Not for school, but for life: Study mobility experience in China
Chu Han, a 2nd year student of the Master's Programme “Finance” shared his impressions of academic mobility in XJTLU
My exchange studies at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) in China, from September 2025 to February 2026, gave me memories I will always treasure. What I gained from this experience was not limited to academic success. More importantly, it provided me with valuable insights for my future career and for life beyond university.
XJTLU is located in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, which is very close to my hometown, Yixing—only about a one-and-a-half-hour drive away. It had also been one of my dream universities back in high school. I feel incredibly fortunate that, many years after finishing the gaokao, I was able to visit this university as an international exchange student. XJTLU is also one of the very few universities in China that accepts exchange students who hold Chinese nationality. As I had not stayed in China for an extended period for the past three years, returning felt truly wonderful. Since I am a Chinese citizen, adapting to life and study there came very naturally to me. Rather than experiencing culture shock, I simply felt the joy of coming home.
Life in China is also exceptionally convenient. Processes are generally more efficient, the cost of living is lower, and money goes much further. As a joke, one might say that the “purchasing power inequality” is real: 2000 RMB feels greater than 3000 USD. Metro fares range from just 2 to 8 RMB depending on the distance, an average meal costs around 20 RMB, and goods ordered on Taobao usually arrive within one or two days. Even high-speed rail is remarkably efficient: traveling from Shanghai to Beijing, a distance of about 1,300 kilometers, can take as little as three hours, with tickets costing around 600 RMB.
Academically, I studied Introduction to Fintech, Quantitative Trading and Asset Pricing, Strategic Business Analysis, and a course related to financial ethics. All of these courses were highly relevant, forward-looking, and intellectually stimulating. The knowledge I had acquired at HSE—particularly in machine learning and advanced econometrics—helped me perform strongly in quantitative financial analysis, and I received excellent results in all of these courses. Outside the classroom, I also worked as a research assistant, focusing mainly on factor discovery in China’s A-share market.
For me, the academic pressure at XJTLU was significantly lighter than at HSE, which allowed me to achieve something I deeply value: a healthy study–life balance. In my free time, I visited local museums, historic sites in Suzhou’s old city, and the famous classical gardens together with my Russian friends from HSE who were also on exchange at XJTLU. We also enjoyed Chinese-style afternoon tea and explored a wide variety of local cuisine. During the holidays, I traveled to both Beijing and Shanghai, and the scale and modernity of these cities left a profound impression on me.
Competition in China is extremely intense. During the 2025 autumn campus recruitment season, I submitted nearly one hundred applications, yet only a few financial institutions invited me for interviews. In one case, a position at a state-owned policy bank attracted more than seventy candidates competing for a single role. In the end, thanks to my international perspective, academic strength, and internship experience, I stood out from the competition and secured the offer. After graduation, I will begin my career in credit-related work.
HSE has given me a truly broad platform for growth and development. I am deeply grateful to the HSE Study Office and Visa Office for their support, and especially to my academic supervisor, Varvara Vadimovna, for her guidance and encouragement.
