Inside the London MBA

This blog has moved

After 4 years, we decided it was time to give our blog a makeover.  Please visit our new look blog, complete with a fresh group of London Business School student bloggers from our MBA, Masters in Finance and Masters in Management programmes at London Business School student views.

The new site retains all of the content found on this blog, along with a few new features that we hope you’ll enjoy. We look forward to welcoming you to the new site, and hope you continue to follow the London Business School student experience!

If you link to this blog, please adjust your links accordingly.

We have moved to http://blog.students.london.edu/

 

Congratulations MBA2010!

London Business School is celebrating the graduation of the Full-time MBA class today. Students are joined on campus by friends and family from all over the world to reflect on their achievements from the last 15-21 months. 

Staff and faculty are proud to celebrate the success of our community. We wish you all the very best in your careers, as they take you all over the world. 

For a taste of today’s celebration watch MBA TV

CNN broadcast of British leadership debate

Last night, CNN broadcast live from London Business School, to get the views of our students on the third Prime Ministerial debate, focussed on the economy. 

For those of you who were unable to watch the live coverage last night, catch the CNN report at http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/04/29/ctw.foster.biz.students.reax.cnn?iref=allsearch 

CNN broadcasting from campus tonight

As part of the current series of Prime Ministerial debates taking place on British television, international broadcaster CNN will be broadcasting live from London Business School on Thursday 29 April to get the views of our students on the leaders, the issues and the forthcoming General Election as they watch the debate unfold.

It will be broadcast across the world, so tune in if you can! If you are watching in the UK, it starts at 19.30 BST.

Broadcast timings for other regions:
PT:   12.30 (Thursday)
ET:   15.30 (Thursday)
BST:  19.30 (Thursday)
CET:  21.30 (Thursday)
New Delhi: 01.00 (Friday)
Hong Kong: 03.30 (Friday)
Sydney:  06.30 (Friday)

5 Weeks in...

It's funny, at Admits Weeken in early June when the current students told me they went out more and drank more at LBS that they did during their Undergrad degrees, I smiled politely but inwardly worried about how much fun they had at their other Universities.  I have to say one month in and I stand corrected.  One of the best things about School so far is everyone's willingness to get together, to get to know each other and to make everyone feel welcome. Yes we are a diverse group, yes we are from different industries, countries and are of all ages but the one thing we have in common is the desire to meet new people. 

Last night on my way to the gym I bumped into a Canadian engineer who suggested we pop to the Windsor for a quick pint....we were joined by a Thai diplomat and a French industrialist and we spent the next six hours drinking beers from Ireland, Germany and Italy....I didn't make it to the gym.

That aside we have done so many things from public speaking classes to CV workshops to networking drinks at the offices of one of the world's top tier banks that it's easy to forget about classes....but every time my alarm goes off at 6am I remember very quickly...

First month

Today marks the end of the first month of the new MBA class. It has been such an intense and fun month that I thought it would be appropriate to list the top ten moments so far (in increasing order):

10 – Routemaster bus (pic) and its “Welcome MBA2011” tour in London. LBS not only does it well but also does it with style!

9 – International citizen game, in which each country/region presented its culture. The Italians won by saying that “mama” controls them by their weight.

8 – Honda case class discussion. Particularly interesting was the role play acted by a former US Soldier and an Italian classmate.

7 – When I first met my study group. There was one minute of silence while we tried to first guess whether we would get along well.

6 – Playing football at Regent’s Park during lunch break.

5 – Statistics group case competition.

4 – Orientation at the Brewery (pic) and meeting as many people as I could in our first two days of MBA at a historical site in London.

3 – The long answers you are likely to get when you ask a classmate: Where are you from?

2 – Away day (pic). We went to a rural location to do outdoor leadership activities that included blindfolding a classmate and putting him on a wire to rescue a “magic potion”.

1 – Friendliness and cooperativeness of students. This ranges from stream trip to Edinburgh, stream dinner and housewarmings to volunteering time to help classmates on CVs and mock interviews.

And the top 5 not so nice:

1 – Price of housing in London and price of beer at Windsor.

