By Shristi Maurya, MBA2025
Some mornings in Seoul still surprise me.
I walk into my workplace in Gangnam at the heart of Seoul, move between meetings with business leaders across time zones and somewhere in the middle of the day it quietly sinks in: this all began at London Business School. I feel deeply grateful for where life has led me, aware that this journey was shaped by many people, moments and opportunities during my MBA at LBS. More than six months since graduation, this feels like the right moment to pause and reflect.
I grew up in India and before starting a global MBA, I often found myself wondering what this journey would actually look like. I didn’t have any direct role models in my family or close circle who had taken this path before, so there was a lot of uncertainty. With an undergraduate background in engineering and experience across consulting and startup, I knew I wanted to explore beyond the typical career options, even if at the time I couldn’t clearly picture where that exploration would lead.
When I landed in London with a one-way ticket, the first few months at LBS were a constant balancing act: adjusting back to an academic schedule after years of work, building a social life at the school from scratch and juggling countless experiential MBA activities or most importantly deciding when to finally catch up on sleep. Everything felt new. While it was overwhelming at times, I knew that choosing the MBA meant intentionally stepping outside my comfort zone. Looking back now, that decision shaped me far more than I could have imagined!
So here’s my advice for anyone currently at LBS, considering the MBA or simply looking for a good read 🙂
1. Build relationships: Go beyond just making connections
What I valued most at LBS was how much learning happened through people.
With classmates from over 60 nationalities, classrooms and study group discussions were rarely one-dimensional. The same business case would spark different cultural perspectives, priorities, and approaches to problem-solving. This came alive in many courses that I took- during mock business deals in Negotiation and Bargaining or performance marketing simulations in Digital Marketing. Not only did those exchanges reveal nuances I might have otherwise overlooked, but I also learned a great deal from the diverse professional backgrounds of my classmates.
And in between classes, I made some of my closest friends. We embraced the intensity of MBA life together- tackling academics and recruitment prep side by side and channeling that shared energy into varied experiences: One day we were hosting each other for native cuisines, some other days were spent enjoying sake nights, pitching startup ideas at the LBS Hackathon, joining drinks at Sundowners or performing dance at Tattoo (LBS’s cultural fest).
These relationships didn’t just make my MBA more memorable; they made the learning deeper and far more real.
2. Use the flexibility: The MBA programme is designed for growth
One of LBS’s biggest strengths is its flexibility, something I embraced more with time.
Across the two years, I was able to shape my schedule- moving courses to fit more experiential learnings and balancing academics with part-time internships. It allowed me to try things outside my past experience and use the MBA to experiment and learn as much as I could! So, I ended up pursuing two concentrations in areas that I was keen about, Entrepreneurship and Private Capital, simply because I had the space to explore.
That flexibility also gave me the opportunity to spend my third semester on exchange, where I was selected to attend Wharton School in the US. It wasn’t easy to move countries again but experiencing a different learning style and taking unique classes like Blockchain and AI & Ethics opened my perspective and network. Beyond the classroom, it was also about enjoying student life and building new friendships, whether through the Wharton Olympics or Halloween parties.
The MBA becomes far more powerful when you actively design it, instead of just following a preset path.
3. Say yes and get involved: Even before you feel ready
Some of the most meaningful moments of my MBA came from saying yes before I felt fully prepared.
In my first year, I leaned into that mindset- saying yes to clubs, projects and roles I wasn’t entirely sure I was ready for. Through the LBS Impact Consulting Club, I took on a project leader role in a team of six, supporting a non-profit in Latin America and applying classroom frameworks to real social challenges. In parallel, I also co-led and choreographed my stream (D)’s dance performance for the Diwali Ball.
By my second year, those early experiences gave me the confidence to give back. I co-led the Tech Club, one of the largest clubs at LBS, helping rebrand it to introduce a stronger focus on AI and analytics, moderating a speaker panel, etc. I also served as a Peer Leader, supporting classmates as they navigated recruiting and career decisions.
And then there were decisions that made absolutely no sense on paper. Joining the Rugby Club with no prior experience was one of them. It meant early mornings in Regent’s Park, showing up again and again, often questioning the decision, but I am so glad I did. That eventually led to one of my most memorable rugby matches in Barcelona, Spain.
Moments like these reminded me that growth often lives just outside carefully planned schedules, simply by saying yes.
4. Think global: Truly explore the world
The global exposure at LBS goes far beyond the classroom.
I love to travel and LBS gave me the platform to combine immersive learning with the simple joy of exploring new cultures with my classmates. Over the course of the MBA, through both school-organised and impromptu trips, I travelled to 20+ countries, experiencing diverse cultures, business environments and ways of life.
Some days, through my Global Business Experience course, I was speaking with a fisherman in Accra, Ghana, about his business and growth challenges. Another day, through the LBS Tech Trek, I was visiting offices of companies like OpenAI, NVIDIA and Google in Silicon Valley. At other times, I was simply standing in awe at wonders of the world like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
These experiences added real context to what we discussed in class and shaped how I think about working in a truly global environment.
5. Follow your own path: Use London as an extension of campus
For recruiting, I took a more exploratory approach and used London as my testing ground.
I was drawn to technology and innovation, but wanted the space to test different functions before committing too early to a single path. During the MBA, I treated London as an extension of the classroom- I did a venture capital internship, worked in a product management role at an early-stage startup and later took on a part-time role in the GenAI space at a scale-up company.
That exploration eventually led me to a role I wanted: Global Strategist position at Samsung’s Global Strategy Group in Seoul, South Korea, designed for MBA graduates from around the world. From classrooms in the UK and the US to a career in South Korea- this has been a journey I could not have anticipated before my MBA.
Instead of mirroring the most common recruiting paths just because they feel safe; use internships, projects and London-based opportunities to pressure-test roles and industries you’re genuinely interested in and just as importantly, to rule out the ones you don’t want to pursue.
My Final Message to You
If you’re currently at LBS, about to start, or considering an MBA, here’s my honest advice – based on everything I have shared above:
Build real relationships. Use the flexibility the programme offers. Get involved before you feel ready. Follow your own path. Take full advantage of the global exposure at LBS and everything that London offers.
The ROI of the MBA goes far beyond any single role or outcome.
These two years will pass faster than you expect. One day, you’ll look back, just like I am now, and wonder how it all went by so quickly.
I hope that when you look back, you can say you said ‘yes’ often, explored with intention and made the most of this rare, transformative window.
Trust me, you’ll be grateful you did.
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Written from Seoul, with gratitude to London Business School