Prior to joining the MBA programme at Lancaster, I was working on the transformation side of things at IBM. I spent 6 years working with clients across industries and in every assignment, I took up, I was always interested in looking at the bigger picture and the ultimate outcome of the work I delivered. This inclination combined with my enthusiasm to continuously learn and ‘treasure the wild-duck’ in me, created a deep desire within, to pursue an MBA.

I chose Lancaster’s MBA owing to its worldwide reputation for strategy, course duration, the small class size and diversity. The high-potential merit scholarship I received seconded my choice. I was also enthused by the programme’s focus on self-awareness, introspection and mindfulness, which became quite evident in my initial interactions with the staff, students and alumni. Since, I was just taking a year out to invest in the MBA, I wanted to retain complete focus and thought a location such as Lancaster would be conducive to learning and a university environment will give me numerous experiences and networking opportunities, which indeed turned out to be so.

Every moment on the Lancaster MBA was memorable and rewarding for me. I decided to stay open to experiences and appreciated every challenge that presented itself to me. The action-based learning exercises, the field trips, the strategy and mindful manager modules, the elective season and the team building activities from the core capabilities module would be my top picks. The consultancy challenge and the corporate challenge were a good boost and a fantastic opportunity to apply the learning in the industry.

Besides the course itself, being part of the graduate college was a unique experience. I will always cherish the time spent with flat mates, informal chats and assignment discussions in the social hub and grad bar, long walks across the campus and the unforgettable treks and travel trails to the Lake District and other places around Lancaster. I was also fondly recording all these experiences in a personal blog titled Lancaster Narratives and when I look at those posts today, I feel nostalgic and it brings back good memories.

For prospective students, considering the Lancaster MBA, I would say the programme provides all the essential elements that a management education should offer. That is not all, it offers a playground to deal with contention and conflict, which might be inevitable in the outside world. It also provides an opportunity to discover oneself better as a person and to ‘search for the hero inside yourself’, as our programme director would put it. If you appreciate working with colleagues from different nationalities, if you are ready to challenge yourself at every step leaving aside your preconceptions and if you are curious to explore yourself further, then you will be pleased to be part of the Lancaster MBA cohort.

The Lancaster MBA has been pivotal in helping me discover how I can embody my purpose as a leader and the people on the MBA have helped me figure out what a best version of me would look like and have equipped me to go after achieving just that. Sharing the campus with students on different courses has helped me develop a varied vocabulary to participate in conversations and stimulating discussions outside my immediate knowledge.

With an identified life’s purpose to be an influencer and advocate for change in the field of international development, I plan to leverage my MBA to tread a path that will eventually lead me there. My year at Lancaster was vivid and I can confidently quote this as one of my best experiences in life ever.