2 – The fact that broadband providers take from 3 to 6 weeks to install internet at flats.
3 – Dooms day comments by career services regarding the current job market.

4 – British humour and British liver: you can’t compete with either.

5  - Falling asleep on the night bus, passing my stop, and finding out that I was one hour away from home.

Arriving in London

After arriving in London, one of the first decisions I had to take was: where will I live and who will I share a flat with? Fortunately, students organize a Flat hunter’s Pub Crawl. Every night for the two weeks before classes start students gather in a fun and informal setting to meet future classmates and find flat mates. OK, finding my flatmates was step number one. Now I had to go find a flat. Four days and 15 flat visits later I realized I had to change my expectations. A modern flat, close to the school and within my budget didn’t exist. Thus, I decided to cut the “modern” requirement. After all, what’s the fun of living on a London flat if you don’t hear the cracks of the wooden floor when you walk on it? And so, I found my “perfect flat”, a three double-bedroom with a spacious living-room and just a 1min walk to school.

Now that I had a flat and that the sun was shining in London I was off to Regent’s Park to play rugby. I had never played it before but the Rugby club organized a teaching session for us beginners. A hundred or so students showed up and after two hours of hard work we were back to our “headquarter”, the Windsor Castle pub.

My preparation for the start of the term was quite simple: a trip in Eastern Europe that included sunbathing and visits to castles and wineries. One of the greatest things to be in London is the opportunity to take cheap flights to Europe, a continent in which on a three hour drive you may find yourself in a totally different place.

On the other hand, London can be quite expensive. Considering the current economic uncertainty, it required me great courage to quit work and spend a great deal of money on the MBA without knowing how much I will earn after I graduate. Nevertheless, I tried to look at the good side and consider this a good training since I believe that to be a good businessman requires boldness sometimes.

Overall, my first two weeks in London have been spectacular! I see that my next two years will be very busy, with lots of activities!

There’s business networking... and there’s Soho networking

Care to guess which one landed us invitations to London Fashion Week?

It began as an innocent post-internship rendezvous in Soho with a study group friend. We ran the gamut of regular MBA topics—electives, second year projects, Dean’s List speculation(!)—and while they are standard fare for MBA talk, I can see how it wouldn’t be easy for a stranger to break into the conversation.

As we chatted away obliviously over martinis, I was suddenly faced with the daunting task of engaging the party of gourmet chefs who had just joined us on the left. What do you say to three French culinary experts enjoying a round of drinks (red wine of course) on their rare Friday night off? Having been in the mode of language and conventions for business leaders, was I now inept at introducing myself to people with different passions? I used to be much better at this... what happened? I wasn’t happy about this sudden episode of brain failure.

I wonder whether this links to why some critics condescend on the value of an MBA. Maybe they’ve encountered one too many of us and are sick of not understanding our conversations! I can see why too. I’ve caught myself using terminology which would be obfuscating jargon to anyone who, for instance, hadn’t spent three hours in a strategy class studying “value-chain analysis”. For MBAs, those three words hearken back to a thirty-slide lecture on the framework’s particulars... but it understandably sounds a bit hollow to some others.

I remember the networking training we had on campus: how to write email introductions, request meetings, the kinds of questions to ask... all the way down to the most basic skill of shaking hands (according to the trainer: the “fleshy bits have to touch”). Definitely skills to be practiced and honed, but I would personally advocate some out-of-MBA practice too. Don’t let the great socializing skills you had grow stiff from lack of use!

But back to whether I managed to uphold a scintillating conversation with our party of chefs. Well, I must have muddled through somehow for we ended the night with an invitation to a fashion show (one of the chefs has a designer girlfriend) and a great recipe for quiche Lorraine.

Top 10 Things...

A year and five days ago, I arrived at London and set foot, for the very first time, on London Business School's campus to get my welcome pack from the MBA Programme Office. My appearance that day was also immortalized on the School's database through what we call the Portal photo (They said there's no way of changing that photo, but let's see after n years).  The same photo is on my ID card so I'm constantly reminded of that fine day. It's not the best photo but it certainly also not the worst. So, it's all good!

