Deciding to live in another part of the world is a big step in your life. I was worried about problems, unsettled about making the right choice and hoped that everything would be alright.
Already in the first few days, I worried less and I knew that I made the right decision to study at St Mary’s. Comparing the campus with others I visited, there’s a big difference. From the first day, the staff, as well as other students, integrated me into the daily routine. Everyone was friendly and helpful.
The beautiful historical campus has natural scenery, an Olympic race track, a gym and some cultural heritage too from Strawberry Hill House. Even though there are a lot of different students visiting the campus every day, I don’t feel lost. On the contrary; I feel integrated into this community.
The MSc International Business Management programme from St Mary’s University does not have monotonous structure. Instead, it combines theory (academic research) and practice (business work) perfectly. For example, the ‘International Finance and Accounting’ module, involves guest lecturers in high positions from leading banks who expand on the learnt theoretical knowledge with their practical experiences.
Also, the high number of optional modules gave me the opportunity to combine my interests and strengths with my degree programme. Modules like Applied Research Skills built a strong foundation to help prepare me perfectly, with the right amount of independence for my Master’s dissertation.
Core modules such as ‘Responsible Management and Leadership in a Global Economy’ have extended my overall picture, by teaching me how to deal with ethical dilemmas in a business context, and encourages me to think differently and critically about businesses and management decisions. The lecturers are always supportive, and spend additional time to solve problems or answer questions. Everything is taken seriously and is not undermined by other opinions or social backgrounds.
In summary, this Master’s programme is developing me in many different ways and prepares me very well for the professional world as well as for a postgraduate doctoral degree (PhD). Whilst here, I have overcome language barriers by joining the free English classes. Overall, I feel fortunate that I am a student of St Mary’s.