, many people remembered his face and he learned English little by little.
(2) Make Friends
You should make friends and build relationships with all kinds of students from all over the world. You will have a chance to work with them. Sometimes, friends at HKS will become President or Minister in their countries. In addition, Japanese friends you meet at Boston might become business partners in the future.
(3) Learn the American Way of Thinking
Harvard is one of the best places in the world to learn about how American people think of international relations and politics. You should take many courses at HKS related to these topics.
2 How to Grow Personally
This politician used to be in charge of personnel transfer at my company, and from that experience, he learned to think about how people grow personally. As a result, he found that a person who can reflect on himself or herself and have a wide variety of experiences, will grow personally. In particular, it is important to seek out opportunities proactively to have a wide range of experiences. For example, when you are asked by your employer about where you want to transfer in the future, you can seek valuable experiences by telling him that you want to go to a tough division. By working in an unexpected division and looking at a new world, you can learn how to deal with various situations in your life.
1 What We Should Bear in Mind While Studying Abroad
(1) Strengthen English Capabilities
While studying at HKS, you should strengthen your English capabilities as much as possible. This politician improved his English capabilities by talking with his American English teacher every week. He made his teacher ask questions, and improved his English skills by answering those questions repeatedly. He also attended parties and brown-bag seminars even though he didn't understand the conversations. By doing that, many people remembered his face and he learned English little by little.
(2) Make Friends
You should make friends and build relationships with all kinds of students from all over the world. You will have a chance to work with them. Sometimes, friends at HKS will become President or Minister in their countries. In addition, Japanese friends you meet at Boston might become business partners in the future.
(3) Learn the American Way of Thinking
Harvard is one of the best places in the world to learn about how American people think of international relations and politics. You should take many courses at HKS related to these topics.
2 How to Grow Personally
This politician used to be in charge of personnel transfer at my company, and from that experience, he learned to think about how people grow personally. As a result, he found that a person who can reflect on himself or herself and have a wide variety of experiences, will grow personally. In particular, it is important to seek out opportunities proactively to have a wide range of experiences. For example, when you are asked by your employer about where you want to transfer in the future, you can seek valuable experiences by telling him that you want to go to a tough division. By working in an unexpected division and looking at a new world, you can learn how to deal with various situations in your life.
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