Anna Hyclak: Why Now Is The Perfect Time To Do An MBA Programme Part 5
Anna has followed in the footsteps of some of the world’s best and brightest in becoming an LBS alumna. As a former Googler, Anna faced the difficult challenge of juggling her EMBA and her tech role during the pandemic. Lendwise is proud to have supported Anna in her life-changing journey and achieved a dream milestone.
In the final part of a five-part series, Anna will discuss why now is the perfect time to do an MBA.
My MBA during COVID-19
As we all know, we have been living in unprecedented times since 2020. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, tumultuous elections and world events including the war in Ukraine, and now a cost of living crisis and global recession, we’ve faced an onslaught of bad news from every direction. Because of all of this, it might seem like now is the worst time to go back to school. However, I’d argue there’s never been a better time to do an MBA programme.
I began my Executive MBA programme at London Business School in January 2021. The UK was still in a strict lockdown and did most of my classes virtually until later that spring. I didn’t meet many of my classmates in person until we were halfway through our core classes. COVID-19 was a constant presence throughout the programme. We wore masks in the classroom, dialled into hybrid classrooms on Zoom, and answered questions about the long-term effects of the pandemic on the UK economy in final exams.
This made for an incredibly unique MBA experience. Friendships were forged virtually, classroom discussions happened in Zoom breakout rooms, and there were still some people I’d never met in person until we walked across the stage at graduation. But while some aspects of it were frustrating, I still wouldn’t change anything about the experience.
COVID-19 and its impact on the business world became the lens through which we learned about. Everything from strategy and leadership to macroeconomics and corporate finance, providing endless real-world examples for the topics we discussed and explored in the classroom. Many of us were dealing with tough circumstances related to COVID-19 at work, from managing layoffs and loss of business to figuring out how to operate in a hybrid work environment, and the MBA programme provided a space for us to work through these issues together.
It also gave us the knowledge and insight to begin looking ahead to the future. It helped to predict what would come next after the global lockdowns, low-interest rates, and government furlough programmes ended. In addition, we also thought about the new types of businesses needed when people returned to their normal lives.
Most importantly, it gave us something to focus on besides the pandemic, an opportunity to learn and grow and become stronger, more impactful leaders. At a time when most people were stuck at a standstill, we were able to push forward and make progress toward our personal goals.
How may yours be different
I imagine, if you started your MBA programme tomorrow, it would be a very similar story. You would discuss the cost of living crisis and the economic impact of the war in Ukraine during classes. You would use the recent tech layoffs as case studies and debate the potential upsides and downsides of recent advancements in generative AI technology. And you would come away from the programme feeling better equipped to handle anything that comes your way, both at work and in your personal life.
Of course, funding an MBA programme during a cost-of-living crisis can be a challenge, and that’s where Lendwise comes in. Taking out a loan can help you better manage and afford this important investment in your future. For more information and to find the best option for you, *click here.
Representative Example: Assumed borrowing of £30,825 over 120 months at 12.73% APR representative. Monthly cost of £509.26. Total amount repayable of £61,199.65. Interest rate of 11.62% p.a.(fixed) and total fees of £925.00. Available for loan amounts between £5,000 – £100,000.
(Representative Example date: October 2024)
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