With sunshine after the rain, the journey begins
Introduction
The check-in day witnessed the visit of typhoon, when newcomers from all over the world had to step across the “moat” in front of the dormitory. They were greeted by the smiles, warmth and gifts from the seniors and staff of Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) Master of Finance (MF) Program. The sunshine after the rain also symbolized that their exciting journey of study at SAIF MF was about to depart….
See the end of this article for more memorable moments!
No.1
A gathering of newcomers of 11 nationalities represented a mix of MF General and MF- FinTech Track
This year, SAIF MF sustained its highlights of internationalization and high profile. It ushered in 86 MF 2019 freshmen from lands far and near, including China, USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Peru, Japan and Thailand, in addition to the first intake of 29 MF-FinTech Track students ever since its launch.
No.2
Prof. Tu and other guests delivered the “first workshop” full of insights
The opening ceremony was honored by the presence of Prof. Chun Chang, Executive Dean of SAIF, Prof. Shijun Cheng, Deputy Dean of SAIF, Dr. Jie Pan, Associate Dean of SAIF, Prof. Zhan Jiang, Faculty Director of SAIF MF Program, Prof. David X. Li, Co-Director of SAIF MF Program and Associate Director of China Academy of Financial Research, Prof. Paul Burik, Ms. Lin Yang, Head of SAIF MF Program and other staff, in addition to the speech of Prof. Guangshao Tu, Adjunct Professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Executive Director of SAIF, who boasts diverse experience in various sectors. Prof. Tu was Executive Vice Mayor of Shanghai, Vice Chairman and President of China Investment Corporation and Member of the Economic Committee of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. However, on SAIF campus, he is known as “Professor Tu”. Having postponed his travel plan, Prof. Tu came to the opening ceremony of SAIF MF Program and delivered the “first lecture” to the freshmen of MF 2019, which inspired their enthusiasm for learning and extended ardent expectations.
Lin Yang, Head of SAIF MF Program, hosted the opening ceremony
The auditorium was filled up by the national anthem sung by the faculty and students
Prof. Chun Chang, Executive Dean of SAIF, guided the freshmen to briefly review SAIF’s evolution over the past decade. He hoped that the students would cherish the platform and quality educational resources provided by SAIF and further build up their international vision. It is important to gain knowledge, expertise and skills, grasp every opportunity, break through boundaries and interact with peers from all over the world.
Given his extensive experience in regulation, government and enterprises, Prof. Guangshao Tu, Executive Director of SAIF, gave a detailed analysis of the current credit base of the financial market and the great achievements of China's financial market credit system development. He also inspired the students to think about the opportunities of improvement and upgrade between scalability and credit base, between growth rate and credit quality and between diversification and system health. He encouraged the students to cherish the next two years, acquire cutting-edge theories from world-class faculty and adopt the learning into practices in order to better serve the development of the financial markets in the future.
Previously a well-known practitioner at Wall Street, Prof. David X. Li, Co-Director of SAIF MF Program, shared his insights on the trends of the financial sector and reminded the freshmen to pay attention to morality and integrity. He highlighted that it is critical to avoid underestimating their abilities, be brave to challenge themselves, read more, think hard, exercise regularly and communicate with others. “If you have to work for the next 40 years, why don’t you spend 5% of the time on your study?”
Ms. Lin Yang, Head of SAIF MF Program, gave a brief introduction to the Program. SAIF MF Program is one of the most competitive programs in China and across the world. SAIF not only features the supports of Shanghai Municipal Government and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which bring systematic advantages incomparable to other institutes, but also has coincided with the acceleration of China's financial system. Therefore, it has been flourishing over the past decade. In addition, SAIF also offers top-notch faculty, quality educational resources and world-class curriculum. She sincerely hoped that all of the students would take a long-term perspective, make unremitting efforts built on long-term goals and enhance themselves in all domains.
No.3
SAIF philosophy and heritage passed between existing and new SAIF MF students
This year's freshmen come from many top-ranking universities and colleges at home and abroad, spanning a wide range of specialties. It wasn’t an easy task to pick up some representatives from many excellent students with diverse backgrounds.
Finally, Yimeng Li from MF 2018, graduated from Tsinghua University with his major in English and minor in Economics, Zhihan Xia from MF 2019 (MF General Track), graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University Antai College of Economics & Management with his major in Finance, and Yao Yao from MF 2019 (MF-FinTech Track), graduated from the Department of Mathematics at Peking University, revealed their feeling and insights with peers.
Yimeng Li (MF 2018) shared his experience at SAIF and provided valuable advices to the freshmen on what kind of value SAIF will create and what actions to take to get the best preparation for the future. In his opinion, SAIF will offer incremental value in terms of curriculum, career development and network. Yao Yao and Zhihan Xia from MF 2019 also talked about their mindsets. Yao Yao was excited to start her study in the field of FinTech and experience a two-year study journey with her peers with such diverse and international backgrounds. On contrary, Zhihan was looking forward to working and interacting with other participants, learning from others, pursuing dreams together and writing a new chapter in life.
Moreover, new students also listened to the first lecture of Prof. Sixian Jiang, Secretary of the CPC Committee at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, visited the campus and Qian Xuesen Library, and perceived the philosophy and heritage of both SJTU and SAIF.
No.4
Amazing opening outreach activities and talents
More than straight A students, SAIF MF participants also surprised us with their talent show at the outreach session during the orientation week. We hope that MF 2019 will enjoy two fruitful and memorable years at SAIF!
More surprises!
Stay tuned for more freshman updates!
