By Rhea Patel, MiM2020
Like many others in the MiM 2020 cohort, I did the additional fourth term for a variety of reasons. Whilst some extended their time at LBS for personal or professional development, my focus was primarily on enhancing the community experience, and squeezing a little more out of my masters experience.
The first way in which I immersed myself into the LBS community was through taking various electives that were of interest to me, but also very much out of my comfort zone. I had the opportunity to take three of the most immersive and dynamic courses during my additional term, and was consequently able to engage with the community by mixing with people in a variety of programmes (i.e. EMBA, MBA, Sloan etc.), which has been a formative part of my LBS experience.
- Entrepreneurship Summer School: This was a 3 month long mini incubator elective, whereby, we were able to test the feasibility of our business ideas under the guidance of the incredible Jeff Skinner & Rupert Murdoch. We were paired with mentors who had successfully launched businesses in the past, and got the opportunity to pitch our evolved ventures to a board of entrepreneurs. This was a great way to engage with LBS alumni, the broader LBS community, and those that had done the ESS programme in years before us.
- Entrepreneurship through Acquisition: I got the opportunity to learn about the concept of search funds through my ETA course, and was even introduced to an LBS MBA 2020 through my professor who started his own search fund. I ultimately became a part time intern for his firm Dymond Capital, and therefore, was able to leverage the LBS community in another way.
- Negotiations & Bargaining: This course gave me the opportunity to simulate real world negotiations with members of the LBS community I otherwise would not have necessarily engaged with.
Through my electives, I got the opportunity to enhance my community experience, and I realised the full gravity of the LBS name and network.
The second way in which I immersed myself into the LBS community is through my role in the LBS Marketing & Strategy club, where I have been Communications Officer for the past one and a half years. This club continues to play a critical role in providing learning and skill development to equip members with knowledge and skills to pursue careers in marketing and strategy. After a year, I did not feel I had achieved the full extent of my goals, and believed I could still add value to this niche LBS community, which is exactly what the fourth term allowed me to do.
As a culmination of my additional experience in the classroom, in virtual zoom rooms, and a few in person social meetups, I am extremely humbled and grateful to have spent an additional term engaging in old and new relationships with my fellow LBS students. For me, the last term solidified my pre-existing notions that the LBS community and experience is one that stays with us for not just the duration of our degree, but for the entirety of our lifetimes.