Written by Liting
As I reflect on my experience in Pre-MDM, I can’t help but think about the incredible journey I’ve been on over the past year. As a newcomer to this foreign country, I was nervous and excited. In this 9-month program, I learned how to express myself and communicate in English and how to work effectively with my classmates. For me, this program would be more than a language learning experience, but is also a chance for me to immerse myself in a new learning environment and to grow in ways that I never thought possible.
Specifically, the most profound impact that Pre-MDM had on me was exposure to vastly different ways of working and thinking. For example, in Jason’s project last semester, we created a personal shouting video game; I found that some team members’ thinking was jumping, and their working methods were highly different from the methods I followed. This also provided me with a chance to understand the difference in user persona between new players and game fans. Even though the communication methods are very different, I’m glad we still found a suitable solution: introducing a third person as a communication medium. These experiences challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and find new ways to address team conflict.
Personally, Neesh’s project is the one that impresses me the most. Because at the beginning of the Neesh project, the team members were not familiar with each other, which made the whole cooperation process very interesting. While exchanging ideas, we also deepened our understanding of each other, and I also deepened my knowledge of my cooperation mode after the Neesh project.
What truly made our cohort special was the sense of community that developed among the students. Due to both my high school and university being art schools, all my friends are studying painting and art. But this Pre-MDM family allowed me to meet friends from various fields. Despite our diverse backgrounds and interests, we came together as a family to support and encourage each other. Like I was as amazed by Han’s genius ideas, Hairong’s talented painting skills, and Yiling’s logical ability. And I remember being impressed by Ty’s vital positive communication skills, etc. Everyone in our classroom has their light in cooperation; their passion for creating meaningful work inspired me.
As I look ahead to the next phase of my journey in MDM, I am filled with excitement and gratitude for everything that Pre-MDM has given me. There happened countless firsts here, such as the first time I met a motivating and enthusiastic teacher like Aida, the first time I met an exciting and interesting teacher like Jason, the first time I met some good friends from abroad, the first time to cooperate with students from different countries, the first time to make a video game, etc. I know there will be many more firsts to come, but I will always cherish the memories and lessons I gained from this incredible Pre-MDM program.