Letter
of Appeal
Dear
Visa Officials & Officials of Division Etrangers:
My application
for visa on July 1 was rejected by the Swiss Embassy on
the grounds which I deem, to a great extent, unjustified.
And it is precisely this unjustified rejection of my application
that will jeopardize all the intellectual efforts that I
have been making over the past decade for self-improvement
and self-actualization. Moreover, this rejection will produce
very negative chain reactions that will undermine my course
of planned career development. For those reasons, I think
it imperative that the visa officers correct some of their
conceptions, often stereotypical, concerning young Chinese
applicants like me and, in particular, the yearnings and
aspirations of young Chinese females in their intellectual
pursuits and the extra hardships that they have to undergo
in their pursuits. My following elucidation of some key
issues involved in my visa application might contribute
to the development of corrected conceptions.
My
Failure to Obtain Post Graduate Diploma Does not Testify
to my Low Scholastic Aptitudes
The
theoretical class I attended from August 2002 to May 2003
and the internship I undertook from July 2003 to February
2004 make up my Post Graduate Diploma program in Hospitality
at the Glion Institute of Higher Education, Switzerland.
According to the program requirements, the program’s Diploma
will be awarded to the student if he or she is able to pass
12 courses. It is true that I did not meet this requirement
by failing in one of the courses and had to re-take the
exam. However, on the very day of re-taking the exam, I
was organizing a 200-person Christmas banquet, which was
the last and the most important banquet during my restaurant
supervisor in training internship(as can be proved by my
Internship Certification). The successful holding of this
banquet was, to some extent, more important than re-taking
the exam because it was the consummation of all my studies
and practices of my program. I valued that opportunity of
self-fulfillment more than anything else. Although ultimately
I did not have time to re-take the exam, the spectacular
success of the banquet gave me the strongest sense of self-satisfaction
when I saw how the guests of the banquet enjoyed themselves
on that most important day of the year. As the chief organizer
of the banquet, I was repeatedly thrown into air by my teachers
and classmates to celebrate the grand success. That very
evening, I had a real understanding of what hospitality
meant, even though I had to incur a personal sacrifice.
According
to my knowledge of the educational system of Switzerland,
one has to achieve 7 points on a 10-point grading system
in order to be eligible for the post graduate diploma at
Glion whereas in the rest of Swiss schools one has only
to obtain 5.5 to 6.6 points. Therefore, my passing 11 challenging
courses out of 12 as a Chinese student had already exceeded
the national average, and my acquisition of certificates
for 11 courses was an achievement in itself （considering
the fact that I have not received any undergraduate education
and my highest education in the past was that of junior
college）, which can by no means testify to my low scholastic
aptitudes. Another reason was that by that time I had basically
gained admission into Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne. I thought
that if I could complete my program at Lausanne as scheduled,
the Diploma at Glion would not be that important.
Why
Pursuing an Undergraduate Program after Attending the Post
Graduate Diploma Program?
According
to the most commonplace line of reasoning, it might appear
irrational, as in my case, that a student who has attended
the post graduate diploma (PGD) program should wish to pursue
an undergraduate program. This would automatically be viewed
as reversing the normal course action or “against the logic.”
To make matters worse, in the eyes of a visa official, this
might seem as an attempt to prolong my stay in and ultimately
to immigrate to Switzerland. However, only I myself, in
the innermost recesses of mind, know that all those are
grave misconceptions.
My motivation
in embarking on an undergraduate program at Ecole hoteliere
de Lausanne was a most spontaneous one, stemming from my
pursuit of a truly quality education in my field. Just as
my failure to obtain the PGD cannot overshadow my actual
knowledge and practical skills, my decision to pursue an
undergraduate program at Lausanne, though apparently belonging
to a lower academic level, does not mean that I am seeking
less advanced knowledge. A comparison of the post graduate
courses at Glion and the undergraduate courses at Lausanne
will indicate that I am making the most sensible decision
in my life and that, far from being “irrational,” I have
the most sufficient reason for doing so.
A careful
examination of the so-called PGD courses at Glion indicates
that all the courses taught there are extremely basic and
general, never reaching the level of specialization characteristic
of a genuine post graduate program. Almost all the courses
are focused on introducing the history of hotel industry,
its development and the basic skills in front house services.
They are designed to provide fundamental knowledge to the
novices of hotel industry and their positions of work are
primarily located in the front house division, rooms division
and food & beverages division.
If we
look at the course design in the undergraduate program at
Lausanne, we will find that those PGD courses at Glion only
correspond to the professional modules for the first and
second semesters in the 9-semester undergraduate program
at Lausanne. In other words, the so-called “advanced”
courses at the post graduate level at Glion turn out to
be the most basic courses in Lausanne. This contrast brings
us an alarming realization that the full spectrum of courses
for the remaining 7 semesters (taking 3.5 years to accomplish)
at Lausanne’s undergraduate International Hospitality Management—BOS
Program, courses such as Financial Management, Legal Aspects
of Hospitality Operations, Information Technology in Hospitality
Environments, Service Operations Management, and Strategic
Management, are much more advanced than any at Glion. Another
important fact is that the two different programs at Glion
and at Lausanne are diametrically opposite in nature. Whereas
the former targets at the training of front house personnel,
the latter aims at the development of back house managerial
personnel, the people in the management of hospitality industry
in a particular hotel. Therefore, apart from making my knowledge
of hospitality and hotel management skills most comprehensive
and solid, the Lausanne program will allow me to work all
my way into the management. This is the ultimate objective
of my current academic pursuit, an undertaking that I will
have to invest about 2,000,000RMB! It should be more than
obvious now that my academic pursuit in Switzerland is closely
alloyed with my well-considered career development in the
future. I hope that the visa official can give the most
serious attention to my underlying motivation and to my
goal-oriented and well-considered career plan!
