The Imperial Executive MBA is a part-time programme for high achievers who want to develop the skills that will launch them right to the very top of the ladder. At Imperial College Business School, our emphasis is on future-proofing you with the expertise to be ready for the challenges of today, and for whatever the future holds.

This programme is designed especially for high-calibre professionals who want to gain not only an understanding of the different business functions, but also the advanced management and leadership skills on par with a C-suite level executive.

So, how does our Executive MBA stand up? Students studying on the programme or who have recently completed their studies share why Imperial’s Executive MBA has been transformative on a personal and professional level.

The Executive MBA has been a truly transformative journey. Imperial’s unique selling point is the connection between the Business School and the other faculties at the College. I recommend Imperial’s Executive MBA to any business leader who wants to deepen their understanding of the relationship between business, technology and the challenges our planet faces. One of the best things about the Executive MBA has been the STEM talks by the leading professors from Imperial College London, a global top 10 university. The tech talks really connected the dots between business and science and pointed to cutting edge solutions to the challenges of our planet.

The best part of the Executive MBA so far is the blended learning approach. It allows me the flexibility to learn the concepts through the online learning platform, The Hub, and to raise queries in advance to the Teaching Assistant sessions.  The learning is then reinforced during the on-campus sessions where I get the opportunity to apply them to real-world case studies, which I felt was useful.  The on-campus catering throughout the two-day period is truly wonderful as this takes the stress out of worrying about food and enables me to focus on the learning. In addition, the planned cohort dinners have been another great highlight as it has allowed me to develop my social network through engaging with my fellow cohort, the programme team and the lecturers.

Imperial’s Executive MBA represents a new generation of MBA programmes. The curriculum is enriched with the Executive Leadership Journey and speaker series dedicated to new technologies and solutions that are at the heart of Imperial College London. The programme gives you the tools to accelerate careers in a technology-driven world. It takes you out of your comfort zone, helps you to identify and fight your weaknesses and appreciate and build on your strengths. The first year was an inspirational journey, and along the way, I met incredible people from all backgrounds. A lot of them, like myself, commute from different countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa or from the US. Working on projects together creates an excellent opportunity to learn not only new skills, but also embrace management skills in a multicultural environment.

The best part of the Executive MBA so far is the strength and motivation to get better, which comes from my cohort. I had a demanding job and a soon to be born baby when classes kicked-off last year, yet being surrounded by like-minded individuals, also going through similar challenges, has helped me to improve my efficiency and prioritisation, managing to enjoy the modules as much as possible, and deliver on my commitments. The power of doing this journey alongside colleagues from completely different industries and professions is incredible. Working in groups has highlighted the skills each of us bring to the teams and has definitely supported my own leadership awareness and development.

A year ago I started preparing to start my Executive MBA at Imperial College Business School. It's been an incredible learning experience and supported my transition to client strategy and value consulting. The alignment to technology, innovation and the diverse cohort is what attracted me, and studying at one of the world's leading programmes didn't hurt either. Being able to cover gaps in my experience from great lecturers, and discussing the practical applications with an experienced cohort has been incredibly powerful.

One of the benefits I did not expect at the beginning of the Executive MBA is self-confidence. I approach new professional challenges differently and use my newly learned methods and tools to find solutions. In this way, I reach the desired goal faster and more effectively. One of the modules that gave me exceptional benefit was the Entrepreneurial Journey. Here I liked the hollistic approach the most, because in my opinion it was very close to practice. The pitch session added the extra spice. Working with the service designers from the Royal College of Art helped me see the challenge from a different perspective and try out new approaches.

I have been studying at Imperial College Business School for two months now and come across new things everyday – whether that's new friends, new events or new skills.

Here are the best seven things I’ve discovered in my short-period at the Business School so far on the MSc Strategic Marketing programme.

Programmes are practical

Before I started at the Business School, I worked as a marketing specialist for over two years. Having had business knowledge from my previous job, I found that all the modules at Imperial are very practical and highly relevant to future employment. Lectures are very insightful – the professors are always bringing trending news stories into their teaching, along with interesting campaigns on the forefront of digital marketing.

Learn to handle group work

You will be divided into a syndicate group based on the result of your personality test. Your team will have to work together to finish a series of group work from the first week of new term. Considering students come from more than 100 countries, cultures and working habits, it will be difficult at the beginning.

Hence, group work may not run as smooth as you imagined, which is common in a normal working environment. However, don’t be afraid. It’s a great opportunity to develop transferrable skills, such as leadership and effective communication, so you can be prepared for the future. More importantly, you can learn a lot from each other.

