Engineering Industrial Design

Our experience as students of XJTU-Polimi Joint School of Design and Innovation

How did you get to know the XJTU-Polimi Joint School of Design and Innovation?

Yanjun: after taking the Gaokao (the national undergraduate admission test in China n.d.r.) I started looking among many colleges. I was looking for a good program in Industrial Design as I had loved industrial design for a long time. I discovered the Joint School by surfing Xi’an Jiaotong University’s website.

You were the first students enrolled in the Joint School, what made you trust a new School?

Jiayu: I already knew both XJTU and Politecnico and I thought that a collaboration between XJTU and POLIMI should be promising. I also thought that being the first students could be an advantage since we could somehow have an impact on this new project.

What are the main problems or difficulties you faced?

Jiayu: the English language comprehension was the main obstacle for me. At the beginning I couldn’t really understand what professors were saying, but gradually my English improved. Of course, I practised a lot: I applied to CET4 (College English Test), I listened to online radio and I was not afraid to ask the Italian teachers questions every time I couldn’t understand. Another of my weaknesses was my drawing: my sketches were terrible! But after working very hard and asking the teacher for help I was amazed at my progress! It’s great when teachers tell you you’re improving.

What’s your impression of Polimi’s professors?

Yanjun: it seems to me that they are really willing to pass on their knowledge, not only in terms of technical knowledge, but above all, in terms of “way of thinking”. Some of them are experienced designer and I feel very lucky to have had the chance to meet them.

Jiayu: they encourage us to be curious, to dare to ask questions and try new things. A teacher taught me how to observe thing is real life, she made me notice, for example, how materials react to light. This has struck me immediately, because as a high school pupil I was very interested in chemistry and materials.

What do you do in your spare time?

Yanjun: I tend to spend my free time looking for new projects to work on or competitions to participate in, that I can easily find on websites or thanks to teachers who post them via wechat. Winning a competition can be good for your resume but what I value most is the experience. If I want to relax, I usually stay on campus and spend time with my friends, maybe watching movies.

 What are your plans for the future?

Jiayu: I would like to enrol in a master program in Europe or North America

Yanjun: I’d rather start working after graduation, I am not very strong in the theoretical part, I prefer hand-on experience, but at the same time I fear that employers prefer candidates with a higher qualification. My dream would be to learn from an experienced designer.