Nancy Jiang hadn’t even considered studying in Europe before. Like many of her fellow students in China, she’d believed continuing her education in the US was the best path for her future. After one 30-minute conversation with an admissions officer at the QS Connect 1-2-1 event in Beijing, everything changed.
Now, Nancy will be heading to Barcelona, to study at ESADE Business & Law School and pursue her dream in studying business analytics. We chatted to Nancy to find out more about her QS Connect 1-2-1 experience and her hopes for her upcoming master’s course in Spain.
The QS Connect 1-2-1 offered something more than your normal university fair
“I was so thrilled to participate in the QS Connect 1-2-1 event. The QS university rankings are quite famous here in China, and I was attracted by the idea that I’d be able to talk to the admissions officers face-to-face for 30 minutes. I saw it as a great opportunity to present myself to admissions officers. As well as allowing me to get to know the schools and their resources, it would also allow the schools to get to know me better and decide if I would be a good fit.”
Having a lengthy conversation with admissions staff taught me so much about the university
“It was really pleasant to talk to Mary Granger, the admissions officer from ESADE. She was really nice and warm, and gave me some valuable recommendations based upon my previous experience. Honestly, before I attended the QS Connect 1-2-1 event and spoke to Mary, I had never thought about pursuing a master’s degree in Europe. I was aiming to apply to a top-ranked US institution, but I was really impressed by Mary and touched by her kindness. Because of this, I decided to apply to ESADE.
“My mom and dad were surprised by my decision and didn’t completely agree. So, I also applied to some US institutions. However, after I received all my offers, I still decided to choose ESADE. Barcelona is an amazing place to study in, the school has a really good global reputation and they offer really generous scholarships, but more important than all of these factors was my experience at the QS Connect 1-2-1 event.”
Attending the QS Connect 1-2-1 event made my master’s interview much easier
“I was really nervous before my master’s application interview with ESADE, especially as I didn’t know much about what to expect from a European school. The 40-minute interview was the best interview I’ve ever had though. Mary was very nice and her questions felt really tailored to my interests and the things I cared about. She asked me questions I hadn’t been asked by other admissions officers and the whole conversation felt so smooth. After the interview, I knew I wanted to be a part of ESADE and believed they wanted to have me join them too.
“I heard the good news from Mary a week later and was really excited. My parents may have had their doubts but they said I was always so excited and happy when I talked about ESADE and so they were glad to hear I was admitted.”
There’s so much to be gained from attending a QS event
I got everything out of the QS Connect 1-2-1 event I could wish for. If anyone reading this is interested in attending a similar event, I’d recommend doing some research online beforehand. Turn up with your CV/resume and make sure you have a clear idea of what your short-term and long-term goals are before the day itself. Knowing this will help the admissions officers get to know you better.
