Global Master’s in Management Student Ambassador, Gamze Tekin, teaches us how to move forward. Gamze shares how her cohort are managing online education and making new friends amidst a global pandemic.

Warning: Brace yourself for a lot of food related content

Thank you, next

It would be an underestimation to say that being a student in 2020 was difficult. That is why I will only mention the past year merely a few times in this blogpost as a representation of moving forward to a hopefully better and less challenging year ahead. So, as we are saying ‘Thank You, Next’ to the past year I would like to reflect on what it has been like so far to be a master’s student at LSE in the time of a global pandemic.

Joining LSE as a master’s student

Before joining LSE this past September, similar to many students, I was worried about the quality of education and the level of engagement that the online system would allow us to have. However, the hybrid education system that LSE introduced, which blended in-person and online classes together worked better than I anticipated. Being able to attend in-person seminars twice a week really made a difference.

In terms of online education, personally I really struggled with looking at the laptop screen for too long. My eyes started to itch after an hour or two, so I decided to invest in a small home projector that allowed me to watch lectures from the wall. It was the closest I felt to being in a lecture hall again.

As a management student, we have a lot of presentations that we need to do as a group. And in an online platform it can be a bit challenging.

I remember being nervous about communicating well with my fellow students for our first marketing project. Group projects can be tricky even when you are in person – however, Zoom actually allowed us to communicate more than we normally would.

The long but very productive Zoom calls also made me realise that my teammates were as hungry as me for a meaningful conversation and to produce something during these trying times where most things seem unimportant.

We even formed a society at LSE with four other girls from GMiM after discovering our passion for high-end fashion.

The education that I have been receiving from LSE as a postgraduate management student not only helped me cope with this pandemic but also made me realise there is always room and opportunity for intellectually stimulating discussions no matter how or where you are attending the classes from.

The long but very productive Zoom calls also made me realise that my teammates were as hungry as me for a meaningful conversation…

Happy to make your acquaintance

I was equally excited and apprehensive of starting the Global Master’s in Management (GMiM) programme at LSE. One of the primary reasons why I chose this program was its very diverse and international cohort along with the global outlook it had promised.

Understandably, I was anxious that this past year could be the hardest year to make any acquaintances let alone friendships.

I could not have been anymore wrong.

Everyone was eager to take initiative.

I saw that people were very enthusiastic to meet with others from different cultures and backgrounds and a global pandemic was not going to stop them.

One of my classmates from GMiM organised a Zoom meeting through the Facebook group even before the term started. I was glad to see some of my classmates without any facemasks on. Don’t ask me how to get past the awkwardness of those breakout rooms on Zoom, I can only tell you it will (or will not) happen naturally over time.

Once some of us were in London, people started to make plans to meet at restaurants back when they were open (and of course in accordance with UK government guidance). One of my friends from the programme started this trend where she would form a WhatsApp group of six and pick a random restaurant and invite people for dinner. It really helped us connect as a cohort.

Crowded and frantic freshers’ parties were replaced with long walks and small dinner parties.

We even celebrated one of our friend’s birthday after a walk to see Tate Britain Art Museum’s decorations (pictured above). There are perks of not meeting someone for the first time at a loud party – for example, you can actually properly learn their first names.

Crowded and frantic freshers’ parties were replaced with long walks and small dinner parties.

Some of the things that really helped me make new friends was to keep on sharing new things. There were a lot of recipes that were shared. The crumble recipe with pears and dark chocolate saved my quarantine evenings. If you are looking to replace banana bread with something else, then this is definitely worth a try.

It seems like we will have more Zoom seminars, facetime catchups and virtual birthday parties in 2021.

As we start Lent term and slowly but surely learn how to navigate online education – one thing we can all agree is that the year we left behind has taught us the importance of friendship or any form of human connection for that matter. I can only suggest that you not delay any aspect of your life and not be hesitant to connect with your fellow students as they are in the same boat as you.

Remember: there is always a rainbow after the rain.

I can only suggest that you not delay any aspect of your life and not be hesitant to connect with your fellow students as they are in the same boat as you.

Learn more about our Global Master’s in Management programme