Why am suddenly being all sentimental?  Maybe because the MBA Class of 2011, has now started to arrive in London and in a week will start their wonderful journey called First Year!  Of course, most (shouldn't it be ALL?) of the people are here to learn, but sometimes we also need a break from the hectic schedules and demanding core classes.  A fellow MBA 2010 of mine, came up with a list that I thought was a good one to share to prospective students or even first years reading this blog. 

The list is composed of things to do outside the classroom setting to ensure that your MBA experience will be as balanced as possible.  It's also a great way to get to know your fellow-MBAs and take advantage of this beautiful city.

I now present you with the list...(ala David Letterman)

Top 10 Things To Do Outside the Lecture Theatre (in your first term)

10. Explore London
9. Travel to nearby cities 
8. Find a flatmate at the Flathunters Pub Crawl
7. Organise a flatwarming
6. Get to know your classmates (through Stream events)
5. Attend (birthday) parties
4. Unwind at Sundowners after a stressful week
3. Learn about other cultures and share your own at Tattoo
2. Find out just how (strange) interesting your classmates are at Halloween
1. Paint London red at the Santa Claus Pub Crawl 

Take note, this is only for the Autumn term (first term).  It goes to show that there really is a lot of activities that can be done in School and outside which would make your first year enjoyable and memorable.

Now, I'm off to make my own list for 2nd year Autumn term.  I'm thinking it will be a Top 20!

 

MBA TV - Episode thirteen

The latest episode of MBA TV is here.
 
Any student at London Business School will tell you that their schedule is as hectic as rush hour at Piccadilly Circus, yet there is always one event which every MBA has in their diary.

During term time the ever popular weekly ‘Sundowners’ gives students the chance to meet up with fellow classmates and students from other programmes, whilst providing further opportunity to meet recruiters.

In this episode we speak to the team who make it happen and some the MBA students who’ve enjoyed Sundowners.

Visit our website to learn more about recruitment opportunities at the School.
http://www.london.edu/theschool/recruitourtalent.html

One year out - things I would have / could have done differently

Astonishingly, it has been almost a year since I graduated and plenty has happened since. A nice long trip between congregation and my job, my new job, the true effects of the economic downturn, suspected green shoots etc etc.

I have spent quite some of this time looking back at the MBA and what it's given to me. More importantly, I keep thinking (with some level of regret) about the things that I missed out on or didn't make the most of.

1) Trips: I certainly should have taken a trip or two in the first winter of our MBA. I hear the trip to Japan was absolutely fantastic and so was the one to South Africa. These were the 2 biggest trips organised by the respective clubs. Not only were some incredible bongs built during those 15 days, but the trip was also such a convenient way to see places I have never visited with all the local knowledge available through your classmates. 

2) Sport: Sport, and in particular going to MBAT in year one, are probably my biggest regrets. Ok, I am not so much the athletic type but the 2 years of the MBA were a perfect opportunity to participate in sport of some type at some level. This could have been a great way to meet people and keep fit. The MBAT victories are held in such high regard at school that I feel now that I should have been part of it. 

3) Sundowner: I have always been fascinated by the idea of being a bartender and what better way to give it a try than by being a Sundowner at the MBAr. This had the added benefit of getting to know a ton of people. However it required quite a commitment in the first place which was a bit difficult for me. So not a very deep regret.

4) Breakfasts talks: The Alumni relations office puts together a series of breakfast events with Alumni and members of the international advisory board. I went to this event only once in the second year and I met very senior McKinsey directors and other successful businessmen in a setting that involved 15 other students around a small table early in the morning. I still distinctly remember the life's lessons that were shared during the session. Clearly I could have benefited from more of these had I started attending these earlier in the MBA. And they finish just in time for 9 am class so no excuses for missing these. 

5) Summer Ball: I skipped it thinking it was just another event to celebrate graduation some more with friends. I was content with all of the disorientation partying but in retrospect The Summer Ball is the big one  and probably best not missed.

Anyway, what's done is done. At least the list of cool things I got to do is multiple times longer than this one.

