Sunday, June 12, I will graduate from the MBA of Stanford University, considered one of the most prestigious in the United States. My parents are coming from France for the occasion. Symbol of our time, it is the CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, who will make the speech during the ceremony.
These two years have been for me an elevator to another social environment, far from everything I could imagine. The first time I was invited to an MBA student party, I realized that the next two years were going to be the most expensive of my life. In France, most of my evenings with friends consisted of eating crisps, peanuts and frozen pizzas bought at the local Carrefour Market. Here at Stanford, we take a flight to Las Vegas on a Tuesday evening after class, we go clubbing in a luxury casino, and we come back the next day at 6 am to be on time for class…
A large part of my promotion worked, before the MBA, in sectors with very high salaries such as investment funds and consulting firms. One of my classmates received an annual salary exceeding 150,000 euros at the age of 23. In the class there are also daughters and sons of CEOs of big companies and students whose families are so wealthy that there are buildings named after them on the Stanford campus.
Take a big loan from the bank
I was born and raised in Seine-Saint-Denis, then went to Lycée Claude-Monet, in the 13e district of Paris. My parents come from Hong Kong and Macao: when they arrived in France, they started by washing dishes and serving in Chinese restaurants. My father worked for a long time as a waiter, then he converted to acupuncture, he has his practice. My mother went to fashion school, she became a ready-to-wear designer.
The total cost of the MBA is estimated at 220,000 euros, tuition, accommodation and food included, for the two years
In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, I resigned from my position as product development manager at L’Oréal. I had followed, after the baccalaureate, a classic route: preparatory class, engineering school – Chimie ParisTech. L’Oréal was my first employer. After five years, I wanted to evolve in responsibilities and see other people. An MBA appeared to be a good option, that of Stanford is considered one of the best in the world. I applied, I was taken.
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