Networking with our alumni
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending the first “Platform for development” event presented by the Vlerick Alumni and our full-time IMBA students.
The in-company project search begins
For the past few weeks I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my in-company project. This is one of the biggest projects for us this academic year at Vlerick.
A tough beginning to the new year
First of all Happy New Year to you! It’s the beginning of my second week back in classes after our way too short winter break when I travelled through Prague, Vienna and Budapest with my friends. The past week was probably one of the toughest I’ve had in my entire time here at Vlerick.
The power of social networking and technology
The one thing I’ve noticed about most students at Vlerick is their affinity for adopting social networking and new technologies.
Working on the business plan
One of the requirements we have here at Vlerick is to work in teams to write a business plan.
The best advice for an MBA student
Tonight we had one of our Vlerick alumni networking events sponsored by our career services. The programme was mandatory for me (as well as my other classmates) because we had signed up for the mentorship & career guidance seminar programme offered by the school.
Through a different lens
As one of five Americans in my cohort of 43 here at Vlerick, for me in particular it is an enlightening experience to hear the perspectives of my non-American classmates on ‘Americans.’
Since moving here to Europe (and out of my comfort zone), I’ve noticed that America is being characterised as the villain in discussions more openly and more often. I don’t think the intent is malicious at all in most instances; it’s more of an unconscious habit – like rubbing your tired eyes after a long day in front of the computer.
An evening with Paul Krugman
On Wednesday evening I attended a lecture given by Paul Krugman the Nobel Prize winning economist.
Dr Krugman was discussing “Getting Out of the Crisis” and it was presented by Universite Catholique de Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve (the French speaking part of the country). I owe a very big thank you to my Vlerick classmate who heard about the conference and shared it with the rest of the class.
Collaboration is key
The one thing that has pleasantly surprised me about pursuing my MBA at Vlerick is the non-competitive atmosphere of our programme. I believe that part of the reason for this, is that it is ingrained in the culture of the school and is a large part of the structure of our programme. Working as a group has literally been a part of the programme since our first introductory class with the Dean, where we were assigned to small groups to analyse our first case.
What’s the value of my MBA?
A week ago I was sitting in the office of the manager of career services here at Vlerick discussing my future. I told her that after a few months of sitting in classes I was certain that I wanted to get back into the entertainment industry.
I told her I was concerned about future employers in the entertainment industry placing any value on my having an MBA. She wisely told me, “You must decide that your MBA has value to you first.”
Research – the essential foundation
After a four-day stretch with no classes for the full-time MBA programme at Vlerick, I have spent my last two days off catching up on secondary research for a few projects with impending deadlines.
I realised this morning for what seems like the millionth time that secondary research is probably one of my least favourite things to do in school; especially when I think of all the other things I could be doing instead, like updating my CV, grocery shopping, uploading photos, checking Facebook or catching up on some of my favourite blogs.
A day in my life at Vlerick
The past week has been one of the most intense since I began my MBA at Vlerick. The pressure keeps building and I am constantly reminding myself that this phase of the programme is the easy part. Things will get a whole lot tougher after our winter break in late December.
Yesterday I began my day at 5:50am which for me was a lot earlier than usual. I got up, grabbed a yogurt out of the fridge and proceeded to eat it while checking my e-mail and tweeting about how early I woke up. Yes! I am the queen of multi-tasking.
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The following students will share their business school experiences over the current academic year
Ernest Gyimah, European School of Management and Technology
Age: 26
Nationality: Ghanaian
Background: Ernest gained a first class degree in banking and finance from the University of Ghana before joining PricewaterhouseCoopers, working across Africa. He is a Kofi Annan fellow and hopes to contribute to growing small businesses in the developing world.
Mark Partridge, Foster School of Business, University of Washington
Age: 28
Nationality: Dual (US & UK)
Background: A British-American citizen Mark graduated from University College London with a degree in modern history before working as a journalist in Seattle. He hopes on graduation to work in a venture capital firm.
Mihai Danila, Insead (Fontainebleau)
Age: 28
Nationality: Romanian
Background: After graduating with a degree in international business from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest Mihai moved to the financial sector, working with a private equity fund and most recently as an investment banker in the mergers and acquisitions department of a large Romanian bank. He believes Insead will give him the knowledge he needs to have a greater impact in developing his country's emerging economy.
Aushima Thakur, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Age: 29
Nationality: Indian
Background: Aushima is a Fulbright scholar and has experience of both the corporate world and NGOs. She is keen to develop successful sustainable models for the world's poorest societies.
