SMU MBA 2016 学生体验

Eugene_SMU_新大

Hello, everyone.

I am one of the students from SMU MBA Full-Time Class of 2016 and graduated in Jan 2017. I am originally from Shanghai China and worked in the finance department in an MNC for some years before taking my MBA. I have already started my brand new career — my first job overseas and am excited to explore my job in Singapore, the hub of Asia.

Deciding to take my MBA

After working for a certain period, I felt that I needed to pursue my Masters degree. That is because a Masters degree can enhance my professional knowledge and focus on some specific subjects I am interested in. Furthermore, to be competitive in the career development, the Master degree is considered as an essential component of success.

Nowadays, MBA is one of the most popular degrees. It doesn’t just teach business courses but trains you as a leader in the corporation. Beyond the textbook, you have to equip yourself with soft skills such as professional presentation, effective communication and cross function collaboration etc.

At first, Singapore is the first destination in my mind when I decided to take my MBA. I have travelled to this country and am impressed by the good order, greenery, advanced transportation system and safe, friendly environment in the city. There are three famous public universities there and I aim to get to know more about them. I searched on ChaseDream website and found SMU was giving a mock class in Shanghai. I was eager to participate in the class and got first hand information. After registration, I was invited to attend this class - it was a marketing class and taught by a professor who graduated from one of the famous American universities. The class was interactive and the professor encouraged listeners to share their ideas. It gave me new insights on the topic and I was interested in learning marketing strategies for different brands through this mock class. The teaching method is different from traditional methods and it emphasizes on individual contributions and involvement.

Besides the mock class, the admission officers come to China every year. You can come to the coffee session and have a talk with the officers, to learn more details about the SMU MBA program. Before the session, I would recommend that you prepare a list of questions. They are questions that you are curious about MBA program (admission process, the courses, your classmates, the career development…) In addition, it is a perfect time for you to listen to yourself regarding why you want to pursue MBA, which career path you want to pursue after MBA, what gains you would like to obtain from MBA.  It is better to think about them in depth and I believe that you will benefit from the process by asking yourself more questions.

Learning from SMU MBA

First, you are able to meet classmates from different countries. It is a good opportunity that you can exchange ideas with your peers and gain exposure on various cultures. In the mean time, you enrich your business insights on different subjects. One the other hand, both industry and function diversification from classmates bring the students to the vibrant actual business environment. You can embrace distinctive experience on real world business.

The teaching method is different from the traditional one. Project implementations and team discussions are widely used in the class. Among these activities, you deal with the conflict management, problem solving, time and manpower allocation and presentation preparation, however, dispute is hard to be avoided in some projects work. It is an actual and good learning opportunity during MBA journey. You equip yourself with these soft skills that are critical in the current jobs and are tactful to execute them widely.

There is an internship arrangement during the program. You have the chance to know the job markets in Singapore. You start to search for the internship opportunity in the company, then go through the interview process. The internship offers you a chance to explore the function and company interest you. You attempt to fully engage in the internship portfolio. It is practical to execute your duties in the work. You will value this period when searching for a full time job.

There are business study missions and exchange programs during term break. You go to other Asian countries to see their business models and operations, and participate in classes in universities in England, Spain, and Korea with topics on luxury goods, human capital, etc. These are interesting study trips.

SMU is a university specializing in business subjects and management. It is well known in Singapore and has good reputation amongst universities here. Please take part in the information session and one to one session that lead you to a real world MBA journey.

Coffee Session Beijing (09/15～17): http://postgraduate.smu.edu.sg/acton/form/11522/00e5:d-0007/0/-/-/-/-/index.htm

Coffee Session in Shanghai (09/15～17): http://postgraduate.smu.edu.sg/acton/form/11522/00ea:d-0009/0/-/-/-/-/index.htm

[校友答疑] https://forum.chasedream.com/thread-1304563-1-1.html