Tell us a bit about yourself, your background, and the course you are studying.

I received my bachelor’s degree in English with a double major in law from Fudan University. I am pursuing a master’s degree in Business with Operations Management now.

What first attracted you to WBS, why did you choose to study here?

I was an exchange student at the Centre for Applied Linguistics at Warwick during my Undergraduate degree, during which time I took a module in corporate strategy at WBS. As a non-business student, it was quite challenging, but I enjoyed studying the cases. I was particularly amazed at the ‘global leadership mindset’ from the cases I learned.

Naturally, when I applied for business schools, WBS was on the top of my list. Besides its reputation, I was intrigued by the program I am studying, MSc Business with Operations Management, for two main reasons. Firstly, my background in operations (an operations intern experience and various school activities’ leadership experiences) was perfectly aligned with this course. Second, the course structure is very appealing. My course sits alongside a number of other MSc Business courses, which are more general and this has given me an opportunity to study business fundamentals such as Statistics, Economics and Strategy. It has also offered me a specialist perspective, operations, which I wanted to learn in-depth to increase my knowledge and competitiveness. 

What would you say are the key things that sets WBS apart from other schools?

One thing that distinguishes WBS from other schools is its ‘Change Maker’ values, which provide me with a novel way to understand leadership and innovation. The idea that to lead is to change ourselves first is powerful and inspires me to be practical and ambitious. I really like the inclusive and inspiring quotes from all kinds of Change Makers (Barack Obama, Gandhi, Sheryl Sandberg, Thomas Edison) on the wall at WBS.

What is the best thing about your course so far?

For me, the best thing is that WBS is supportive in many aspects and offers plenty of resources throughout the academic year. For example:

• At the beginning of the course, there is an optional academic writing module for international students.
• We have free access to language courses in Term 1 and Term 2.
• We can book appointments for 1-hour sessions with librarians to help us with the Dissertation.
• Student feedback is collected throughout the year. For example, feedback is collected at the end of each module. Some lecturers adjusted their teaching plans based on previous years’ feedback.

What sort of support have you received so far from the CareersPlus team? How has that helped you?

I received verbal feedback for on my CV, and joined several case workshops held by WBS, potentially increasing my competitiveness in the job market. I also had an insightful chat with a Careers Coach, who enlightened me on the importance of networking when I applied for jobs. After discovering my passion for consulting, I was introduced to the MBA case club liaison and joined their activities to practice case interviews. It was great to meet the lecturer, who is an experienced consultant, and some MBA alumni.

What are your tips for getting the most out of an MSc for those starting in September?

Personally, I think it’s important to:

• Adjust to the ‘study mode’ after summer vacation.
• Be prepared to actively engage in class and other school activities, like career fairs, clubs etc. For me, engagement definitely makes my academic life more fun.
• Be dedicated to learning in each module. Although it can be stressful to find a job after graduation and thus distracting to academic studies, you don’t want to miss out on what is taught in class and the opportunity to work in teams.