Alexander Sherr from New York is about to start his fourth year at Peking University, studying for his bachelor's degree in international relations.

"I would have done international relations even if I studied in America. But it was especially interesting to be able to do it in China," said Sherr, 24, who has been taking professional courses provided by the university's School of International Studies.

Sherr went to Hong Kong in 2007 with his family when his mother was planning to set up an office there. After studying at the Hong Kong International School for three years, he went to Beijing in 2010.

His original intention was to study Mandarin in Beijing for one year before going to a university elsewhere, possibly back in the United States. But, on his parents' advice, he decided to spend two years in the city to hone his language skills.

"When I was starting my second year of studying Mandarin here, we were also thinking if there was a possibility that I might be able to go to school here instead," he said. "I knew I wanted to do international relations, and the School of International Studies at Peking University is famous."

Sherr took Peking University's preparatory program from 2012 to 2013, before becoming an undergraduate student of the university in 2013.

Sherr said his study at Peking University helped him understand why Chinese people think in certain ways or do certain things; and that living in China for years has enabled him to look at his own country more objectively.

For the US student, now able to communicate in Chinese fluently, his competitive edge will come from not only the classes he has taken or the fame of the university but what he has learned through making friends with other students from various countries and traveling around China.

"Of course I appreciate all the things that I learned in the classroom, but also my learning outside of the classroom is just as important, if not more so," said Sherr, who has traveled to a number of places in the country, including Jiangsu, Guizhou and Gansu provinces, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Tibet autonomous region.

As the former president of Peking University's Western Students Union, he also encouraged foreign students who want to study in China to travel around the country as much as possible. "It's such a rich country in terms of culture, history, the cultures of different ethnic groups and delicious food, so many different things," he said.

Sherr said he would like to find a job in Beijing after graduation in 2017. "I hope to be able to use my Chinese and also my knowledge of China and its culture in my job," he said.

"I love Beijing. On a blue sky day, there is no better city in the world."

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn