By Sarthak Sharma
I am in the third month of my course at Newcastle University and living in Newcastle upon Tyne. I am an MBA student at the Newcastle University Business School.
The reason why I chose Newcastle University to pursue my MBA is primarily because of the reputation of the University in the education sector and also because of the triple accreditations the Newcastle University Business School holds. Before coming to the University, I only knew about Newcastle University Business School through the internet and the interactions I had with university professionals during virtual meet-ups, and engagement days. Before starting the course, we had a series of sessions led by professors from different specialisations, giving us a view of what to expect from the MBA experience. I was quite happy to learn that the experience was even better than what I had thought.
Academically, I am a student in the MBA programme at the Newcastle University Business School. My journey with the Business School did not start in September, but it rather started during my application process, where since the very beginning, the University has been a constant support. I had applied to five other universities as well, but I was amazed by the amount of effort and resources the Business School invests each year in our education and the exclusivity of our programmes.
My induction week started with the introduction to Dr Lucy Hatt, our Programme Director. Lucy had planned a week of different daily sessions, engagements and activities. The week started with an introduction of all the faculty and staff and was meticulously designed to let the students get to know each other, understand each other and eventually become a support for each other. We had already started making friends even before our curriculum began.
I had high expectations before I left India to join Newcastle University Business School and it’s safe to say that everything was beyond my expectations. The University has put in immense effort to support our education and help us build our future. The Careers team at Newcastle University Business School is like no other. The Business School has a very exclusive MBA programme which means that the amount of students is smaller and much more diverse, which to our benefit meant more attention from the academics. We have a dedicated Careers team, who, since the first week, have been constantly supporting us with various career-related aspects of the degree programme. We have sessions every week where we work on building our profile better and constantly looking for improvement. For a programme such as an MBA, networking is one very important aspect too. We have been provided with numerous opportunities to learn how to network and through various meetups, with industry professionals, alumni and business leaders, who share their valuable experiences, and insights and help us grow our network with renowned professionals from different aspects of society. One of the most amazing opportunities offered by the Careers team is working as a board member of a government organisation and gaining actual learning and experience. The University has also scheduled industry visits for us, which help us understand the application of the learning we get inside our classrooms.
To sum up, the first three months of my time on the MBA programme at Newcastle University Business School, thus far have been amazing and enriching. I cannot wait to see what the next few months have for me.