Yiwen Wang

About

What work experience/internships did you have before beginning with Imperial College Business School?

I worked as a Premier Relationship Assistant at HSBC Beijing for one year. I am mainly responsible for handling customers’ requests, including cross border business, mortgage applications, risk assessment, maximising customer satisfaction through exceptional service. My job duties also included identifying sales opportunities and new deposits.

Alongside full-time work experience, I interned at Deloitte Management Consulting in 2017 and participated in digital marketing and strategy implementation projects.

Why did you decide to study an MSc Economics & Strategy for Business at Imperial College Business School?

Imperial’s Career service is prestigious and I was seeking opportunities to transition from the banking industry to the consulting or marketing industry at that time. After careful review of all the programmes, I decided to apply to the MSc Economics & Strategy for Business programme which provides well-rounded training in strategy. 

Programme

What aspects of the programme do you most enjoy the most?

It’s well-known that Imperial’s Careers service is efficient and professional. However, for me, the most admirable part is the practicability of coursework. The main things I learned during undergraduate study are theories and principles. I seldom knew how to apply them in the business world. Take the Corporate Finance module for example. The coursework combined discounted cash flow models with real business cases of Ferrari and LinkedIn. It’s the first time I walked through the model from every corner and completely knew how it works. It’s the same with other modules, such as Corporate Strategy.

Which has been your favourite module so far and why?

Strategic Marketing is my favourite modules so far. Professor Rajesh is really patient, kind and efficient. The teaching modes and structures are clear and reasonable. We all enjoy his classes!

"The teaching modes and structures are clear and reasonable. We all enjoy his classes!"

What has been the most challenging part of the programme? 

Imperial cohorts are very diversified. Everyone will experience culture shocks. Students may face the challenges to cooperate with people from different backgrounds and learn to handle disagreements sometimes. However, I also benefit from improving communication and interpersonal skills in such an environment. What’s most helpful is that Imperial holds a lot of workshops on inclusiveness and diversity!

People

How would you describe your cohort at Imperial?

My cohort is diverse, excellent and positive. Take my group for example. My Sri Lankan partner is good at writing and brainstorming. My Cypriot partner is a smart analyst. My Chinese partner does well in video editing. Though from different countries, all of them are active in applying for jobs, participating in workshops and working on coursework. We learn from each other’s strengths and merits and developing our full potential.

Opportunities

What has been the greatest opportunity you have had at Imperial?

To learn about different cultures and make friends with people from all over the country.

Which workshops, events or guest lectures at the school have been useful in developing your skills and knowledge?

LEK guest lectures were very helpful and useful. A senior manager from LEK showed how they work on different projects and the framework and methods they use in solving problems. With their professional, detailed and structured introduction, I achieved a new understanding of consulting, which will benefit my future cases interviews and work projects.

What clubs, societies or other activities have you been involved in at Imperial? 

I am a Student Ambassador. On the one side, I assist in building the Imperial College Business School brand and raise the profile of my programme. On the other side, I also have an opportunity to solve incoming students’ problems and recruit the very best students for my programme. I get a sense of achievements from this experience!

Career

What are your future career goals and how have they been realised since being at Imperial?

My future career goals are to become a consultant or marketing specialist in an internet company. Guest lectures enhanced my business acumen. Networking events built a close relationship across programmes and backgrounds. Workshops conducted by TMT clubs, Consulting Club or Finance Club widened my industry insights. Mock interviews and case study service helped me perform in the right way in a real interview. Imperial makes every effort to amplify our employability. With plentiful resource, I am fully confident in job hunting.

"Imperial makes every effort to amplify our employability. With plentiful resource, I am fully confident in job hunting."

Tips

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about applying for the programme?

I really love MSc Economics & Strategy for Business and I believe applying this programme is the best choice I have ever made. But, I hope the prospective students will consider their career paths carefully and what they want to learn in postgraduate study. The most appropriate programme to achieve this is the best choice.