Occasionally nice, but always sincere

My name is Yu-Yun Su. I am 28 years old, from Taiwan. I know some Dutch but definitely not enough for business level. I got a job offer in Hoofddorp, and I will be on board in the second week of July

Before sharing my experience about Nyenrode, let me first tell you a little about my background and my life before Nyenrode:

I obtained my first MSc in Accounting & Financial Management at Lancaster University (UK) in 2010. Btw Lancaster is a great school and the program I took- MSc in Finance/Accounting & Financial Management- has moved up one place in the Financial Times global ranking (of 45 pre-experience PG programmes listed this year) to 35th position and is now ranked in the top 10 in the UK this year.

Some of you may wonder: why would you study a second master degree when you already have one and it's from a great school?

To be really honest, I didn't think it through before studying in Lancaster. Later in my life I realized that studying abroad is supposed to be a means that gets you to your ultimate (or interim) target, such as getting international experiences, paving your career abroad, gaining knowledge, etc. However, to me at that moment, I was the opposite: studying abroad is my target. So when I finished my studies in Lancaster and got my degree, I actually was not sure what I was gonna do next. In the other words, I studied hard, and I finally got my degree; achievement unlocked! But after that, I am totally lost.

In the end I chose the most convenient path:Ｉwent back to Taiwan and took the job offer I got as a junior auditor in Deloitte, Taipei, before I went abroad. That seems really logical and handy. Can't really complain about that. Right?

But (there is always a but), after working in Taipei for a while, I got really depressed due to the stress of work and also there was some family factors here...Back then my parents really hoped that I get a job as a public servant, i.e. employees in the governmental organizations such as local city hall or tax authorities, meaning stable salary and relatively fewer working hours compared to the Big Four auditing firms. That is actually a great option if I am aiming at a stable (and boring, no offense, personal opinion) life. Those who want to become a public servant need to pass the National Examinations. Nowadays it is more and more difficult to pass that exam.

Given their hope and me acting against it, whenever I called my mom, regardless the topics I started with, she always managed to bring the topic back to taking the exam and becoming a public servant.......I was so frustrated by that. Maybe it is not necessary to get supports from my family about my career, but it certainly make my life much more frustrating knowing that they are not supportive...I was so frustrated and also back that time there was some minor issues at work...finally I was tired of my mom's brainwashing drill: I gave in. Long story short, I quit and moved back to my hometown-Kaohsiung City.

At first I thought I can settle for studying and preparing for the National examination and all that, but turned out I really can't. After moving back home, I was really horrible to my mom and constantly started fights with her just about everything for no reasons. Sometime later, I realized that it is all because I resented her for making me quit and settle for a stable life that is not on my wish list. Eventually we had a huge fight and she said: I am letting go. Do whatever you like!

I started contemplating : what kind of life do I want to live in 10 years? For some reasons I had this urge to go abroad again, and this time I wanted to start my career/ life abroad: I always wanted to go abroad ever since I was 12 even though back then I only know USA and Canada and maybe New Zeeland; Europe and the Netherlands are just a huge blur to me. Maybe it's time to take that dream off the shelf and dust it clean.

Honestly, I was lucky that my family is capable of financially supporting me the first time I went abroad, but it is quite clear that I am on my own if I decided to go abroad again this time. At that moment, someone I know from practicing IELTS speaking test told me that he saw a post on Neso Taipei* that there was school that offered a full scholarship to one MSc and one MBA students from Taiwan respectively. I had my doubt about the added value of a second master degree, but then I decided to give it a shot and decide whether I am gonna take it later if I actually got it. This is the first time I ever heard about Nyenrode Business Universiteit.

To sum up, the two reasons I chose to study in Nyenrode:

1) The full scholarship

2) It has a great reputation in the Netherlands

In the end, I love the Nyenrode experience and there is definitely no regret for this decision. But it has so much more to do with just the two reasons I mentioned...You will see pretty soon:)

*Neso Taipei is closed now. If you are searching for info about Dutch higher education, try "Study in Holland" http://www.studyinholland.nl/