by Matthew Richards, MiFFT2020
After deciding whether or not to undertake postgraduate education, the next question I had to ask myself was; where? Other than its renowned reputation for the Masters in Finance (MiF) post-experience programme (ranked number one in the world by Financial Times, 2018), I had to decide whether London Business School made sense to me. On the surface it did, I was born just around the corner from the school, in Paddington.
I had schooled in London for all my life, so it seemed like the path of least resistance. But deciding to do a post-grad is about challenging yourself, coming outside of your comfort zone and forging a strong network of peers. Had I sold myself short by staying in the city I called home?
During the first day of our Orientation Week, we were tasked with taking a picture of what best represented London to us and I was stumped, first day at LBS and I had no idea how to answer a question that should be a walk in the park. It took non-residents in my class to show me all that I had been missing, how little of London I had experienced and the variety that was on offer. I had carved off a piece of London which was mine; there were the parts of London where I worked, the part where I live and the parts where I mostly socialise and that was it. I had my London within London.
I took a step back and looked at London with a new lens. Historical buildings and monuments I had walked past, understanding their significance but not embracing their relevance and enjoying the experience. I could count the amount of times I have gone to the British Museum and Somerset House on one hand. I remember the London Eye being opened almost twenty years ago but I have never been on it, I believe a lot of fellow Londoners would be in the same position as me.
Maybe I had taken London for granted.
However the landscape of the UK may change in the future, London will continue to be in the top three financial hubs in the World and LBS puts its students at the forefront to benefit from the many career opportunities. Whether you’re exploring traditional routes into the corporate world or you’re looking for opportunities to meet with start-ups, LBS and its Career Centre support students and help you connect with the companies surrounding you. As well as networking with companies, LBS Alumni are more than happy to offer up their time in coffee chats. This is probably the greatest intangible benefit of LBS.
London will always be celebrated for its diversity from South Kensington being seen as the epicentre of French London to Chinatown to the Italian Quarter near Clerkenwell. London is a celebration of international culture and LBS is the perfect example of this.