社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。商學(xué)院絕不僅僅是上課學(xué)習(xí)（甚至有同學(xué)說，主要不是學(xué)習(xí)……）。與同學(xué)們多交往，建立起一個社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)是重要組成部分，而且是將來能為每個人帶來益處的好事。在我們這個緊密的團(tuán)體里，有未來的CEO, CFO，公司主席，政府領(lǐng)袖等等，我們應(yīng)該努力認(rèn)識每個人，與大家成為好朋友。我正是本著這個態(tài)度來到管院，也正是這個原因使我一直很積極去了解更多國際同學(xué)。

I love to travel; business school seemed great because it brought all of those cultures to a single place. However after the first few weeks of school, people started to break down into groups, often by nationality. I too am to blame; most of the friends I spend time with outside of class are Americans. However as president of the student body, I plan many events that aim to bring everyone together.

我本人很愛旅游，原因就是可以見識到不同的文化，商學(xué)院對我就是一個很好的地方，因為他把當(dāng)今世界上最重要的一些文化元素通過吸收國際學(xué)生而匯集到了一個地方。但是我沒有想到的是，開學(xué)不多久，同學(xué)們便不自覺地組成了按地域分的小團(tuán)體。我自己也難辭其咎，因為我自己的好朋友也大部分是美國人。但是作為新一任的主席，我計劃安排更多跨文化的主題活動，來讓他們走得更近。

Still, these events are not often attended by all groups. Speaking to some of my Chinese friends, I know that they can find the socializing more of a chore than pure fun. Perhaps because of language or cultural reference barriers, not everyone mingles as much as would be ideal. I think socializing is another piece of the business school experience that mirrors American business culture. In the U.S., many business deals and arrangements are forged in social settings, and high value is put on relationship-building.

但是，另一個問題便是很多國際學(xué)生對參加學(xué)生會的活動并不熱衷，我的中國同學(xué)道出了心聲。很多時候，他們覺得這些活動對于他們更像是例行公事，因為“應(yīng)該去而去”，而非是“純粹為了開心而參加”。的確，可能是介于語言和文化的隔閡，讓國際學(xué)生完全與美國人打成一片并不現(xiàn)實。但是我個人認(rèn)為這種社交場合確實是美國核心商業(yè)文化的最重要組成部分，因為很多協(xié)議與合作均是在社交場合達(dá)成的，而商業(yè)圈內(nèi)也普遍注重關(guān)系網(wǎng)絡(luò)的搭建與培養(yǎng)（后來我得知，這一點與中國商業(yè)文化很接近，但是我們并不提倡用喝酒來解決）。

It's not always about being the best or brightest, but often comes down to who you know and how well you know them. Social networking sites like LinkedIn have become hugely popular ways for businesspeople to stay connected. In some ways business school is a real-life version of LinkedIn. Lucky for us at Yale, people are truly interested in each other's lives and ambitions, so the networking is not fake. Yet it is important and everyone would do well to take part. Sticking to our comfort zones and our areas of familiarity cheats ourselves and our peers out of the opportunity to break down barriers and get to know new people in new ways.