Plan your future career goals

Career planning is a main focus at Imperial College Business School. You will be taught how to write a good CV in pre-study modules, before the first term takes place. During each term, there will be regular career-related workshops discussing a variety of topics, including industry awareness, interview skills and tips for networking.

If you are aiming to be accepted into graduate programmes, you can get personalised help through one-to-one appointments from the Careers service. As a student who already has working experience, I found the workshops on career planning and salary negotiation very useful.

Choose from the variety of societies and clubs

Sometimes, you may feel breathless during your academic study, group work and the job-hunting process. Yes, life at Imperial can be intense, but you can still have a lot of fun in student clubs and societies. Imperial has more than 300 clubs and societies for students.

Regional and industry Career Clubs are very helpful in terms of getting latest industry news and guiding your career. Meanwhile, there are also clubs for sport, debating and food, if you need to blow off some steam. Plus, joining a club is a great way to meet like-minded friends.

Time management is crucial

As I mentioned earlier, life at Imperial can be intense but very interesting. We have lectures, network events, club activities and even internship or part-time jobs. Thus, time management and the ability to multitask are important.

Utilise your Google calendar or notebook to carefully schedule your timetable and to avoid potential conflicts. It’s great for prioritising your personal time too - after writing down ‘have a family call’ on my memo, I’ve never missed bonding time with my family.

English language workshops are available for international students

As an international student, I found it difficult to communicate with English native speakers. I find they speak too fast and sometimes with an accent that I’m not used to, which makes the first few weeks very challenging – especially when trying to make friends.

If you have a similar problem, no need to worry! The Business School has a language workshop for international students. I attended the business news discussion workshop, which helped me to practise speaking English in a very comfortable and relaxing atmosphere, with content provided to practise every day conversation. They also have an academic writing workshop for you to enhance writing skills.

Pack your luggage SMARTLY

Some friends asked me for advice on what kind of clothes they should bring to London. Apart from giving them the weather report, there are a few things to keep in mind. Normally, there is no strict dress code required for daily life at Imperial College Business School.

However, considering the most events are career and networking based, smart casual clothing is good choice for. There’s also a large welcome event in the Natural History Museum in October and a May ball in Spring, so make sure you pack some formalwear too!

I can honestly say, making the decision to apply for the Imperial MBA is one of the best I’ve ever made. These first two months have been intensive but have provided a lot of space for self-reflection and growth.

Here are three lessons I’ve learned so far while studying an Imperial MBA programme.

Find yourself a mentor and coach

As part of the Full-Time MBA, we are matched up with a Careers Consultant and also have the opportunity to connect with a mentor from a past cohort. My Consultant has helped me define my career goals and build a plan moving forward. She challenges me to think of my professional growth opportunities in a new way and further pursue my goals. 

My mentor completed his MBA as part of last year’s cohort and provides a unique perspective of how to get the most out of the programme. Both people have given me advice that has helped shaped how I tackle the programme for the rest of the year. 

Be open to new experiences

My world has grown since starting the on the Imperial MBA. I’ve found myself in a cohort of people from a variety of backgrounds, both professionally and culturally. I learn something new from my classmates and their past experiences every day. I’ve also been pushed by my Careers Consultant to explore different post-MBA career paths, which has opened doors to jobs and potential opportunities I had never looked at before. This year is a chance to explore new paths and ways of thinking. 

Take time for self-reflection

A large part of the induction and early stages of the MBA has been self-reflection. We’ve examined our strengths, how we work in teams and our personal leadership styles. Sitting down and looking at the way that I work has changed the way I approach group work, class assignments and career decisions.

I know how to lean into my strengths and be aware of my weaknesses in order to get work done effectively and be a strong team member.  It can be hard to find time for this level of self-reflection in the working world, but the MBA programme has given me a platform to not only reflect, but also think through how I can use this knowledge and reflection in my everyday life.

Yes, the first two months have gone by quickly, they’ve been packed with workshops, classes, networking events and a lot of fun. I’m excited to see what the rest of the year has in store for me.

Technology has a tendency to amplify pre-existing inequities, but how far does machine learning extend these biases to mortgage approvals?

In January 2019, US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made headlines when she claimed that algorithms “have racial inequities that get translated”. In this case, she was referring primarily to facial recognition technology, but the point echoed existing concerns over the growing use of machine learning technologies.