Singapore Day 2009 in London

On 25th April, I went to the Singapore Day held at Hampton Court Palace garden. This is an annual event and was previously held in Melbourne (2008) and New York (2007).

The weather was wonderful and the garden was amazing. What welcomed us at the entrance was the infamous ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) gantry. Currently there are about over 60 gantries in Singapore and the number is increasing. These gantries can be found at the Central Business District, highways and other areas that are prone to traffic congestion.

There were many food stalls in the compound and they provided various famous "hawker food" in Singapore. For example, Laksa, Chicken Rice, Chili Crab, Hokkien Mee, Satay and many others. The queues were long (up to an hour for certain popular food). Yet many people (Singaporeans, non-Singaporeans) seem did not mind at all about that.

There were Singapore's artists performing on the stage while people enjoying the sun and the beautiful garden. Singapore companies, government departments and Standard Chartered Bank had also information booths for people who have interests in Singapore opportunities.

Overall the event was really cool, especially for Singaporeans or people who have stayed there before in London. Just imagine hearing everyone speaks "Singlish" around you in UK.

  

 

 

 

Lord's

It never fails to happen. Every single time I walk on St.John's Wood Road, be it the middle of the night or in the morning, I feel goosebumps. Even though I've spent the last decade living outside India, Cricket holds a special place in my heart. I was too young to remember live images of Kapil Dev lifting the World Cup from the pavilion balcony in Lord's, but the video is etched in memory of most Indian cricket fans. That win, as heavy underdogs against the much favored West Indian team going for a three-peat, catapulted Indian cricket and laid the foundation for the subcontinent becoming the emotional home of the sport.

One of the special privileges of being a student at London Business School, is access to the facilities at Lord's. As a member of the Squash club, I get to walk into the Lord's complex and play, not 30 yards away from the members pavilion. Of course, the "idiosyncrasy" of English tradition apply here as well -- one has to only be dressed in whites :-) I for one find quite like it and find it very nice actually, especially coming here from the United States, where as long as you had clothes on you were good to go -- for most things.

I hope St.John's Wood Road never stops to make me feel the way I do. It is certainly one of those really small things that make living and studying in this part of the world so wonderful.

Watch, engage and debate on new business channel

London Business School, Google and Telegraph.co.uk have formed a partnership to provide unique bite-sized insights from some of the UK’s leading organisations via a new YouTube channel called Survival of The Fastest.

Survival of The Fastest has been designed as an online thought leadership community for business leaders, offering credible insights into management areas ranging from finance and marketing to e-Commerce.

As the academic partner, London Business School has made available a number of its world-class faculty who have each provided concise video contributions discussing different ways of ‘speeding up’ in the slowdown. For example;

• How can medium to large businesses remain nimble and maintain competitive advantage in a downturn?
• Should marketers focus on gaining share in today’s climate?
• What is the value of online strategy?

Visit the Survival of the Fastest community at http://youtube.com/survivalofthefastest

Good stuff

I think I have previously commented on the high level of commitment of most professors here at LBS. I remember from the very first weeks how I would send emails to the finance professor (and also the accounting professor) and they would answer within hours - even on a Sunday!
This continues with very short turnaround times from the professors this term, namely in bond portfolio management and fixed income (both classes highly recommended! Provides the theoretical concepts and the practical application).
So today I tried to meet the professor for Fixed Income who is actually quite famous internationally. He had several people in his office already so I just sent him an email to ask whether he had time tomorrow. I suddenly got a call on my mobile (he actually looked up my phone number!) to apologize (!) and to tell me that he would not be here tomorrow and if I could come in now (which I of course did).
If you previously studied at a state-run uni in Germany (or any other country, for that matter) you will understand why such 'customer relationship management' and service mentality still impresses me deeply.

Today was a 'typical' 2nd year day: 7.15am rugby practice with added fitness training, a quick breakfast and a quick lie-down (what luxury - a nap at 10.30 :-). Then fixed income recap and doing a bit of organizing for the scuba diving club. Now we have sundowners (i.e. free drinks) and then a presentation by the founder of iglu.com, the skiing travel agency. And then the night starts ....

Enjoy life!
Don