Choosing Imperial's MSc Economics & Strategy for Business

About me  

My name is Sawan Oberai and I’m from New Delhi, India. Some facts about me: I am passionate about are sustainability and climate change, commercial aviation, cooking, and I love dogs! 

I studied economics at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, University of Delhi for my undergraduate. I am currently studying MSc Economics and Strategy for Business programme at Imperial College Business School. The programme combines knowledge from economics and management, with technology to help students leverage economic theory and apply it to real-life business problems. This is exactly what I wanted to study for my master’s! 

“Studying at Imperial College Business School is probably the best decision I have ever made.” 

Finding out I had been accepted at Imperial College Business School 

I was in my hometown (Delhi) when I received the most exhilarating piece of news: I had been accepted at Imperial College Business School.  

 Before sleeping, I checked my phone to see if there were any updates; I saw an email from Imperial that had ‘Congratulations’ in its subject. When I opened the email, I was overwhelmed with joy as it was an acceptance email! I ran out of my room to the living room where my parents were while screaming at the top of my lungs. After receiving a scolding for scaring them (fairly), I told them the news and they had a similar reaction to mine. It was so fulfilling as Imperial College Business School was my first choice. 

Why I chose Imperial College Business School

The combination of economics and management is very unique and hard to come across, but it was exactly what I wanted to do. To get to study my preferred combination at a Business School that trains you for the real world and is highly reputed was an opportunity I could not forego. Before applying, it felt like a far-reach to apply to Imperial but once I had the acceptance letter in front of me, it wasn’t a hard decision to make. 

What it means to me to be studying at Imperial 

The first month in London did not feel real. I was having trouble internalising the fact that I am actually studying at my top choice (Business School and programme) and global top 10 university. 

For me, studying at Imperial College Business School is all about grabbing all opportunities with both hands. The Business School is way more resourceful than I could have thought. While the academics are first-rate, the extracurricular and cocurricular opportunities are endless. I am proactive in participating in a variety of workshops, sessions, and career events, and also love visiting any markets or pop-ups at the university. 

Studying at Imperial College Business School is probably the best decision I have ever made. 

How I am finding the programme so far 

The programme is really intriguing and flexible. Not only are the core modules really interesting and practical but we also have diverse choices of electives. 

I found the Corporate Strategy module to be my personal favourite so far; this all about a firm’s scope, determining which businesses and activities to include within the boundaries of the firm. The class isn’t really a lecture format but revolves around discussions. The assessment structure was also quite nice with us applying knowledge from our discussions and material to solve business problems. I am beyond excited to explore where the programme takes me. 

What I am most looking forward to  

I am excited to study the electives that I have selected as I have chosen sustainability-oriented modules (aligned with my interest area). Additionally, I am looking forward to undertaking the consulting project in the summer wherein real companies come to Imperial with real business problems. It feels surreal to get to solve actual business issues as part of the programme.