I am Chunhao and I am originally from Shanghai, China. My career began, working for a company called IsoftStone who are a UBS offshore company based in Shanghai. They provide UBS investment bank operation services and my role within the company was as an analyst. Having worked in the company for three years, I was promoted to lead a team of five covering deal reviews tasks for equity derivatives products trading globally.
I majored in economics and worked in the financial industry for several years, but I knew I lacked some critical and project management skills. I realised I need additional business knowledge so decided to embark on an MBA course at Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS).
Having previously studied in the UK for my undergraduate in Economics at the University of East Anglia, I knew the UK is where I wanted to come for my MBA studies. I really enjoyed the cultural diversity of this vibrant country. I also believe the UK is a gate to the international business world. The primary reason why I chose to study an MBA in Manchester was because of the world class MBA course at Alliance Manchester Business School. The "learning by doing" method of teaching especially appealed to me.
The Full-time MBA at AMBS enables students to gain hands on experience while working on three live consultancy projects. I have just completed my first of the three projects, the not-for-profit project. I worked with a charity called Big Birthday Appeal, they are an organisation based in Manchester whose main mission is to teach children from an early age to be grateful for what they have and give to those in need. I learnt so much from working with a charity and I experienced so many new aspects of real business.
The biggest challenge I have had to overcome by coming to the UK was leaving my family behind. I have also struggled getting into a new routine and becoming a full-time student again, leaving full-time employment and coming out of my comfort zone. My advice to anyone decided whether or not to study for an MBA would be to know clearly what your end goal is, what knowledge and experience you wish to gain from studying. Having these requirements will help you to shortlist business schools. I also suggest having your necessary test results such GMAT and IELTS ready and apply for schools as early as possible. The earlier you apply the more in control you are in terms of school selection. Try and fully capitalise on networking events by talking to people who have taken the course before and get insights into courses and schools.
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