By analysing huge datasets and identifying patterns and features within them, machine learning programs can accelerate and improve the accuracy of decisions in such areas as recruitment, marketing, healthcare and finance. The problem is the algorithms that underpin this technology are designed by humans and learn from historical human decision data, which means they risk taking on and, potentially, exacerbating human biases.

Learning from the past

What is undoubtedly true is that decisions made on the basis of algorithmic predictions have the ability to make finer judgements based on more subtle factors than conventional methods.

Take mortgage applications as an example: lenders primarily care about ensuring the loans they make are repaid, so they approve or deny applications (and set interest rates) based on the risk of default. Conventionally, this is done using a statistical model that benchmarks each applicant’s default risk based on income, job security, previous borrowing and a number of other factors.

Machine learning systems take this further, not just comparing applicants against statistical benchmarks but continuously combing vast amounts of historical data to find an applicant’s statistical neighbours (previous applicants with similar material factors).

Decisions can then be made on the basis of how reliable these neighbours were as borrowers. Over time, as the system learns more and receives more data, its decisions should become increasingly accurate in terms of avoiding likely defaulters and charging the ideal interest rate.

Hidden factors

In our research, we tested this by taking a dataset of nine million US mortgage approvals from 2009 to 2013 and tracking them over the next three years. Based on this data, we put together a conventional statistical model of default risk and a more sophisticated machine learning model.

The latter did indeed predict default with greater accuracy, identifying (among other things) marginal applicant “winners”, i.e. individuals who would have been deemed unacceptable credit risks or offered high interest rates by the conventional model, but are understood to be reliable borrowers at attractive rates by the algorithmic approach.

The proportion of winners was around 65 per cent for white and Asian borrowers, but only around 50 per cent for black and Hispanic borrowers.

Proportionally, these winners increase across the board, but it’s here that racial inequality enters the discussion: in our model, the proportion of winners was around 65 per cent for white and Asian borrowers, but only around 50 per cent for black and Hispanic borrowers.

What’s driving this disparity? It goes without saying that race was not included as a variable in our research, but it is possible that the algorithm has effectively learned to triangulate race, i.e. to work out a borrower’s likely race based on the other factors included. Equally, it’s possible the well-documented social injustices that certain ethnic groups make them, through no fault of their own, more likely to pose an objective default risk, and the algorithm is picking up on this.

No simple solution

In order to work out which of these causes was at play, we tested the model again, this time including race as a factor. The results were only marginally different, indicating that triangulation was most likely not the main factor at play – in other words, the algorithm is not inherently racist in the sense of calculating ethnic background and discriminating on the basis of it.

That’s not to say we can rule out triangulation as a factor, as it does play a part, but rather it is primarily the flexibility of machine learning in predicting default based on permissible factors that leads to the racial disparity in the proportion of winners.

Can machine learning algorithms morally be relied on?

Of course, this knowledge does not solve the problem. At the end of the day, our results show Ocasio-Cortez’s concern was valid: machine learning does reflect existing inequities, even if the cause is not inherent in the technology itself.

A lender genuinely concerned only with maximising financial gain and minimising loss will nonetheless see its approach have an inadvertent negative social effect. What’s more, as this is the case, can machine learning algorithms morally be relied on? And what level of regulation is required to mitigate these effects?

These questions will rightly be at the vanguard of research as the technology develops, and we can only hope the knowledge of what needs to change will prove a valuable tool in making that change a reality, leading us into a future in which machine learning can be an equalising force.

This article, originally published on IB Knowledge, draws on findings from the paper “Predictably Unequal? The Effects of Machine Learning on Credit Markets” by Andreas Fuster (Swiss National Bank), Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham (Federal Reserve Banks), Tarun Ramadorai and Ansgar Walther (Imperial College London).

My name is Briana Johnston and I moved to London from the United States to start a Full-Time MBA programme at Imperial College Business School. I came to London by myself and booked an Airbnb to stay in for my first week, with the plan to find a flat within that week and move in. Fortunately, I had teamed up with another woman in my programme to live together prior to moving, so I had someone to experience the joys and struggles of moving abroad with! Even with almost three weeks to get settled in, time seemed to fly, but for those who may not have as much time to settle in, I’ve compiled six tips for students moving to London from abroad.

Give yourself at least one week to get settled before starting classes

If you have the flexibility to move to London before your programme begins, I would recommend giving yourself at least a week to really settle in. This will allow you time to get rid of any jet lag, set-up a bank account, find a place to live, and start to get familiar with your neighbourhood.

It’s also nice to have a bit of a break before starting a programme at Imperial College Business School, because the year will start off quite intense and will only get more demanding!