Hajime Sudo, Bradford University School of Management - University of Perugia: Bradford-Perugia joint MBA programme
Al Kennedy, University of Exeter Business School 'One Planet' full time MBA
Age: 43
Nationality: Irish
Background: Al has a masters in visual communication from the Royal College of Art. He has worked with leading companies on environmental projects and is keen to understand how business and brands can create sustainable strategies and innovate for social good.
Kamal Nagi, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Age: 27
Nationality: Qatari
Background: Kamal has a Masters of Engineering degree from Imperial College, London. He hopes to play a senior leadership role in Qatar’s financial and international investment future and is the first Qatari to enroll on Stanford’s MBA programme.
Karenina Loayza, MBA Cass Business School
Age: 27
Nationality: Bolivian
Background: Karenina moved from Bolivia to Wisconsin in the US at the age of 19. She holds a double degree in economics and international relations and has worked in financial publishing. She hopes to make the career switch into the finance industry.
Andrea Nowack, George Washington University
Age: 26
Nationality: American
Background: After studying
for a degree in journalism and communication from the University of Oregon Andrea
worked for Waggener Edstrom Worldwide in analyst relations. She also
has experience as a digital marketing strategist.
Kelvin Chiu, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Age: 28
Nationality: Canadian
Background: A graduate from the electrical engineering programme at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Kelvin has worked as a project manager for Ontario Power Generation at a nuclear plant near Toronto, Canada. On graduation he hopes to work in consulitng. He is a certified personal trainer and fitness professional.
Julia Steinberg, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University 
Lucky Sigbenu, Lagos Business School
Age: 28
Nationality: Nigerian
Background: After graduating from the University of Benin in Nigeria with a degree in electrical/electronic engineering Lucky worked as the business development manager of an IT start-up in Lagos. He hopes his MBA will give him a competitive advantage when running and managing a business in an emerging economy.
Katie Cannon, London Business School
Age: 30
Nationality: British
Background: After studying politics at Edinburgh University Katie embarked on a career in the arts. Aware that her skill set is focused on softer skills she hopes her MBA will give her a broader perspective on business.
Brigitte Roediger, University of Stellenbosch Business School, part time MBA
Age: 26
Nationality: South African
Background: Brigitte has a degree in financial analysis and marketing communications from the University of Stellenbosch. She is the assistant brand manager at Spier Wine Farm near Cape Town and will continue to work as she studies which will allow her to repay her business school loan.
Wesley Cole, Executive MBA Cass Business School, London
Age: 29
Nationality: British
Background: A business systems manager for a recruitment company, Wesley was keen to study for an MBA, whilst continuing to work full time. He hopes to be able to develop his leadership skills and apply them to his career.
Andi Caruso, SDA Bocconi
Age: 27
Nationality: Canadian
Background: Having graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, with a degree in journalism, Andi first studied acting before beginning a marketing career in the hospitality and entertainment industry. She wants to move into business development and strategy.
Suhel Banerjee, Kellogg School of Management
Age: 27
Nationality: Indian
Background: After completing his undergraduate degree in business at Calcutta University in 2005 Suhel joined Google's Hyderabad (India) office in advertising operations, before moving to Gurgaon where he became one of the founder members of the Google India sales team.
Anthemos Georgiades, Harvard Business School
Age: 28
Nationality: British
Background: After gaining degrees from Oxford and Cambridge, Anthemos spent three years as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. He then worked as an economic adviser on the Conservative party's election campaign.
Abhishek Ramanathan, Australian School of Business: AGSM
Age: 29
Nationality: Indian
Background: A graduate in computers and business studies from the University of Warwick in the UK, Abhishek has worked in operations and consulting in the insurance and IT industries worldwide. He hopes to become a management consultant.
Aman Modi, IMD
Age: 30
Nationality: Indian/British
Background: Aman has a BA in accounting and a masters in banking and international finance from Cass Business School, London. With more than eight years of finance-focused experience he wants to move into general management via an MBA.
Ashish Rastogi, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
Age: 32
Nationality: Indian
Background: For the past 10 years Ashish has worked for Infosys in various capacities in the US and India. He wants to build a career in corporate strategy and product marketing. He is studying on the Full Time MBA for executives (PGPex).
Aurélie Metcheka, Global MBA Essec
Age: 25
Nationality: Cameroonian
Background: Aurélie left her native Cameroon aged 19 to study at San Diego State University in the US. where she gained a BSc in accounting. She then worked in inventory control for an accessory company before opting for an MBA. She intends eventually to work in the audit department of one of the big four accountancy firms.
What is it really like to study for an MBA? How do the students juggle their work load and their personal life? What do they hope to achieve once they have gained an MBA? Read the FT's MBA blog to find out. www.ft.com/mbablog
Follow the FT's MBA coverage on Facebook
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