2020 was certainly a year of learning for both the world and me personally, with an intense mix of both inspiring and difficult lessons. From bushfires to civil unrest and pandemics, the world has seen drastic changes ranging from the paradigms we hold as decision makers to the way we act as students.
Of the not-too-many available options, choosing to study was the preferred one for me for several reasons, with the most important being the need to continue learning.
Each of our reasons for studying differ; our intents and expectations shape the way we approach our opportunities. If you’re taking on further studies in the coming few months, I recommend thinking about the following before your programme begins:
1. Are you ready to learn?
It takes a learner to readily embrace and utilise new knowledge. Opening our minds to new perspectives taught at the Business School helps us discover the underlying reasons behind great managerial decisions, where the “why” matters more than the “what” and “how”. Learning is not about knowing the right answers, but rather about moving forward by mining our failures for insights.
2. Are you curious enough?
It takes a curious mind to keep ourselves engaged and interested in our respective disciplines. Like explaining finance to a marketer, there are always subjects that venture beyond our scope of expertise and interests.
Staying excited and open to new knowledge while exploring unchartered waters encourages us to explore what we don’t know and question our pre-established first principles. Curiosity is about asking questions and staying inspired to make the best out of our postgraduate studies.
3. Can you accept your vulnerabilities?
It takes courage to admit to our mistakes and what we do not know. With the numerous new concepts that come our way as postgraduate students, admitting to our blind spots helps encourage others to open up and share their expertise with us. Vulnerability builds trust, and trust becomes the cornerstone for every collaborative assignment during your postgraduate studies.
I hope these three prompters serve you well as they did for me when I first decided to pursue MSc Strategic Marketing here at Imperial.
With the physical classroom no longer posited as a focal study experience, we are beginning to see the inventive approach Imperial College Business School is taking.
From multi-modal learning format, including remote live lectures and 24/7 accessible online recordings), the various teaching modes on offer have adapted to the times and made the online study experience even more enjoyable than streaming shows on Netflix!
Teaching and learning are two sides of the same coin. With the teaching team equipped and ready for remote learning, what about us students? Are we ready to learn? Or are we prepared to simply tick assignment items off a checklist? A good educator teaches students rather than subjects; likewise, a good student learns rather than memorises. The challenges of learning during uncertain times are plenty, but the fruits of our labour can be highly rewarding.
As an MSc Strategic Marketing student, I’ve found our current curriculum highly demanding yet enriching; pushing us beyond our ability to simply know things, but to also apply and make sense of the new paradigms that we are taught to embrace. So, go forth and be learned, curious, and open to vulnerability!
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