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Radoslaw Machowiec

October 3rd, 2019

Why two years are better than one: choosing LSE’s GMiM

0 comments | 6 shares

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Radoslaw Machowiec

October 3rd, 2019

Why two years are better than one: choosing LSE’s GMiM

0 comments | 6 shares

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Global Master’s in Management student, Radoslaw Machowiec tells his journey from searching for Master’s programmes to landing his dream job at one of the MBB consulting firms.

Reflecting on my two years in the Global Master’s in Management (GMiM) class at the London School of Economics it’s clear that what I have learned and achieved here far exceeded my expectations coming in.

In late 2016 my goal was clear- get into the consulting industry. After graduating with a BSc in Finance and Accounting in my home country of Poland, I began interning in the Assurance department at one of the Big Four consultancies.  It was great spending time with brilliant and inspiring people but I didn’t have a strong passion for auditing and I knew I had to make a change early in my career if I were going to get my dream job.

I started to look around at management degree options. A one-year management degree seemed too short. An MBA was appealing but I only had one year of work experience. Then I found the Global Master’s in Management programme at LSE. It offered a two-year degree with the option to study on exchange for a term at some of the world’s top MBA programmes. It was the best of both worlds for me.

The LSE experience

Having a top university on your CV will not guarantee you your dream job. It’s up to you to make sure that you take advantage of all the opportunities that university provides. Since GMiM is one of the few two year masters programmes at LSE, you have twice the time to get the most out of the university.

On the GMiM programme, you spend the majority of your first year taking core courses. This allows you time to discover your business areas of interest before going on to choose electives in your second year. Another advantage of the two year LSE setup is the business project component which allows you to serve as a consultant advising corporate giants like Daimler or fin-tech startups like N26.

Outside of the classroom, LSE provides lots of leadership and volunteering opportunities which, besides being great for your CV, enable you to do some good for society in the process. I chose to volunteer in a project that aimed to empower vulnerable women in London through developing their business skills which was a great experience. There are also dozens of societies where you can take an active role and are helpful preparation for the job recruitment process.

Finally, let’s not forget about the fun of being on a vibrant campus and the opportunity to make some lifelong friends. In my first year, I attended salsa and bachata classes hosted by the LSE Salsa Society. In my second year, I had a chance to participate in an amazing tech trip to Israel organised by the LSE Israel Society. Now at LSE there are over 200 societies that will make your study experience unforgettable.

MBA exchange

If the above does not convince you to choose GMiM, then how about the term abroad? This was a real selling point for me. GMiM offers two optional types of exchanges – the CEMS and MBA exchange (or the option to stay at LSE and take electives!). While all are fantastic opportunities, I really wanted to experience the MBA classroom first-hand.

My term abroad at Yale School of Management was the highlight of my two years and I found a few major advantages of the exchange semester opportunity that I wouldn’t have had in a regular Master’s in Management programme.

At Yale, I was able to join a cohort of MBA students who already had a wealth of experience in the business world. They came from a variety of industries and were typically aiming for positions higher in the corporate hierarchy than I was at this point.

During my four months at Yale I was able to develop my network with MBA students who worked or were applying to consulting firms. Together, as members of the Consulting Club, we managed to do dozens of case interview training sessions. At Yale, the main goal of the Consulting Club and some other industry-focused societies (e.g. Finance Club, Technology Club) is to prepare members for the job application process. I found the experience invaluable during my own later job application process.

Another benefit of the MBA exchange was the difference in the academic approach to LSE. While LSE puts more emphasis on theory, MBA programmes focus on practice. The approaches complement each other and I felt I got the best of both worlds by exploring the two together. There were classes at Yale that drew on management theories I had covered at LSE, but did not mention or explain these theories explicitly. Having the theoretical foundations from my GMiM classes at the LSE, I was able to more critically assess business cases than some of my peers and make unique contributions to the MBA class.

So how did the GMiM story end for me?

Pretty well I’d say! Towards the end of my second year I managed to secure a full-time job at one of the MBB consulting firms and I’m genuinely looking forward to this new step in my career.

Learn more about the Global Master’s in Management programme

About the author

Radoslaw Machowiec

Global Master's in Management student 2017-19

Posted In: Choosing LSE | The Student Lens

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