Bin Liu

In 2001, Bin Liu was working for his mother in China, saving money for his travel to New Zealand. Today he is working as a business analyst for one of the world’s largest global accounting firms. It has been quite a journey, and one in which the University of Otago has played an integral role.

Bin’s studies at Otago began with the University’s Foundation Year programme, which prepares international students for the challenge of academic study in a new country and a new language. “It was the most amazing year of my life,” he says. “The quality of the teachers was fantastic, and I made friendships that year which have continued ever since. It was the first time I actually enjoyed going to school!”

His enthusiasm and commitment in that year were rewarded with an international undergraduate scholarship, which contributed significantly towards the cost of his Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Accounting and Finance. “I didn’t really know what accounting was all about until I did a course on it in my foundation year,” Bin says. “It’s the language of business and what I’ve learnt has turned out to be useful in everything I do.”

Bin says that one of the things that he enjoyed the most about his degree was its practical nature. “What I learnt is pretty much the same stuff I’m putting in practice at work,” he says. He also credits his lecturers with going the extra mile to help students achieve their goals. “They were really helpful, always willing to give me time after class. When I went to them we’d often end up talking not just about the paper, but about all sorts of real-life business situations.”

As soon as he had graduated Bin found accounting work with Deloitte, a multinational firm that he initially connected with at the University’s annual accounting expo. He says that the challenges of the job are also its greatest rewards. “You’re learning all the time. If it wasn’t challenging, you wouldn’t stay for long. There’s nothing like working on a major account, thinking ‘How am I going to be able to put this all together?’ and then realising that you’ve cracked it. It’s a great feeling.”