“An MBA is about far more than an education or a qualification, it informs your whole life,” observes Abhishek Singh, an alumnus of the Adam Smith Business School.
Abhishek’s quest to study an MBA was inspired by the business journals he read, but it was a journey that began in his childhood home in North East India.
“The environment I grew up in is one which I can only describe as humble, close to the border with China, it’s a rural area that’s sparsely populated,” explains Abhishek. “I spent a lot of time exploring the local woods.
“Throughout my life, however, I’ve been extremely focused on my academic endeavours and been fortunate to have people around me who supported me in this. I first won a scholarship to secondary school, then another to study for my undergraduate degree.
“Moving across the country to live in an urban area of southern India to study at Mahatma Gandhi University was quite an adventure. My undergraduate degree in Technology had an emphasis on electrical and electronics engineering, so after graduating, I worked for Hewlett-Packard (HP) and IBM as a systems engineer. I learnt many things and it proved to be a great foundation on which to build my career.
“I’ve been an avid reader of business journals for a long time and these inspired me to apply for an MBA. I’d been tentatively looking at courses in the UK and Australia when my Aunt heard about the British Council scholarships and encouraged me to apply. It was a rigorous application and interview process, and I was delighted to be offered a full scholarship.
“The British Council offered me an opportunity I wouldn’t otherwise have had, providing me with almost everything I needed for my year on the MBA, whilst the University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School supplied quite a few textbooks too. A lot of online resources were also available, as well as a well-equipped library, so once the course was underway I didn’t have to spend too much.
“Arriving in Glasgow, late in the evening about two days before the course started, I was surprised at how calm and quiet it was in the city centre. Just as I arrived, I saw a fox wandering down the road, the first I’d ever seen.
“A fellow student drew me a map of the route to the university, so I found my way on the first morning and I was delighted to discover my lectures were in the main university building under the iconic tower.
“I soon discovered that Glasgow is an enjoyable city in which to live, I can see why it’s been voted the friendliest city in the world. I relished exploring the city and took full advantage of the many discounts available to students.
“You might be surprised to learn that the climate in Glasgow is quite similar to that in north east India, so when I moved to Scotland, I felt quite at home – the mostly cloudy weather suited me.
“The green spaces I discovered and the proximity to nature, helped me adapt to city life. Over the year, I visited the Kelvingrove Gallery many times too, it became one of my favourite places in the city. Whilst the Business School organised excursions, so I saw quite a bit of Scotland during the year.
“Compared to most MBAs, the intake on the Glasgow MBA is small. The University ensures there is a broad mix of people on the course, with a wide variety of professional experience, from different countries and of all ages, giving the course a diverse and international feel.
“Given the small cohort, there was always time for questions and debates in seminars and when it came to our electives, the courses typically had five or six students, meaning students received a lot of 1-2-1 attention.
“It’s the small intake and the individual support that marks the Glasgow MBA out from other courses. The professors work hard on the students’ behalf. We were able to examine topics in depth given the small class size and the academics gave us lots of additional material. Classes often ran over the scheduled time limit as there was so much interaction and I soon learnt that from a simple question you can learn a lot and that no question is a bad question.
“The faculty continued to engage with us once classes were finished, there were additional networking, social and guest speaker events arranged throughout the year too. I’ve stayed in touch with a few of my professors, and even now, several years after the course finished, they continue to provide advice and support. In the years that followed, I found the alumni team and association helpful too.
“In addition to theory, we covered a lot of case studies and gained tangible experience via a team consulting project, working with a business on a real-life problem. In my case, the project involved working with an investment bank on improving their services, we presented our findings to senior management at the bank and received positive feedback on our findings.
“After a few years in the workplace, I relished being a student again and focused on learning as much as I could, ensuring I was well prepared for every class. I read a lot of additional material and put a lot of effort into my assignments, reaping the benefits with the grades I received. Learning something new every day was what it was all about.
“Perhaps one of the greatest challenges was to unlearn some of the things I’d previously thought and to overcome my assumptions. The MBA taught me critical and strategic thinking, to question everything and to look at problems from a broader perspective. It also taught me how to deal with challenges in the workplace in a positive way.
“To anyone considering an MBA, I would say think about what you want to gain from the course before choosing the one that most suits your aims. Undertaking an MBA is an intensive experience, but a very rewarding one. The more you put into the course, the more you gain from it, so make the most of your year.
“Looking back, the benefits of the MBA became most apparent around three years after I graduated – that’s when I noticed the enormous difference it had made to my employment prospects and the jobs which I was offered. An MBA helps you to stand out from other candidates.
“Completing an MBA is life-changing, it’s about much more than a qualification, it informs everything you do.”
