What masters in management students learnt

Michelle Ann Khoo
Singaporean. University of Sydney, graduated 2025. Sydney, Australia

Have you found anything surprising on the course?

I was very pleasantly surprised by the diversity in our cohort, as many of my classmates are international students. This made the learning environment very enjoyable and stimulating. Being among these classmates has given me a global perspective through the stories and experiences we share during class discussions and outside. Many of my classmates have had their own unique experiences in previous employment, which is interesting to hear about.

I think one of the most important lessons I’ve learnt on the course is being empathetic. We learnt about leadership and how to lead others. In particular, we highlighted how empathy is such an important soft skill, as it helps us to understand others and the different ways they might respond to different leadership styles. I’ve put this into practice through my group projects and assignments. In addition to the cultural differences, being able to empathise with others has facilitated more meaningful connections and made working in teams more pleasant.

Juliette Jean
French. Lund University School of Economics and Management, Sweden, graduated 2024. Technical assistant/project manager, quality department (contract), Airbus, Toulouse, France

How did you balance an intensive course with staying well and enjoying a new city?

It’s a challenge that I struggled with during the first months, especially in Sweden, where the weather is complicated . . . You need to experiment. At the beginning, I wanted to do everything perfectly. But . . . sometimes you need to prioritise.

I really wanted to make the most of this learning journey since it was my second masters. So I focused on the course and opportunities like the learning journal: a reflection exercise about your personal development and position within the team. When it came to the high workloads, since we have different skills, we didn’t struggle on the same topics.

You need to be committed, but it’s also important to share with people and ask for help. My background was industrial engineering, so I had a lot of discussions with people who had studied social sciences and they gave me some tips — to perform better at reading, for instance.

Ben Attle
British. Warwick Business School, graduated 2020. Innovation manager, Digital Catapult, London, UK

What advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs thinking about a MiM?

I would say a MiM provides a good, rounded understanding of running a business. It touches on strategy, accountancy, operations, marketing, project management. I found the entrepreneurship part really useful. It helps to understand the ideation process in a more formal way. There are a lot of views about entrepreneurship. One is overly romanticised, without drawbacks, and I don’t think that’s true.

A MiM is a way of getting a reality check. It also helps you to understand that there needs to be a product-market fit. If you’re aspiring to be an entrepreneur, your intention is fantastic, but that won’t be sufficient. Having said that, traditional education can’t teach you everything about running a business. It can’t provide you the idea or the resilience you need. It’s a good complement, but it can’t be everything.

Pranay Goyal
Indian. SMU: Lee Kong Chian, Singapore, graduated 2024. Senior associate, chief executive’s office, Lighthouse Canton, Singapore

How do you use what you learnt in your everyday work?

The MiM is not just about academic growth, it is also about personal growth. For example, a concept that I apply in my day-to-day life is cultural intelligence, or being comfortable with people from diverse backgrounds. I work with diverse teams and it helps me foster stronger relationships, enhance collaboration and be a clear communicator.

Another thing that is critical in my job — where people often have just a few moments to spare — is succinct and effective communication. This is not taught in a module, but . . . in different classes, giving presentations, and understanding what professors want. The last thing is something I learnt at London Business School, on a module about interpersonal dynamics. We learnt about first impressions, and how they can be deceptive and not enough of a basis for you to judge someone. I try not to let first impressions influence me. This gives me more empathy and helps me take more thoughtful and effective decisions.

Leah Heinlein
German. WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, graduates 2024. Cologne, Germany

Why did you choose to study a MiM?

Before I signed up for my masters, I was not sure where I wanted to work. I knew I wanted to do something with consulting, but not specifically what part of industry or focus. The MiM allows you to take courses from all fields of business, so I figured it would be an opportunity to gain a broad knowledge about the different areas and deepen the knowledge from my bachelor studies.

Then, I thought it would optimally prepare me for a corporate career, but also for a career in entrepreneurship if I decided to go that way. And that’s basically why I decided to do a MiM, because of the range of options afterwards. During my studies, I have focused on data science and IT consulting. It is where I have done my student job and it’s what I enjoy doing and now want to work in. The MIM offered numerous courses in that area, which really helped me to find my focus and my field.