Set up a bank account ASAP

Setting up a bank account in the UK can be a bit of a catch-22 because it requires you to have a permanent address, plus, you can’t rent a flat without a bank account. However, there is a way around this, with online banks such as Monzo and Revolut, it is extremely easy to set up a bank account online. I would recommend setting up an account with one of them before trying to go through the harder process of setting up a bank account with larger banks such as Barclays or HSBC. 

In order to set up a Monzo or Revolut account, you will only need to provide an address where they can mail you your card. If you have a friend in London, send the card to them. However, you could also have it mailed to the accommodation where you’re staying. 

If you’re able to set up the account right before you move, you could have a bank account ready to go by the time you arrive in London, making it much easier to rent a flat.

Use TransferWise to move foreign currency into your UK bank account

The TransferWise app was extremely helpful and straightforward in my moving process, as I was not only able to transfer money from my US bank account to my UK bank account, but I was also able to secure my flat by transferring money to my landlord for the holding deposit via the app, which only took a few hours (it could take longer depending on your country and the time of day/day of week you initiate the transfer).

Act quickly when renting a flat and don't be afraid to negotiate 

If you are not planning to stay in graduate accommodation offered by Imperial, be prepared to act extremely fast when looking for a flat in London.  Whether you’re going through a letting agent, OpenRent (the landlord directly), or SpareRoom (a flatmate finder website), flats can go off the market within a day, so be prepared to pay the holding deposit needed to secure a flat immediately after a viewing.

Also, don’t be afraid to negotiate rent down as it is very common to do so in London. In my case, I found the flat that I currently live in through OpenRent and viewed it 30 minutes after the previous tenant had moved out. I had already seen a few flats by that point and knew that this was the best of what I’d seen, so my roommate and I immediately expressed interest during our viewing and negotiated the rent down by £50 per month. We then transferred over our holding deposit via TransferWise, once the landlord agreed with everything, the flat went off the market that day!

Prepare to pay six months rent upfront 

As a student with no income, if you do not have a UK guarantor, be prepared to pay six month’s rent upfront when securing a flat. This is typically not the case if you’re renting a room via SpareRoom or Gumtree, but for letting agents and landlords, this is what they typically require. 

It’s not fun to see all of that money leave in one go, so make sure you have budgeted enough money and have it ready in your bank account to make this transaction if necessary.

Take advantage of student discounts

One of the great things about being a student again is all of the student discounts London offers – and there are quite a few! 

Firstly, sign up to UNiDAYS, where you can get discounts from various stores and restaurants, such as Pizza Express and ASOS. 

Secondly, if you’re renting a flat, make sure you get exempt from paying council tax (you can google how to do this). 

Lastly, if you plan to take the tube throughout London or trains around the UK, sign-up for a student Oyster card and a UK Railcard.  A student Oyster card gives you discounted tube fares, but only for travel cards (i.e. monthly, annual passes), not for single rides. A Railcard gives you discounted fares for trains travelling outside of London (e.g. Oxford, Bath, etc.).  Depending on your age, there is a 16-25 Railcard and a 26-30 Railcard.  Being a student actually doesn’t matter for Railcard eligibility, however, it’s a good thing to have to save money on your journeys if you plan to explore more of the UK during your time in London. 

There are also many student discounts offered at movie theatres and other restaurants, so be on the lookout for those as well.

It feels like decades since I’ve been in a proper classroom. After getting five years of work experience under my belt, I found that my knowledge of academic life was a bit rusty and that I needed to learn how to be a student again.

Within the first couple of weeks of my Full-Time MBA programme, I already had tonnes of readings, exams scheduled and group assignments -  add into the mix networking events, recruitment presentations and a healthy social life, it seemed to be too much, too fast.

If like me, you were accustomed to a full-time job and have decided to get back into student life, follow my tips below to make the transition a little bit easier.

Get ahead of the deadlines (don't procrastinate!)

At first, the workload can seem overwhelming considering that your brain still isn’t in full student mode. We have several group and individual assignments for each class and most of us probably haven’t written an essay in a while, so it is best to have as much time as possible to complete them.

Creating a schedule with all your upcoming deadlines will help you stay organised. Plus, planning ahead will keep you from stressing out last minute. Also, it allows you to have extra time to check with professors if you have any questions!
 

Control your budget

Studying the Imperial Full-Time MBA programme means you will take one year off work, which can be scary leaving a regular income behind. Be sure that you are aware of this from the beginning and make sure your finances are in place throughout the year to take the stress off being a full-time student.

Remember, there are plenty of student discounts to take advantage of!