University is about learning new things, developing yourself and obviously managing your studies alongside all this. On my first day at LSE, one of the first thing my professor told me was that you should treat your Global Master’s in Management as if it were your first job and do things as you would at work. I thought to myself, how would I do that?
What does a job entail? I looked back at the time I worked in my family business and came up with a few ideas: training, multi-tasking, meeting people, adhering to deadlines and learning every day! How do I treat my Master’s as a first job? Doing something new and building on these skills beyond management.
I started proactively looking out for opportunities to try things I had never done before. It’s common to get involved in societies of your interest, generally something related to a career or a personal interest. Another possibility was to learn a new language, which is mandatory if you want to do the CEMS exchange. A few of my friends even did it out of personal interest.
After exploring some of the possible extracurricular activities, I came up with a few that particularly interested me. However, this list is clearly not exhaustive and there is a lot more you can chose to do depending on your interests.
1. Blog writing
Writing had always been a hobby of mine, but I never had the chance to actually publish anything. Thus, when the Department of Management advertised the position of Blog Editor, it motivated me to tick this off my list. Writing blogs such as this one has helped me become more confident about sharing my experiences and putting forward my ideas in words. I have to say, I absolutely enjoyed taking time off my weekly readings to do this!
2. Student Ambassador position
Another position I came across through the Department of Management was the opportunity to become a Student Ambassador. I personally like to advise and guide people, and I often found it useful when others did this for me – it is always good to know that someone had been in the same position once. Hence, I saw this as my chance to give back to incoming students the help I received when I was coming to LSE.
3. LSE Perspective
Alongside writing, I enjoy photography and I love exploring. I try to spend some of my spare time exploring the hidden cafés of London, trying new eateries, enjoying the rare days of sunshine, and capturing it all in a picture. Therefore, when a friend told me about the LSE Perspectives monthly photo gallery, I was captivated by the idea of being able to send in pictures that I had taken. The pictures are published monthly on an online gallery. For me, this was a chance to showcase my hobby beyond social media.
4. LSE IT & Training
LSE IT & Training offers free training on a range of IT programmes throughout the year, including Excel and basic Web design courses to name a few. My IT skills have been rusty since my undergraduate degree and I was keen on brushing them up. This was my chance to make the most of this opportunity.
5. Public Lectures
LSE hosts a range of public lectures throughout the year. Surprisingly, there are more non-LSE people attending these than LSE students. Lectures I’ve watched have been given by a diverse group of leaders and experts, from the President of Colombia and the Finance Minister of Canada, through to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, and former UN member Shashi Tharoor. The list goes on. I find listening to accomplished people incredibly intellectually stimulating. At LSE you find renowned individuals have come all the way from across the globe to speak right on your doorstep – what better chance can you get?
There’s so much more you can get involved with here at LSE. Although a Master’s degree is a busy time, applying for jobs and juggling so many subjects, it is also the one chance to go beyond that and make the most of your time here. It’s been a fun-filled, intense first year, where I got to learn so many new things, and I look forward exploring more such opportunities next year.
Learn more about our Global Master’s in Management programme
