Written by Michaela, International Business Management MSc, class of 2020
I loved being a Master’s student at Newcastle University Business School. Wondering why? Here are 5 reasons:
1. The University and its facilities
Newcastle University Business School (NUBS) is situated in a new part of the campus, it is very modern and it offers everything students can wish for (from great study rooms to a café in the lobby, to silent study areas if you need to focus).
Classrooms and lecture theatres are modern and equipped with the ReCap system (which is handy for students who can listen again to the lecture at home if they need to refresh their knowledge).
2. Diversity and friendship
What I enjoyed the most about my degree were my classmates. We all came to Newcastle University with a dream of getting a Master’s degree from the University, this is what connects us all. On the other hand, we came from different cultural backgrounds and for many of us, English is a second language. The diversity was exceptional!
It provided me with a chance to learn how to work in an international team. Thanks to that, I have learned how to overcome cultural differences, learned more about other cultures and their approaches and made a couple of great friends.
Living in different time zones once again can make it a bit more challenging to maintain an international friendship, however, it is well worth the effort because it makes the world somewhat smaller if you know there is someone in a different continent you can call your friend 🙂
3. Amazing teachers
I had excellent teachers who were ready to go the extra mile and answer all of our questions. I also appreciate that they were willing to discuss topics with students and respect it if you have a different opinion.
As most of them like to say: there is no right or wrong answer, it is entirely up to you as long as you justify your opinion. This was such a nice change after my experience at my previous University!
4. Personal tutor aka your ‘guardian angel’
Your personal tutor doesn’t let you struggle (this is an academic member of staff who is your first point of contact with the University when you need advice or guidance). Since every student is assigned to a personal tutor at the beginning of the course, you know there is someone ready to help you.
Even though you might not need their help at the beginning, the situation can change over the months, and you can find yourself in a situation when you don’t know what to do. That’s the time you contact your personal tutor, and they will help you with anything – feeling homesick, struggling with your essays or just when you need somebody to talk to.
5. The interconnectedness of topics
It was great to have opportunities to talk about the same theories and frameworks etc in different contexts, and gain an understanding of how interconnected the topics are. For example, we discussed Porter’s Five Forces in the Strategy module, and we had a chance to apply it in a more practical module in the second semester on a live case study.