Ten acceptance letters from Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Cornell, UPenn, Oxford, Cambridge, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Zhejiang University. Nine job offers from companies including Apple, Google and J.P. Morgan.

For many students, such opportunities would make the choice even harder. For Sanjaya Janson, a final-year International Business student at Xiamen University Malaysia, however, the decision was clear. He chose China.

“I didn’t choose a university solely because of rankings. I wanted to go where it made the most sense for me,” Janson says.

Janson is a third-generation Chinese born in Jakarta, Indonesia. Growing up, he moved naturally between English, Mandarin, Indonesian and Hokkien. His parents run an automotive business with frequent dealings in China, and his first visit to Beijing came when he was just three years old. That early exposure sparked his lasting interest in China and business.

In 2023, with the aftershocks of the pandemic still affecting international mobility, his parents suggested that he consider universities closer to home. He then chose Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM), the only overseas campus of a Chinese university.

When Janson first arrived at XMUM, what struck him most was the warmth of the people. Seniors and student ambassadors guided him through registration, helped him settle in and checked whether he needed anything.

“Those things might seem small, but for someone who has just arrived in a foreign place, they mean everything,” he recalls.

Before university, Janson describes himself as quiet, introverted and not especially confident in his studies. Leaving home changed that. On the day he departed Jakarta for Malaysia, he realised how much his parents had invested in his education. 

“I felt that I had to become someone worthy of their efforts,” he says.

Janson and his Jakarta friends arrived at campus

The transition was not easy, and there were moments when he doubted whether university life suited him. Over time, however, he gradually found a learning path that suits him best - by turning knowledge into stories, connections and ideas he genuinely cared about.

“I now genuinely enjoy learning. I can go at it all day. Enjoyment is the only study method that actually lasts,” he says.

Outside the classroom, student activities became another important part of his transformation. A senior first introduced him to the Photography Club, where he began to experience the joy of campus life and the importance of connecting with others.

From there, Janson joined eight student organisations. He later served as president of the XMUM Indonesian Student Community, where he organised a cultural bazaar involving Indonesian students from different universities in Malaysia.

Janson at Adiwarnafest, an inter-university event organized by the Indonesian Student Union.

Through these experiences, Janson learned that education was not only about grades, certificates or university names.

“Education is about how it develops the way you think and how you connect with the world around you,” he says.

In the final semester of his second year, Janson considered three possible paths: employment, entrepreneurship and graduate school. Taking into account his family background and long-term goals, he decided to pursue a master’s degree first.

By late 2025, he had set his mind on applying for management-related master’s programmes, especially in China. The application process was demanding, but Janson chose to prepare his personal statements all by himself.

“My advice is to understand what the institution values, meet the requirements, and let the application show who you really are,” he says.

His efforts eventually opened doors to universities around the world. With offers from Harvard, Stanford, Peking University and other top institutions on the table, Janson had many options to consider. After careful reflection, he decided to continue his studies in China.

China, to him, represented both a childhood connection and a new challenge - studying in Mandarin would take him beyond his comfort zone. He was also drawn to China’s rapid development and the opportunity to understand the country more deeply.

“China is developing at an extraordinary pace. I want to learn new things and take on new challenges. That is the point of education — to make what once seemed difficult become easier in the future,” he says.

Looking back on his years at XMUM, Janson believes the most valuable thing he gained was not simply a list of achievements, but a clearer sense of direction. His advice to younger students is simple:

“By acting on your heart, you will experience the most unexpected things in life,” he says.