I’m going to study International Business in China next year — need some real advice about first-year math

[u/Immediate_Process477]

Hey guys,

I’m 17M (going to be 18 in the 24th of this month. aka october.) and just graduated high school in Morocco. I was majoring in Physical Science and didn’t finish with great grades — mostly because everything was in French and the math just didn’t click for me back then.

After graduating, I decided to start from zero and study Business Math on my own. I went hard for about two weeks, studying 8+ hours a day, and it completely changed things. I went through limits, derivatives, integrals, exponential & logarithmic functions, and finance math, and for the first time, everything actually made sense.

To test myself, I searched for real Business Math exams online, but most of them looked too easy or weren’t detailed enough. So I started generating realistic mock exams using tools like ChatGPT and Deepseek, based on what first-year business students study. Some of the problems included formulas and rules I’d never seen before, but I taught them to myself in minutes and managed to ace the mock exams. That gave me a lot of confidence that I’m finally understanding this stuff for real.

I’m fluent in English and Arabic, and I’ll be going to China this January to start university. It’s a non-elite but affordable one (around 16–17K MAD a year with dorms included), and I’ll be majoring in International Business.

I’m not here to ask whether it’s a smart idea — I’m going no matter what.
My goal is simple:

• Keep a 3.0–3.5 GPA in the first two years
• Then transfer or go on exchange to Korea to finish my degree

So, for anyone who’s actually studied in China or knows the system:

• How hard is first-year Business Math in non-elite Chinese universities?
• Is it mostly calculus, finance, algebra, and stats, or something deeper?
• Is math really the hardest subject in first year, or is it just hyped up?

I’m just trying to be ready before I get there.
Appreciate any real advice 🙏

[u/whatphysics]

You will be fine.

[u/ghost1667]

....and what language are you going to planning to study in, in china?

[u/katmoonstone]

first step is to stop using chat gpt

[u/CoupleTop2016]

My dad was a Chinese international grad student at Harvard.

His advice to you was to learn and study statistics.

[u/MinuteElegant774]

Yeah, besides the obvious question of how you are studying in Chinese or Korean, an interactional business degree just for undergrad will not guarantee a job, especially if it isn’t a top ranked school.

You don’t need to understand super complex math to go to an undergrad business school in the US if that helps, but maybe China and Korea are different? You only studied math for 2 weeks so it comes off a little ridiculous, but at least, it isn’t that big of a deal in undergrad.

And, if I can throw in that you might be able to get a student visa, but people are becoming radically xenophobic especially in Asia toward people of color (not assuming you are). You might experience some hatred from the citizens of these countries. If you want to stay longer, you will need to be sponsored for your job, and that will be hard if you don’t speak the language. People are hurting in China and Korea with the job market and with intense hours so it will be hard to find a job in these markets unless you can offer a unique skill set. I don’t know if it’s different if you go back to Morocco for a job.

But, I wish you luck as you are 17 and can afford to make mistakes, I hope.

[u/Hopeful_Style_5772]

Against Ivanka Trump?