TAU
Picture

Overcoming Biases by Studying Abroad

2022/11/22

Picture
Thomas, from Hong Kong, shares his experience in Israel after joining TAU for a Summer Program.
Arrival in Israel
For most of the people I know in Hong Kong, Israel is still a mysterious country with many perceived biases, say, a country in the Middle East constantly in chaos and war. Coming from this mindset, I did not know what to expect to find in Israel when I decided to apply for TAU’s Entrepreneurship & Business Summer program. Due to its historical & geographical factors, Israel has evolved into a unique place where people do their best with what they have. Surrounded by hostile countries and constantly threatened, with no sufficient supply of natural resources, it has somehow managed to feed all its citizens and also export some agricultural products. The more I understand its background, the more I admire this amazing place.

Trip to the Dead Sea with Classmates

Israel's Entrepreneurial Spirit
In the first class of the Entrepreneurship & Business program, the professor highlighted the Israeli status quo and we learned about the term “No options”. When the country was first founded, those who were here had to be innovative while fighting under challenging circumstances. This history can explain some cultural differences between Israelis and others, mainly that Israelis tend to be more expressive, bold, and open-minded. The Summer program was comprised of all international students, which meant I did not have a chance to interact with local students. However, we were exposed to other people’s experiences who had worked with Israelis and their particular characteristics. A long debate in a class session is not uncommon and is a big part of university student life in Israel, contrasting with Hong Kong or most Asian countries, in my experience, where classes turn silent even after the speaker has asked questions. There is no binary statement claiming which way of learning is better, but I am glad I was able to experience both.

Israel’s business environment is also worth a mention. The Israeli open-minded and innovative mindset has impressed the world. and big brands like Intel and Huawei have launched research centers in the country. Israelis are also taught to “embrace failure” throughout their growth. Failure is a part of their lives, and they are encouraged to learn from it and improve. You will often hear the saying: “Failure is more important than success”, and people practice “Trial & Error” until they arrive at something they desire. For this reason, Israel is also a nurturing ground for young entrepreneurs; as they walk through their steps, things get better after learning from their mistakes. For instance, my course professor had founded several start-ups and was never ashamed of mentioning those failed businesses. Instead, he shared with us the precious experiences from those failures and taught us how to equip ourselves to be tomorrow’s leaders. Indeed, everyone loves success, but the one who lives through a series of failures to finally reach success will experience joy to a different level.

In the Entrepreneurship & Business program, we learned about how a true entrepreneur prepares to kick off a new business, from the concept stages such as idea brainstorming and market & competition analysis to some hands-on sessions like documentation and building financial models. Even though the course was only a month, I will keep these fundamental and must-have pieces of knowledge forever. For the final project, we worked in groups to pitch our project ideas to each other and exchange feedback, we had a rare chance to practice teamwork and collaboration skills with other international students. In my future career, no matter what kind of job I will be doing, the hard skills in this summer course and the soft skills to get the project done in Israel will be valuable assets I will carry with me.

Reflections
The first ape who left its comfort zone and climbed down trees, exploring unknowns on the ground, proved that great things start with a leap of faith. I am passionate about discovering and trying things I have never done before, yet sometimes I will put this off due to anxiety or the fear of stepping into the unknown. However, life is short and you never know what amazing experiences you could be missing out of fear. I am grateful I decided to apply to the program before my graduation and ventured out to Israel. It was an unforgettable experience.

I encourage those thinking to apply to this program to be proactive in interacting with people in Israel and the program to have the best experience possible. Plus, do some preliminary research before traveling to the country, including its history, business, economy, etc. This will help you to get some context once you visit the important sites. Last and most practical advice, be mindful of saving money to come and spend wisely. There are scholarships that can help those in need to attend the program but do come prepared to spend more than in your home country. Enjoy Tel Aviv and Israel!
END

有关留学特拉维夫大学的更多信息,欢迎浏览我们的官方网站:

china.tau.ac.il (中文)

international.tau.ac.il (英文)

特拉维夫大学国际部

本公众号由特拉维夫大学负责中国事务的Lisi老师负责,有兴趣留学特拉维夫大学的同学,欢迎联系tauchina@tauex.tau.ac.il

版权申明

图片来源和文字的著作权属于本平台所有,欢迎转载,并注明来源为特拉维夫大学留学公众号。

长按图片
关注我们

相关推荐

特拉维夫大学医学院获得格雷基金会的1.25亿美元捐赠,正式以格雷家族的名义命名医学院与健康科学学院、医学院和医疗科学学院

格雷基金会的捐赠是特拉维夫大学有史以来收到的最大捐赠,也是以色列学术机构所获得的最大捐赠之一

可持续发展无国界

特拉维夫大学可持续发展校友分享全球职业生涯故事

博士与博士后开放周:特拉维夫大学医学院与健康科学学院

加入特拉维夫大学医学院与健康科学学院的暑期课程,开启一场卓越学术之旅!

肿瘤减半:特拉维夫大学研究团队利用CRISPR移除癌症基因

这项来自特拉维夫大学的基因编辑突破有望永远改变癌症治疗

鲍勃·迪伦能教给研究人员什么?

特拉维夫大学博士后研究员接受速成课程,探索科学研究的艺术

缩小以色列学术界的性别差距

为了提升女性在学术界的影响力,约有50位特拉维夫大学的杰出女性毕业生获得母校博士后奖学金资助,前往海外从事博士后研究

特拉维夫大学刷新以色列太空纪录

Tevel 2:以色列最大卫星星座成功发射

源于环保热情的职业转型

将法律背景与水资源管理和可持续发展相结合

大学作为气候变化解决方案的催化剂

特拉维夫大学携手国际高校应对紧迫的环境挑战

友好提醒:特拉维夫大学在线开放周(3月23-27日)注册链接更新通知

时间为2025年3月23日到27日,参加我们的在线周,探索特拉维夫大学和洛威国际学院的学习体验,了解我们丰富的学术项目与机会,并通过课程直播感受特拉维夫大学的学习氛围

QR Code

识别二维码关注

扫码关注,为你推送最新资讯及活动