Finally,
the Lausanne International Hospitality Management—BOS Program
is the internationally acknowledged best program over the
past 100 years and Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne is one of
the few schools in the world acknowledged by Chinese Educational
Commission as belonging to the A-Level school. It is the
only Swiss hospitality school officially recognized by Chinese
government. Receiving a systematic education there will
give me the necessary qualifications and the ideal platform
to work at the most prestigious hotel in China. I will have
a truly unique educational background and, above all, the
most useful and updated knowledge and managerial skills
in hospitality industry when I return to China. I believe
that my motivation should be duly recognized and encouraged,
rather than dampened and thwarted.
Immigration
Tendency? No, not in the Least!
Compared
with other developed countries in the world, Switzerland
is the country that is the least possible for outsiders
to immigrate, with its well-developed legal system and law
enforcement system. This is the universally acknowledged
fact. In addition, over the past one year and half, I have
spent 50,000CHF for my education and I will have to spent
another 150,000CHF for the next three years if I am to complete
the Lausanne BOS program. To invest such a large fortune
in my education makes it imperative for me to complete my
program and come back to China to reap the proceeds of my
investment. Whereas in Switzerland and the rest of Europe
hospitality industry is well developed and there is little
room for my personal development, the undeveloped hospitality
industry in China offers vast and limitless opportunities
for my professional development. In addition, as China has
joined WTO and becomes increasingly integrated with the
rest of the world, leading international hotel chains have
been and are preparing to operate business in the huge market
in China and they will most recruit Chinese people who have
been trained in western hospitality industry and know China
well. My Swiss education will make me the strongest candidate.
Only
a 26-year-old Chinese Female Makes Such a Mature Decision
I have
come a long way to know my real interest, discern my career
objective, and make a mature decision. Under the influence
of my father, I was exposed to international trade very
early in my life and I actually started to learn how to
do international trade before I was 18. When I just reached
the age of 18, I entered the best foreign trade company
in Jilin Province. However, by the age of 20, I decided
to discontinue my trade career because material gains did
not really make me happy and fulfilled. I wanted to deal
with people instead of the lifeless commodities, figures,
and money. It took me four years to persuade my parents
to support my decision to study hospitality in Switzerland,
a subject that they seldom heard about. To obtain admission
from Glion Institute, I took TOEFL test for five times and
repeated failures never daunted me. The 1-year theoretical
classes and 0.5-year restaurant supervisor training have
made me increasingly fascinated by the hospitality industry,
an industry that is truly human-oriented. For the past 6
months since I returned to China, I have been making efforts
to keep improving my English. I have taken IELTS test, succeeded
by the TOEIC test. Now I am learning French. Compared with
my peers who have pursued their education in China, I am
stronger in the knowledge of foreign languages, in practical
skills, and in the development of an international perspective.
At the age of 24, I realized that I was to learn and to
work in the hospitality industry. At the age of 26, with
all the knowledge and the skills I have acquired and with
a clear understanding of my potentials in China’s future
hospitality market, I have come to the mature decision that
I am best suited not for front house services but for back
house management. A decision that allows me to see my true
aspirations is definitely a mature decision.
What
Makes Me So Firmly Determined?
In traditional
Chinese culture, women were invariably discriminated against
in their pursuit of education. Even though in the present-day
world the traditional notion has been largely changed, it
still remains a challenging task for women to fight for
equality with men on the job market. For Chinese women,
one of the essential ways to attain this equality is through
education. The motive force that drives me all those years
is my genuine aspiration to prove, through education, that
I have equal potentials and equal capacity as men. The fact
that my education has been such a financial investment itself
testifies to the spontaneity of my aspiration. It is this
aspiration arising from my inner needs to satisfy a lifelong
interest in working in the hospitality industry that makes
me so strong-willed and firmly determined. This was precisely
what I had in mind when, questioned by Mrs. Carvi from the
Lausanne admissions office on my last of the six interviews
as to “Why do you think you should be admitted by Ecole
hoteliere de Lausanne, in view of the grammatical errors
of the English you use in your application documents and
your not so successful academic performance at Glion?”
I answered that “Because I am not that good, but I have
the determination and the dream to make myself that good.”
Mrs. Carvi admitted me in order to allow me fulfill my dream
and aspiration, fully believing in my potential and the
sincerity of my motivation. Why cannot you do the same thing?
When
applying for Glion Institute of Higher Education and later
for Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne, I was invariably asked
to explicate how I understood the concept of HOSPITALITY.
I admit that the answers I then gave were relevant, but
limited and not truly to the point. Now, after organizing
the spectacularly successful Christmas banquet and undergoing
all the hardships in my visa application, I have developed
a new perception of the concept — that is, TO TREAT EVERY
GENUINE, INNER HUMAN NEED WITH EQUALLY GENUINE HUMAN UNDERSTANDING
AND HUMAN WARMTH. I would like to share this new definition
of mine concerning HOSPITALITY with the educators and all
the civil servants of a country which has been most reputed
for and most proud of its tradition and heritage of HOSPITALITY
as an industry in the entire world.
Yours
sincerely
X X X
